The government has published new guidance for schools on managing the use of mobile phones.
Education secretary Gillian Keegan warned mobile phones “are, at a minimum, an unwanted distraction in the classroom”, and said she was giving “hard-working teachers the tools to take action to help improve behaviour”.
However, the guidance is not statutory, meaning schools can ignore it.
There are also no new powers for headteachers to ban devices, but government said the guidance will help promote a “consistent approach across all schools”. Most already have their own policy banning mobiles.
