The government will move to make phone-free school days a legal requirement in England by amending the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, with Ofsted set to monitor policies from April.
The government will move to make phone-free school days a legal requirement in England, with ministers set to table an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the coming days, education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the House of Lords on Monday.
Smith said the change would create “a clear legal requirement for schools,” after ministers issued guidance earlier this year urging schools to ensure pupils do not use phones during the entire day. The Department for Education (DfE) said the step would give legal force to practices already in place at most schools, and confirmed Ofsted will monitor mobile phone policies as part of inspections from April.
Putting the guidance on a statutory footing would require schools to take account of it in their policies. Ministers argue this differs from the Conservatives’ call for an outright legal ban; however, the opposition welcomed the move, with Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott describing it as good news for schools and families.
The full text of the government’s amendment has not yet been published. Smith told peers officials had removed the “not seen, not heard” option — phones off and in a bag — from the guidance, and said ministers were open to being stronger. Some schools already use lockers or magnetically sealed pouches to store devices.
Other parties pressed for clarity and support. The Liberal Democrats urged funding and assistance to manage the shift. Reform UK said existing guidance did not go far enough and backed a clear, enforceable ban. The Green Party called for thorough consultation, citing concern about harms linked to smartphones.
School leaders said the legal change may have limited impact on the ground. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said most schools already restrict phones and added: “What would really be helpful is for the government to make funding available to schools for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones, such as storage lockers or locked pouches.” He also called for tougher regulation of social media, noting much problematic use happens outside school.
The bill had been held up between the Commons and the Lords after peers backed a Conservative amendment in February calling for phones to be banned. Earlier this week, the Lords accepted shadow education minister Baroness Barran’s suggestion that potential exemptions should be provided for sixth-form students, pupils in boarding schools and those who use phones as medical devices.
Approaches differ across the UK because education is devolved. Scotland introduced guidance in 2024 allowing headteachers to implement phone bans. Wales has no national ban, but heads can restrict devices in their schools. In Northern Ireland, a nine-school phone-free pilot has ended, with a report due in June.
The government said the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a major child-safeguarding package and that the amendment builds on steps to strengthen enforcement. The precise scope and implementation details of the phone measures will become clearer once the amendment text is published.
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