Plans to ban the use of mobile phones in schools is expected to come into effect by the end of the year, which will also be incorporated into the Keeping Children Safe in Education statutory guidance.
The amendment will mean existing non-statutory guidance (issued early 2026) will become a legal requirement & will remove the ability for headteachers to opt-out, ensuring consistent compliance across all schools in England.
What schools need to do
Schools will be required to implement a policy whereby students will not have access to their mobile phone throughout the school day including during lessons, the time between lessons, breaktimes and lunchtime.
You can read the latest guidance published February 2026 on mobile phones in schools:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-phones-in-schools/mobile-phones-in-schools
Considerations:
- Sixth-Forms Settings are also expected to comply with the government’s mobile phone ban but should be granted flexibility to allow limited use within designated common rooms or study areas, rather than a total site-wide ban & with tailored policies on misuse and sanctions for older students.
- Boarding Schools must comply with the government’s 2026 requirement to be mobile phone-free environments during the school day. Outside school hours policies can be set for phone use in the evenings & weekends, allowing for pupils to connect with parents and families, particularly international students with consideration to overseas time zones.
- School leaders will need to ensure that all staff, pupils and parents are familiar with updated mobile phone use policies, including clear indications on implementation and sanctions for breaching it.
So how will this affect DSLs and Safeguarding Leads?
Many schools have facilitated students handing their mobile phone to staff at the start of the school day. Students are savvy and as we know, many do not comply with this requirement and sneak devices into their bags to communicate through the school day.
For this reason, monitoring technology continues to be a vital tool. Securus will continue to capture any unsafe behaviours and harmful activity taking place on mobile phones using the school network.
This not only allows staff to continue to safeguard students but also catches culprits who have broken policies – alerting DSLS for immediate action!
Schools can rest assured that Securus continues to offer a monitoring solution for phone devices & BYOD policies, including any specific requirements for sixth form settings and boarding schools.
Get in touch with the team if you require further information on the latest guidance for mobile phone use, or call us on 0330 124 1750