Mobile phones are to be banned in schools as education secretary Gillian Keegan is set to announce a dramatic intervention - to the relief of millions of parents and teachers

  • Gillian Keegan will order schools to outlaw phones during lessons on Monday

By JASON GROVES and HARRIET LINE

Published: | Updated:

Mobiles are to be banned from classrooms, the Education Secretary will announce on Monday.

Gillian Keegan will order schools to outlaw smartphones during lessons, and also in breaks, in a bid to end disruption and make it easier for pupils to focus.

A government source said new guidance would be issued to schools across England requiring them to take action.

'Gillian believes that mobile phones pose a serious challenge in terms of distraction, disruptive behaviour, and bullying,' the insider said. 'It is one of the biggest issues that children and teachers have to grapple with so she will set out a way forward to empower teachers to ban mobiles from classrooms.'

Some schools already ban the use of mobiles, with pupils required to hand in their phones each morning – or face the punishment of a detention if they are caught using them.

But many others still permit their use, particularly during breaks, despite growing evidence of the damage they cause.

Gillian Keegan will order schools to outlaw smartphones during lessons, and also in breaks, in a bid to end disruption and make it easier for pupils to focus

Gillian Keegan will order schools to outlaw smartphones during lessons, and also in breaks, in a bid to end disruption and make it easier for pupils to focus

Mobiles are to be banned from classrooms, the Education Secretary will announce on Monday (Stock image)

Mobiles are to be banned from classrooms, the Education Secretary will announce on Monday (Stock image)

The announcement will be made on Monday at the Conservative Party's annual conference in Manchester, where:

  • Jeremy Hunt will pledge to 'make work pay' by boosting the national living wage to £11 an hour and cutting benefits for those who refuse to look for employment;
  • Liz Truss will pile pressure on Rishi Sunak to cut taxes and lift the ban on fracking in order to kickstart economic growth;
  • The Prime Minister was boosted by a poll showing Labour's lead down to 10 points for the first time since he entered No 10;
  • Tory infighting erupted over Suella Braverman's views on multiculturalism, with her predecessor Priti Patel branding her an attention seeker.

Monday's announcement of a ban on the use of mobiles in the classroom follows years of debate about their impact. How the ban is enforced will be down to individual state schools.

Many parents are content for their children to carry a phone so that they can make emergency contact while travelling to and from school.

But the presence of smartphones in the classroom – and constant notifications from apps – has been blamed for causing disruption, as well as fuelling cyber-bullying and thefts. In June, Finland became the latest country to ban phones in class in a bid to reverse a decline in exam results.

The following month, a major United Nations report recommended smartphones should be banned to improve learning and tackle classroom disruption and cyberbullying.

Unesco, the UN's education, science and culture agency, pointed to evidence that excessive mobile phone use was linked to reduced educational performance. It said countries should ensure they have clear objectives and principles to ensure digital technology in education avoids harm – both to pupils and wider democracy.

Unesco's director general, Audrey Azoulay, said that 'attention must be paid' to the way the 'digital revolution' is used in education.

Many parents are content for their children to carry a phone so that they can make emergency contact while travelling to and from school (Stock image)

Many parents are content for their children to carry a phone so that they can make emergency contact while travelling to and from school (Stock image)

But the presence of smartphones in the classroom ¿ and constant notifications from apps ¿ has been blamed for causing disruption, as well as fuelling cyber-bullying and thefts (Stock image)

But the presence of smartphones in the classroom – and constant notifications from apps – has been blamed for causing disruption, as well as fuelling cyber-bullying and thefts (Stock image)

She said at the time: 'Its use must be for enhanced learning experiences and for the wellbeing of students and teachers, not to their detriment.' Studies have found links between phones and poor mental health among children – including anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

There are also growing concerns that pupils are using mobiles to bully each other on social media and for sexual harassment. Ministers have previously tried to ban mobile phones in state schools.

Two years ago, then-education secretary Sir Gavin Williamson vowed to make the school day 'mobile-free', and won support from Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children's Commissioner for England. But the proposed ban was ditched by his successor, Nadhim Zahawi, early last year.

The Department for Education said instead that revised guidance would make clear that 'heads are best placed' to make decisions on mobiles.

Gillian Keegan

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