Mobile phones in schools
How schools can prohibit the use of mobile phones throughout the school day.
- From:
- Department for Education
- Published
- 19 February 2024
- Last updated
- 19 January 2026 — See all updates
Applies to England
Documents
Mobile phones in schools: guidanceschools
PDFHTML, 256 KB, 12 pages
CreatingCommunicating ayour mobilepolicy phone-freefor schoolprohibiting environment
PDF,the 165use KB,of 3mobile pages
MobileCreating phonesa inmobile schools:phone-free environment: school case studies
PDFHTML, 124 KB, 5 pages
Details
Revised guidance for 2026
ThisDfE published revised guidance on mobile phones in schools in January 2026. We advise schools to start using this guidance from April 2026.
‘Mobile phones in schools’ explains how to develop, implement and maintain a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones in school.
‘Communicating Ityour policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ has guidance on how to communicate with parents about your policy and facts and figures to support discussions.
‘Creating a mobile phone-free environment: school case studies’ gives examples of how primary and secondary schools have successfully implemented a mobile phone free-school environment.
This guidance should be read alongside the guidance on:
It is for:
- multi-academy trusts
- trust boards and proprietors
- governing bodies
- school leaders and staff
- local authorities
It applies to all:
- maintained schools
- academies
- free schools
- non-maintained special schools
- independent schools
Updates to this page
Published 19 February 2024
Last updated 19 January 2026
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
We have updated the guidance on 'Mobile phones in schools', replaced the 'Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools' with 'Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents' and added additional case studies.
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-01-19 22:30
We have updated the guidance on ‘Mobile phones in schools’, replaced the ‘Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools’ with ‘Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ and added additional case studies.
2024-02-19 00:01
First published.
Mobile phones in schools: guidanceschools
PDFHTML, 256 KB, 12 pages
CreatingCommunicating ayour mobilepolicy phone-freefor schoolprohibiting environment
PDF,the 165use KB,of 3mobile pages
MobileCreating phonesa inmobile schools:phone-free environment: school case studies
PDFHTML, 124 KB, 5 pages
Details
Revised guidance for 2026
ThisDfE published revised guidance on mobile phones in schools in January 2026. We advise schools to start using this guidance from April 2026.
‘Mobile phones in schools’ explains how to develop, implement and maintain a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones in school.
‘Communicating Ityour policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ has guidance on how to communicate with parents about your policy and facts and figures to support discussions.
‘Creating a mobile phone-free environment: school case studies’ gives examples of how primary and secondary schools have successfully implemented a mobile phone free-school environment.
This guidance should be read alongside the guidance on:
It is for:
- multi-academy trusts
- trust boards and proprietors
- governing bodies
- school leaders and staff
- local authorities
It applies to all:
- maintained schools
- academies
- free schools
- non-maintained special schools
- independent schools
Updates to this page
Published 19 February 2024
Last updated 19 January 2026
href="#full-history">+ show all updates
-
We have updated the guidance on 'Mobile phones in schools', replaced the 'Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools' with 'Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents' and added additional case studies.
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-01-19 22:30
We have updated the guidance on ‘Mobile phones in schools’, replaced the ‘Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools’ with ‘Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ and added additional case studies.
2024-02-19 00:01
First published.
Details
Revised guidance for 2026
ThisDfE published revised guidance on mobile phones in schools in January 2026. We advise schools to start using this guidance from April 2026.
‘Mobile phones in schools’ explains how to develop, implement and maintain a policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones in school.
‘Communicating Ityour policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ has guidance on how to communicate with parents about your policy and facts and figures to support discussions.
‘Creating a mobile phone-free environment: school case studies’ gives examples of how primary and secondary schools have successfully implemented a mobile phone free-school environment.
This guidance should be read alongside the guidance on:
It is for:
- multi-academy trusts
- trust boards and proprietors
- governing bodies
- school leaders and staff
- local authorities
It applies to all:
- maintained schools
- academies
- free schools
- non-maintained special schools
- independent schools
Updates to this page
-
We have updated the guidance on 'Mobile phones in schools', replaced the 'Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools' with 'Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents' and added additional case studies.
-
First published.
Sign up for emails or print this page
Update history
2026-01-19 22:30
We have updated the guidance on ‘Mobile phones in schools’, replaced the ‘Mobile phones in schools: toolkit for schools’ with ‘Communicating your policy for prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools to parents’ and added additional case studies.
2024-02-19 00:01
First published.