MP group urges DfE to look at pupils mobile phone use
Along with a group of seven Tory MPs, Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has called for pupils to be banned from using their mobile phones at school.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Hancock said: “There are a number of schools across the country that simply don’t allow them”, and suggested that more headteachers should “follow their lead”.
“While it is up to individual schools to decide rather than government, I admire head teachers who do not allow mobiles to be used during the school day."
In a letter to the Telegraph, a group of Tory MPs including Harborough MP Neil O’Brien and Chichester MP Gillian Keegan, urged the Department for Education to give guidance to schools about the evidence on attainment.
The letter cited a 2015 study by the London School of Economics: “Where schools banned smartphones from the premises, or required them to be handed in at the start of the day, pupils’ chances of getting five good GCSEs increased by an average of 2%.”
Read moreLatest News
06/11/2025 - 09:42
Ofsted has shared findings from pilot inspections carried out in 115 schools this autumn, ahead of the full rollout of its renewed inspection framework.
06/11/2025 - 09:16
The TV, radio and multi media campaign deals with the root causes of absences and identifies ways to approach conversations about wellbeing that can help pupils to improve their attendance.
05/11/2025 - 09:49
The government will publish a new set of enrichment benchmarks, with schools asked to ensure every child has access to activities across five categories of enrichment.
05/11/2025 - 09:37
For the first time, primary aged children will gain vital skills like how to spot fake news and identify misinformation and disinformation.
04/11/2025 - 09:55
The policy introduces the new Chief Regulator’s Rebuke - a new tool which can be used when an awarding organisation is found to have breached rules, but not in a way that warrants a financial penalty.
