2026-04-21 14:02:07

The government has declared that it will introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.

Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith informed the House of Lords on Monday (20.04.26) that the government is to table an amendment to its Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill “creating a clear legal requirement for schools” on the matter.

The Department for Education (DfE) says that the ban would give “legal force to what schools are already doing in practice”.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had written to schools earlier this year, urging them to follow new guidance to keep schools phone-free during learning hours.

The Labour government has said that it will put that guidance on a statutory footing, which means that schools must pay attention to it.

They argue that this is different from the proposal of an outright legal ban that has been advocated by the Conservative Party.

Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott described the amendment – which is set to be tabled in the coming days – as “fantastic news for headteachers, parents and pupils across the country”.

She wrote on X: “For over a year, Labour dismissed this as an unnecessary gimmick, and just last week the education minister claimed the problem had already been solved.

“I’m glad they’ve now listened, this is the right step for improving behaviour and raising attainment in our classrooms.”

The Liberal Democrats say that ministers have to “ensure all schools have the necessary support and funding to manage this transition”.

The party’s school spokesperson Caroline Voaden said they had “delivered a major win for pupils, teachers, and families” by “dragging the government” towards the introduction of a ban.

The details of the government’s amendment have yet to be published, but the DfE says it has been “consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools” and the majority already prohibit the devices.

A spokesperson said that the amendment “builds on the steps we’ve already taken to strengthen enforcement”.

They added that schools’ mobile phone policies will be monitored as part of Ofsted inspections from this month.

The spokesperson said: “We will always put children’s interests first, including through this Bill – which is widely recognised as the biggest piece of child safeguarding legislation in decades.”

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