England schools could be required to ban mobile phones after Lords back amendment

Schools in England could soon be legally required to ban mobile phones during the school day after the House of Lords voted by a majority of 107 to back an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The change would turn existing Department for Education guidance into a statutory duty, removing the discretion currently held by head teachers.

Department for Education guidance already states that phones should not be allowed in schools, but heads can ignore it if they disagree. “We have been consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools, and the majority already prohibit them,” a DfE spokesperson said.

“This amendment makes existing guidance statutory, giving legal force to what schools are already doing in practice.” The proposal, brought by Conservative shadow education minister Baroness Barran, includes potential exceptions for sixth-formers, medical devices and some boarding school settings.

The House of Commons is expected to vote on the amendment on Wednesday. Teaching unions have indicated support. The NASUWT union has previously said it backs a statutory ban, while headteachers’ union the NAHT also supports it. NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman said the measure would give “clarity” and “remove any ambiguity or differences between how schools approach smartphone policies”.

He added that schools would then need to decide how to implement and enforce a ban and that the government should provide any support they require to do so effectively. Skills minister Baroness Smith of Malvern said the government had listened to parliament and “to concerns about how we support headteachers in delivering on this policy”.

Laura Trott, the shadow education secretary, described the move as a win for the Conservatives, saying: “I am delighted we have forced Labour to see sense and U-turn. This is fantastic news for headteachers, parents and pupils across the country.” The push comes amid wider concern over children’s use of social media.

Last month the government began a public consultation on protecting young people online, a process that could result in an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s.