Mobile phones in schools: the 2026 statutory guidance, explained

Published 16 October 2026. Based on the DfE guidance updated 29 June 2026.

The Department for Education’s ‘Mobile phones in schools’ guidance became statutory on 29 June 2026, and schools in England should follow it from 1 September 2026. This guide explains what it asks of schools, who it applies to, where exceptions are needed and how schools are putting it into practice.

What changed in 2026

The DfE first published ‘Mobile phones in schools’ on 19 February 2024 as non-statutory guidance. It published a revised version in January 2026, which became statutory guidance on 29 June 2026. Schools should begin following it from 1 September 2026.

It sits alongside the DfE’s guidance on behaviour in schools and keeping children safe in education, and comes with two companion documents: one on communicating your policy to parents and one with school case studies.

Who the guidance applies to

It applies to all maintained schools, academies, free schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools in England. It is written for trusts, trust boards, proprietors, governing bodies, school leaders, staff and local authorities.

It does not apply to 16 to 19 academies, 16 to 19 free schools, further education or sixth-form colleges, or other standalone post-16 institutions, although they may want to refer to it.

Sixth forms in schools

Schools should consider whether sixth-form students may use their phones at certain, limited times and places, reflecting their greater independence. This should not undermine the policy for younger pupils, for example by limiting use to a sixth-form common room. Sixth-form students stay subject to the behaviour policy.

Boarding and residential schools

These schools should prohibit phone use throughout the teaching day and set policies for the rest of pupils’ time at school, including arrangements for boarders to contact their families in private.

What the guidance asks schools to do

Prohibit use across the whole school day

Schools should have a mobile phone policy, either within the behaviour policy or as a standalone document, that prohibits the use of phones throughout the school day. It can also cover other smart technology with similar functions, such as devices that receive messages or record audio and video. The DfE expects a policy under which pupils do not have access to their phone throughout the school day.

Publish the policy and explain it

Schools should publish details of their policy and make sure staff, pupils and parents understand how it works and what the sanctions are. Pupils should be reminded at the start of each year and taught why the school is phone-free, including the risks of lost focus, disruption and bullying.

Staff lead by example

All staff should enforce the policy consistently. Staff should not use their own phones for personal reasons in front of pupils during the school day, although there are sensible exceptions such as multi-factor authentication.

Bring parents with you

The policy should be explained clearly to parents, including the reasons behind it. Parents who need to reach their child during the day should contact the school office.

Sanctions, confiscation and searching

Schools can use sanctions that suit their context, including confiscation and detentions. Headteachers are backed by the DfE to confiscate phones for as long as they judge proportionate, and staff acting lawfully are protected from liability for loss or damage. Headteachers can also list phones as an item that may be searched for in the behaviour policy.

Reasonable adjustments

Schools must still meet their other legal duties. Under the Equality Act 2010, letting a disabled pupil use their phone may be a reasonable adjustment. Maintained schools and academies must also have arrangements to support pupils with medical conditions, and the guidance gives the example of pupils with diabetes whose continuous glucose monitor is linked to their phone. Where phone use lets a pupil manage their condition, it would not be reasonable to prevent it.

Young carers and other pupils may need flexibility too. The guidance is clear that flexibility does not mean exemption from all restrictions: schools should allow phone use for a specific purpose, at specific times and in specific places.

Journeys, trips and online safety

Schools should think about pupils travelling to and from school, decide how to handle phones on trips, and make sure pupils can access their phone when they need to report an online safety concern.

How schools make it work in practice

The guidance leaves the method to headteachers. It describes schools that store phones in lockers and schools where pupils hand phones to staff at the start of the day. Other schools use locking pouches, an out-of-sight rule, or software on the phone itself. Each has different costs and trade-offs. We compare them in phone pouches for schools: how they compare with lockers, hand-in and apps.

Showing that your policy works

A policy on paper is only the start. Governors, parents and inspectors will want to know whether it is followed day to day: how many pupils it covers, how often it is broken and how individual adjustments are handled. A simple, regular record makes that conversation much easier.

This is where Novi fits. Novi blocks distracting apps, websites and cameras on pupils’ own phones during the school day. Teachers can see who is in focus mode, pupils who need essential apps for medical or SEND reasons can keep them, and the dashboard produces a phone-free school report you can share. See how Novi works for schools.

A checklist for your phone policy

1. The policy prohibits phone use across the whole school day, including breaks and lunchtime.
2. It states which other devices are included, such as smartwatches.
3. It sets out how phones are kept out of use: storage, hand-in, software or a combination.
4. It is published on the school website and explained to pupils and parents.
5. Expectations for staff use of their own phones are clear.
6. Sanctions, confiscation and searching are covered in the behaviour policy.
7. There is a process for reasonable adjustments, with a specific purpose, time and place for each.
8. Parents know to contact the school office during the day.
9. Sixth-form arrangements, if any, are set out separately.
10. You have a way to check, and show, that the policy is followed.

Sources

• Mobile phones in schools, Department for Education, statutory guidance updated 29 June 2026.
• Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents, Department for Education.
• Creating a mobile phone-free environment: school case studies, Department for Education.