Schools in England have been issued new guidance intended to prohibit the use of mobile phones.
The move is part of the goverment’s plan to ensure a consistent approach across schools and “minimise disruption and improve behaviour in classrooms”.
However, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union said the most compulsive use of phones happened out of school and called the change a “non-policy for a non-problem”.
The guidance sets out several examples of how to enforce phone-free environments, including a total ban on mobiles on schools premises, or rules dictating phones are handed in at the start of the day.
Schools could also allow pupils to keep possession of their phones, the guidance states, but “only on the strict condition that they are never used, seen, or heard”.
The ASCL said it did not expect the guidance to make any difference, adding: “The government would be far better off putting its energies into bringing to heel the online platforms via which children are able to access disturbing and extreme content.”
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