@itvpolitics: As @DennyTheJourno explains, schools in England should go beyond “not seen, not heard” phone policies, where devices stay in pupils’ bags during the day, to ensure children can learn away from distractions, the Government has said. The Department for Education (DfE) will issue strengthened guidance to encourage schools to adopt effective policies which make sure that phones are inaccessible to pupils throughout the school day. Education Secretary Lucy Powell said school was for learning and friendship “not scrolling” as she set out plans to encourage “truly phone-free” classrooms. Existing statutory DfE guidance, which came into effect in September, calls for schools in England to operate as “mobile phone-free environments by default”, but it does not explicitly set out how they should enforce the ban. Some schools use lockable pouches or secure storage for pupils’ phones, while others collect them at the start of the day or prohibit their students from taking phones onsite altogether. While most schools set out that phones should be not seen and not heard, only 16% of secondary pupils say phone rules are followed all of the time, according to a DfE survey carried out in June. The revised statutory Government mobile phone guidance, which is due to come into effect in September next year, is to give greater clarity on what stronger approaches can be taken by schools #politics @ITV News

ITV Politics

Open In TikTok:

Region: GB

Tuesday 10 November 2026 12:34:25 GMT