UWE finds 'off and in bags' phone rules not working

UWE Bristol researchers said on 29 September 2026 that rules keeping phones off and in bags were not working as a restriction in schools.

The university said the study analysed survey answers from 3,721 secondary pupils and 352 secondary teachers in and around Bristol in 2025. The Nuffield Foundation funded it. Pupils told researchers they used phones in toilets, under tables and through earbuds or smartwatches.

It didn’t stop smartphone use – it changed how and where it happened.

Staff described the same pattern. The university said 61.3% of staff saw pupils go to the toilet to use phones. Nearly two-thirds (64.7%) enforced phone rules at least weekly and 29.3% did so daily or at least once per lesson.

Stricter rules may also meet resistance. The study found 93.5% of pupils wanted to keep "off and in bags" or to have fewer or no restrictions. Pupils who saw themselves as struggling most at school were the least keen on stricter rules, the researchers said.

The findings matter for schools because the rules have changed since the survey. Department for Education guidance on phones became statutory on 29 June 2026 and schools should follow it from 1 September. The university said the government has left schools to decide how to apply it. Tes reported that in Teacher Tapp polling in September, 52% of secondary academies and 54% of council-run schools had an "out of sight all day" policy.

The survey covers one area of England and relies on what pupils and staff reported. It was carried out before the guidance took effect. The university's announcement does not say whether the work has been peer reviewed. It is not yet known whether schools can enforce "off and in bags" more successfully under the new rules.

Sources

1. UWE Bristol | Findings from study suggest Government guidance on smartphones in schools may not go far enough
2. Department for Education (GOV.UK) | Mobile phones in schools
3. Tes | Mobile phones mentioned in just 2% of Ofsted reports