Schools in England should be phone-free all day, education secretary says

Teachers were also advised not to use their phones in front of pupils. Photograph: Deborah Lee Rossiter/Alamy

Schools should be phone-free throughout the entire day, the education secretary has told headteachers in England, stressing that pupils should not use the devices even as calculators or for research.

Bridget Phillipson wrote to schools to underline updated guidance issued by the government last week, according to the BBC. “Schools should make sure those policies are applied consistently across classes, and at all times and we want parents to back these policies too,” Phillipson said.