DfE: Statutory ban on mobile phones "not necessary"

The government has rejected a recommendation to produce statutory guidance over the use of smart phones in schools, as recommended in the Education Committee's report.

The Government argues this would be unnecessary as the vast majority of schools already have such policies in place.

The government's response was: "Schools already have the power to ban mobile phones from their site. Many did this prior to the publication of the DfE guidance, and since its publication our surveys have found that there were no leaders who said that pupils could use their mobile phone any time in school.

"A statutory ban to give more force to the existing guidance is not necessary when survey evidence suggests schools are following the guidance already."

However, the Education Committee says that its previous inquiry heard from school leaders that having legally backed guidance in place would assist them in engaging with parents who challenge phone bans that are currently self-imposed by schools. 

Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes MP said: "“The argument that most schools already ban phones misses the point that school staff would have a backstop, an added line of defence, if the law was on their side when facing challenge from parents or students.”