Gavin Williamson wants mobiles to be banned as children return to school
Gavin Williamson wants mobiles to be banned as children return to school (Picture: REX/Getty)

Mobile phones could be banned in schools across England as part of a new plan to clampdown on poor discipline.

Gavin Williamson said he wants to ban phones to bring back ‘calmness’ to the classroom as he launched a six-week consultation on the idea.

It comes ahead of plans to reform guidance later this year on behaviour, discipline, suspensions and permanent exclusions.

The Education Secretary said that he wants to make the school day ‘mobile free’ and said phones can damage children’s mental health when overused.

Mr Williamson said: ‘Mobile phones are not just distracting, but when misused or overused, they can have a damaging effect on a pupil’s mental health and wellbeing. I want to put an end to this, making the school day mobile-free.

‘In order for us to help pupils overcome the challenges from the pandemic and level up opportunity for all young people, we need to ensure they can benefit from calm classrooms which support them to thrive.’

BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 26: A pupil uses his mobile phone for research during a english lesson at the Ridings Federation Winterbourne International Academy in Winterbourne near Bristol on February 26, 2015 in South Gloucestershire, England. Education, along with National Health Service and the economy are likely to be key election issues in the forthcoming general election in May. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
A pupil uses his mobile phone for research during an English lesson (Pircture: Getty Images Europe)

Consultation participants will be questioned about how schools’ behaviour policies and approaches have evolved in pandemic circumstances and what practices were successful and will therefore remain in place.

But Mr Williamson is being accused of pandering to backbenchers with the plans by the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

‘Frankly, school and college leaders would prefer the Education Secretary to be delivering an ambitious post-pandemic recovery plan and setting out how he intends to minimise educational disruption next term, rather than playing to backbenchers on the subject of behaviour,’ said general secretary Geoff Barton.

A group of students waiting in line in a school corridor, one is checking her phone
A group of students waiting in line in a school corridor, one is checking her phone (Picture: Getty Images)

Critics have also said that all schools are different, which is why they have various phone policies, and a blanket rule for all won’t work.

Senior policy advisor for school leaders’ union NAHT, Sarah Hannafin, said: ‘Mobile phone bans work for some schools but there isn’t one policy that will work for all schools.

‘Outright banning mobile phones can cause more problems than it solves, driving phone use ‘underground’ and making problems less visible and obvious for schools to tackle.’

The consultation follows the announcement of the Department of Education’s £10million ‘behaviour hub’ programme.

The programme has a mentoring scheme in which schools who have a good handle on behaviour are mentoring those struggling.

It comes as major changes are expected to Covid isolation rules from autumn.

Trials are being conducted into daily contact testing as a possible alternative to isolation after Covid contact, with the Department for Education confirming that current isolation rules are likely to end in the autumn.

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