DfE tells schools to keep phones out of reach all day
Stricter guidance for England will end rules that let pupils keep a silent phone in their bag. School leaders' unions say pouches or lockers for every pupil would need extra government funding.
The Department for Education said on 10 November 2026 that pupils in England should not be able to reach their phones during the school day.
Schools already follow statutory guidance that asks them to be phone-free by default. Many meet it with a "not seen, not heard" rule, where a phone can stay in a pupil's bag. The department said in its announcement that stronger guidance will ask schools to go further. It listed lockable pouches, collecting phones at the start of the day, secure storage and banning phones from the site.
Children should not be using smartphones at any point during the school day, full stop.
BBC News reported that the stricter guidance will apply from September 2027. The department said only 16% of secondary pupils say phone rules are followed all of the time. Its own survey from June found 23% of secondary parents who knew the policy said their child must hand in or lock away a phone, up from 9% a year earlier.
School leaders' unions warned about cost. Paul Whiteman of the NAHT told Tes that schools would need extra funding and support. Pepe Di'Iasio of the Association of School and College Leaders said storage for every pupil was "not feasible" without government money. Tes said the announcement did not mention new funding.
For pupils and parents in England, a phone kept switched off in a bag will no longer be enough once the new guidance applies. Each school will still choose its own method, so the rules will differ from school to school. The change covers England only. The BBC said Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are each consulting on their own approach.
The department has not published the new wording of the guidance. It has not said whether schools will get money for pouches or lockers.
Sources
- Department for Education (GOV.UK) Strengthened guidance to take the next leap to phone-free schools
- BBC News Phones to be banned from pupils' bags or pockets under stricter rules for schools in England
- Tes DfE tells schools to go beyond 'not seen, not heard' phone policies
- Department for Education (GOV.UK) Parent, pupil and learner voice: June 2026