The Tories will push for a ban on smartphones in schools to be included in the Government’s education Bill.
The Conservatives are tabling an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to end the use of mobile phones and other devices during school days by pupils.
It is understood that the Labour Government has no plans to legislate on banning phones in schools, and the Department for Education said schools are already able to decide how to prohibit the use of phones.
Under former prime minister Rishi Sunak, the then-Conservative government issued non-statutory guidance to schools in England intended to stop the use of mobile phones during break and lunch periods in schools, as well as in lessons.
The Tories are now tabling an amendment to a Labour Bill in a bid to stop pupils using mobile phones and devices during the school day.
It would mandate that all schools in England put a policy in place that applies from the start of the day’s first lesson to the end of the last.
Schools would decide how to implement the ban and there would be flexibility for sixth forms and residential or boarding schools.
It comes as several leading educational figures, including the woman dubbed the nation’s strictest head teacher, have called on the British government to implement a smartphone ban for students during school hours.
In their letter today, MPs urge the PM to fund the installation of lockers in all schools and to update guidance for Ofsted
The group warns that the prevalence of smartphones among teenage children ‘has serious implications for learning’ (Stock Image)
Ms. Birbalsingh is part of a group of 30 educationalists calling on the UK government to ban smartphones in schools across Britain
Katharine Birbalsingh, head teacher of Michaela Community School in Wembley, North London, previously appeared on ITV’s documentary Britain’s Strictest Headmistress and made national headlines earlier this year following her banning of prayer rituals during school hours.
Now, along with 30 other prominent educationalists such as Lord Nash, former Conservative schools minister, have penned an open letter calling for stricter smartphone governance in British schools.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: ‘We have a growing understanding of how damaging phones and social media are on our children’s education.
‘That’s why we believe that smartphones in schools should be banned during the school day.
‘This is the right thing for parents, teachers and children, and I hope Labour will back it.’
Cumberland Community School in Newham, East London, made headlines in 2023 when they persuaded half their students to delete social media apps from their phones over the exam season.
TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram were ditched for two months to be replaced by compulsory revision sessions – with some students agreeing to surrender their smart phones entirely to avoid any temptation or distraction.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott believes smart phones should be banned during the school day
Amin Opayemi and Dania Olajide were among students at Cumberland Community School in Newham, East London who ditched social media while sitting their GCSEs
The inner-city school is now among the most consistently improved in the UK (Gov.uk)
Since repeating the pioneering effort last year, the school’s progress score has jumped by a grade and a quarter, leaving it among the most consistently improved in the UK.
And the inner-city academy now has 62 percent its of GCSE students achieving at least a Grade 5 in both English and maths – sixteen points above the average across England.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the Bill would be a ‘seminal moment’ for children and that there is already clear guidance for schools on mobile phones.
The spokesperson said: ‘The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will be a seminal moment for the safety and success of our children, from new safeguards around home education to breakfast clubs in every primary school to set children up to learn.
‘There is already clear government guidance which helps headteachers to decide how best to prohibit phones in a way that will work in their own schools. If pupils fail to follow those rules, schools have the power to confiscate devices.’
The Conservatives used an attempt to block the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill earlier this month to force a vote on calls for a new inquiry into grooming gangs.
This week Kemi Badenoch raised concerns over the Bill’s impact on academy freedoms, including on teacher recruitment and pay.
The new Bill would ensure all teachers will be part of the same core pay and conditions framework, whether they work in a local authority-run school or an academy.
The Bill also includes measures allowing councils to open new schools which are not academies, and it will end the forced academisation of schools run by local authorities which are identified as a concern by Ofsted.
