Pupils in England will no longer be allowed to keep mobile phones in their bags or pockets during the school day under tougher statutory guidance coming into force from September 2027. Schools will have to go beyond policies that allow devices to remain out of sight and unheard, while retaining control over how they put the restrictions into practice.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell announced the changes on 9 November 2026. Schools are being encouraged to introduce the stricter approach before the formal start date, with options including sealed pouches, secure lockers, collecting phones at the beginning of the day or banning them from the site altogether.
The move tightens statutory guidance that has been in force since June 2026, making schools and trusts legally responsible for phone-free school days. For families in London and elsewhere in England, the central change is that switching a phone off and leaving it in a school bag will no longer be enough.
Beyond keeping phones out of sight
The revised guidance will require schools to move beyond existing “no see, no hear” policies. Those policies focus on whether a phone is visible or audible. The new approach goes further by preventing pupils from having phones on them at all during the school day, rather than simply requiring them not to use them.
That distinction changes what schools must arrange. A rule about keeping a device out of sight can leave it in a pupil’s possession. Under the tighter model, schools will need an approach that meets the new requirement, whether that involves pouches, storage, collection or keeping phones off the premises.
There will not be a single prescribed method for every school. Schools will still decide how to enforce the guidance, giving them a choice between the permitted approaches. The national requirement concerns the phone-free day, while the practical arrangements for securing or excluding devices remain a matter for individual schools.
Powell said the message to parents and pupils was that “school is for learning and friendship, not scrolling”. The announcement sets a firmer boundary for phone possession during the school day, building on the existing statutory requirement rather than introducing phone-free days for the first time.
Cost of securing devices
Head teachers’ unions warned that the stricter model would be unaffordable without additional funding. Their concern centres on the cost of putting the policy into operation, particularly where schools choose equipment or storage rather than an outright ban on bringing phones onto the site.
ASCL general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio said providing lockable pouches or secure storage for every pupil would carry a “very significant” cost. The choice of enforcement method therefore has implications for school budgets as well as for pupils’ daily routines, with schools having to decide how to meet the tighter requirement.
For parents, the practical arrangements will depend on the approach their child’s school adopts. Collection at the start of the day, secure lockers and a ban on phones on site are different ways of complying with the same national standard. The revised guidance leaves that local decision with schools rather than specifying one system.
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza and shadow education secretary Laura Trott both welcomed the tightening. Their support sits alongside the unions’ warning about affordability, leaving implementation costs as a central issue as schools prepare to move beyond their current rules.
Technology review and next steps
The government also announced a review of safety standards for technology used in classrooms. That is a separate part of the announcement from the restrictions on pupils’ phones: the phone guidance governs what children may have with them, while the review concerns technology used in schools.
The changes apply in England, including London’s state schools. Education is devolved, so the same timetable does not apply across the UK. Scotland is planning legislation, Wales recently voted against a statutory classroom ban and Northern Ireland is consulting on one.
Schools in England now have until September 2027 to comply with the revised guidance, although they are encouraged to act sooner. The practical effect for families will become clear through each school’s chosen arrangements, while the unions’ funding warning remains an issue for delivering the tougher rules.
