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.
