Restricting pupils’ access to portable electronic communication devices during the school day position statement

Introduction
Learning, attention and cognitive load
Behaviour and school climate
Safeguarding and online harms
Evidence from healthcare professionals
NASUWT position
FAQs
 

Introduction

Teacher research consistently identifies unrestricted use of mobile phones and other portable electronic communication devices (referred to throughout this statement as ‘devices’) as a growing source of classroom disruption and distraction.

In surveys conducted by NASUWT [1] and other organisations, [2] teachers and leaders have reported that pupils’ use of mobile phones and other comparable devices:

• interrupts learning and damages concentration;

• causes confrontation when pupils are challenged by staff;

• contributes to poor behaviour and disrespect for the legitimate authority of teachers and leaders; and

• facilitates bullying, harassment and the misuse of technology.

In the 2024 NASUWT Big Question Survey, more than a third of teachers (37%) cited mobile phone distraction as one of their most significant day-to-day behavioural concerns. In secondary schools, this figure rises to over 50%.

Although many schools have attempted to manage phone use through ‘phones off in bags’ policies, evidence from practice suggests that this approach is difficult to enforce consistently. [3]Schools increasingly report stronger success when devices are secured in lockable pouches or similar systems.

NASUWT recognises that there are legitimate and reasonable counterarguments in the debate on restrictions on devices. These include the cost and logistics of implementation and the potential impacts on vulnerable pupils if exemptions are not properly managed.

Some academic research has suggested that restrictions alone do not guarantee improvements in mental health or academic outcomes. [12] It is also argued that access to personal smartphones in classrooms can support digital learning and literacy development.

However, teachers’ lived experience and international practice suggest that access to technology for learning does not require unrestricted access to a personal device. The supervised use of school-provided devices can meet educational needs without the drawbacks associated with pupils having free access to their own devices.

We also recognise that headteachers already have powers to restrict access to devices without government intervention by introducing school-wide policies.

However, the Union’s engagement with teachers and school leaders on this issue has found that while many would like to control the use of connected devices during the school day, they feel less able to do so without government support. This sentiment has been reflected through communication from campaigning organisations to the Secretary of State for Education. [13]

The reason for this is clear: a national requirement for restrictions creates parity for all schools. By having to enforce restrictions without a legally backed mandate, school leaders report they are at risk of complaints and challenge from parents and governors, with the potential for the policy to be overturned.

NASUWT position

The growing impact of mobile phones and other portable electronic communication devices on behaviour, concentration, safeguarding and staff authority in schools represents a systemic challenge that individual schools cannot be expected to manage alone.

Therefore, NASUWT is calling for UK governments and devolved administrations to introduce, across their respective jurisdictions, the requirement to restrict pupils’ access to devices, including mobile phones, during the school day through the use of lockable pouches or equivalent secure storage systems.

This has been determined after a thorough examination of the arguments and evidence in favour of and against introducing system-wide restrictions.

While recognising that there are legitimate and necessary exceptions, including for young carers and pupils with medical needs, special educational needs (SEN) or additional support needs (ASN), this paper insists that the balance of evidence indicates that firm, consistent restriction of access to mobile phones and other devices improves classroom discipline, reduces distraction, strengthens safeguarding and contributes positively to the learning environment.

School policies restricting access to devices must not be applied in a way that disadvantages vulnerable or marginalised pupils.

Clear and transparent exemptions must be available where a demonstrable need is established for:

• young carers who may need contact with dependent family members;

• pupils with medical conditions, e.g. diabetes monitoring;

• pupils with disabilities or SEN requiring assistive technology that a school is genuinely unable to provide directly; and

• pupils who require access for communication, regulation or safeguarding purposes.

Schools must comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010 or Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 as appropriate, as well as relevant guidance on pupils with medical needs.

We are clear that any such restrictions need to be carefully designed, piloted and implemented.

Before mandating a statutory requirement that all schools should implement restrictions based on the lockable pouch system or similar systems described in this paper, governments and devolved administrations should:

• work in partnership with key stakeholders, including NASUWT, parent groups and organisations representing young carers and disabled pupils to develop and trial pilot programmes across a representative range of schools; and

• assess the impact of different models, including lockable pouches and alternative secure storage systems, on pupils’ behaviour, learning environment, safeguarding, staff workload and equality.

A stakeholder-led pilot approach reflects evidence that successful implementation depends on staff buy-in, consistent practice and school culture, all of which are strengthened through meaningful workforce engagement.

Statutory requirement following pilots

Subject to the findings of these pilots, a statutory framework should be introduced requiring publicly funded schools to implement secure device storage arrangements, with flexibility in method but clear national minimum standards developed in conjunction with NASUWT.

Clear exemptions and equality considerations

The statutory framework must include legally robust provisions for exemptions for pupils with medical needs, SEND or caring responsibilities, in accordance with equality duties and safeguarding responsibilities.

Updated guidance and support

New national guidance should accompany any statutory requirement, providing schools with:

• models of implementation based on pilot evidence;

• templates and guidance on handling exemptions;

• advice on staff training and communication with parents and pupils; and

• safeguarding, equality and enforcement guidance.

This guidance should be developed in full consultation with NASUWT and other relevant stakeholders.

Funding and resource support

Given the costs associated with lockable pouch systems, particularly for large secondary schools, governments should ensure that schools have adequate funding to ensure that no pupil is disadvantaged in accessing the system because of their financial circumstances.

Monitoring, evaluation and review

A national evaluation process should be established to monitor the longer -term impact of the policy on matters including:

• behaviour and classroom disruption;

• teaching and learning conditions;

• staff workload and retention; and

• safeguarding issues.

This should be reviewed periodically with NASUWT and other stakeholder consultation built into the process.

While acknowledging that no policy is without trade-offs, NASUWT believes that a national, consistent and carefully piloted approach to restricting device access through secure storage systems represents a proportionate and necessary response.

If developed in partnership with NASUWT and other stakeholder organisations and implemented with clear exemptions and adequate support, such a policy would significantly strengthen the learning environment for pupils, as well as the working environment for teachers and leaders across the UK.

FAQs

Footnote
[1] NASUWT Behaviour in Schools Survey and Report, 2025
[2] Teacher Tapp survey, September 2025
[3] Teacher Tapp survey, May 2025
[4] In the qualitative findings of the Behaviour in Schools research, commentary from teachers included: ‘Pupils believe it is their right to access their mobile phones throughout the day, interrupting learning, causing confrontations, damaging their ability to concentrate due to their growing addiction to phone use.’
[5] UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2023: Technology in education: a tool on whose terms?
[6] Office for National Statistics: Online bullying in England and Wales: year ending March 2020
[7] NASUWT Behaviour in Schools Survey and Report, 2025
[8] Ofcom, A window into young children’s online worlds, April 2024
[9] NASUWT Behaviour in Schools Survey and Report, 2025
[10] https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/
[11] Health Professionals for Safer Screens: A health briefing on the evidenced risks of the smartphone (pdf)
[12] Goodyear, Victoria A. et al. School phone policies and their association with mental wellbeing, phone use, and social media use (SMART Schools): a cross-sectional observational study
[13] The Campaign for Smartphone Free Schools open letter to government from headteachers across the UK calling for a statutory ban on smartphones in schools