Here are the new rules for phones at UK schools
The government updated its non-statutory guidance on mobile phones in January 2026 to make it clearer that the expectation is that schools should be phone-free.
The guidance remains non-statutory, meaning there’s no legal duty to consider or follow it, explains legal firm Browne Jacobson.
However, the Department for Education has said that Ofsted will consider a school’s mobile phone policy “immediately” as part of inspections. The case studies have also been updated with additional guidance on communicating a policy.
“The guidance continues to make clear that individual requests to depart from the policy – particularly where the pupil has SEN or a disability – remain important,” the firm said. “Schools and trusts decide their own phone policies, and most already limit phone use to some extent.”
Current options include:
- Devices handed to school staff at the start of the day.
- Though this places responsibility for expensive devices on the school.
- Pupils storing devices in a locker or similar.
- Devices not being on school site at all.
While this effectively introduces a self-regulatory scheme, the government does plan on taking the ban further.
The House of Lords is due to discuss an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill in February 2026 that would require schools to have a policy banning mobile phones while allowing for specific exceptions.
“If passed, this would provide consistency and clarity, giving school leaders a basis to say the decision is out of their hands,” Browne Jacobson said.
