News

Government's mobile phone 'ban' ridiculed

Legislation and guidance Government policy Whole-school issues Behaviour
Less than two years after stating that further government intervention on mobile phones in schools “isn’t necessary”, the government has intervened anyway – attracting condemnation and ridicule. But if the ploy was a bid to distract from wider issues, it certainly worked...
Image: Adobe Stock

There was condemnation and ridicule this week at what has been seen by most as a policy published merely to serve as a distraction from wider government problems and to coincide with the Conservative Party annual conference.

To that end, the move must be considered a success by its architects given the extensive press coverage it has garnered – this despite the idea of a mobile phone ban having already been mooted and then abandoned by DfE ministers in 2019 and again in 2021.

And as many social media users have pointed out this week, headteachers already have the power to ban mobile phones should they wish, and most schools already have some form of ban in place.

Undeterred, education secretary Gillian Keegan confirmed on Tuesday (October 3) during her address to the event in Manchester that new guidance would soon be published on the issue.

In its announcement, the DfE confirmed that the guidance would “back headteachers in banning mobile phone use throughout the school day, including at break times, to tackle disruptive behaviour and online bullying”.

It said that the move would bring England in line with other countries that have already implemented a ban, citing France, Italy, and Portugal.

It adds: “If schools fail to implement the new guidance, the government will consider legislating in the future to make the guidance statutory.”

In her address, Ms Keegan acknowledged that the guidance would be non-statutory and that many schools already ban mobile phones.

After running a consultation on the issue last year, the DfE stated in a blog on the topic, published in February 2022: “The feedback we got showed that most schools have well developed plans in place for the management of mobile phones and that further intervention from government isn’t necessary. In most cases mobile phones are already banned for the majority of the school day with schools taking a range of measures to enforce that policy.”

And indeed, the DfE’s non-statutory guidance Behaviour in schools (DfE, 2022) states: “Headteachers should decide if mobile phones can be used during the school day. Allowing access to mobiles in school introduces complexity and risks, including distraction, disruption, bullying and abuse, and can be a detriment to learning. Headteachers should consider restricting or prohibiting mobile phones to reduce these risks.

“If headteachers decide not to impose any restrictions on mobile phones, they should have a clear plan to mitigate the risks of allowing access to phones. This plan, as part of the school’s behaviour policy, should outline the approach to mobile phones and be reiterated to all pupils, staff and parents throughout the school year.”

But none of this stopped the rhetoric. Ms Keegan said: “We know that teachers are struggling with their impact and we know that they need support. So we’re recognising the amazing work that many schools have done in banning mobile phones and we’re announcing that we will change guidance so that all schools will follow their lead.”

The “will” is problematic in that the updated guidance is to be non-statutory and schools can already ban mobile phones if they wish to. Indeed, a survey by TeacherTapp suggested that around 80% of schools have some kind of ban in place, with the most common approach being a ban on use during the school day.

Another TeacherTapp survey asked teachers if a student had taken a phone out in one of their lessons that day. Of 4,158 responding, 36% said they had. Broken down by the rules of the school, the results showed:

  • Mobile phones allowed at lunch and break but only allowed in lessons with teacher permission: 47% of students had taken a phone out that day.
  • Mobile phones allowed at lunch and break but banned in lessons: 44%.
  • Mobile phones not allowed at all during the day unless permission given: 34%
  • A complete ban during the school day: 27%

As the TeacherTapp analysis (2022) states: “Even in schools that have a strict no-phones-allowed policy, it is still the case that over a quarter of teachers said that a student took their phone out in a lesson, in a single day.”

The DfE’s own national behaviour survey (DfE, 2023) found that of 548 secondary teachers asked in June 2022, 69% never or rarely saw mobile phone use in their lessons, while 8% said they saw phone use in all or most lessons.

When students were asked, however, 30% said they saw peers using phones in most or all lessons, while 39% said they rarely or never saw this.

Ms Keegan was adamant in her party conference address: “This change will reduce distractions and help us continue to improve behaviour.”

But teaching unions are not that impressed. Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT, said there was a “behaviour crisis” in schools, but that this was not the solution.

A NASUWT research report involving responses from 6,586 members of the union and published last month shows that teachers’ biggest concerns in the classroom are verbal and physical abuse, with 73% reporting that this poor behaviour “seemed to be a product of poor social skills following Covid-19 restrictions”. The NASUWT said: “A far smaller number of teachers reported that mobile phones caused behavioural issues in the classroom.”

Dr Roach continued: “The lack of joined up solutions, multi-agency working and properly resourced behaviour support are just some of the systemic factors making a challenging situation worse.

“Teachers would welcome more support around dealing with the problems caused by social media. But abusive use of mobile phones is not just confined to the classroom and we need to see better support for schools and families when problems arise.

“The gvernment needs to focus on properly supporting the work of teachers and headteachers rather than announcements designed to detract attention from more than a decade of policy failure."

Daniel Kebede, general secretary at the National Education Union, said that Ms Keegan was “distracting attention” from “the deep challenges in our schools”.

He added: "The government's consultation exercise concluded that most schools already have policies in place to deal with the problems of mobile phone use. The education secretary must acknowledge and address the challenge of teacher recruitment and retention, persistent real-terms funding cuts, the lack of mental health support both within and outside of school, and the rising levels of child poverty. These are the issues school leaders are currently most concerned about." 

School leaders were equally unimpressed. A statement from the Association of School and College Leaders labelled it a “policy which isn’t needed for something that isn’t a problem” and said it was a “desperate attempt to grab a headline” ahead of the Conservative annual conference.

General secretary Geoff Barton added: “Most schools already prohibit the use of mobile phones during the school day or have robust rules restricting their use to specified circumstances.

“The problem with mobile phones – addictive use, bullying, inappropriate material – generally happen at other times when children are not in school. Schools spend a lot of time dealing with the fallout caused by mobile phone misuse and the damage it does to children.”

The DfE said that the new guidance will set out limited exemptions where necessary, such as when children need their mobile phones for medical reasons.