The government’s new guidance, published this month, is clear: schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default. For many schools, this will mean significant change. For some young people, it will feel like something important is being taken away.
Some may already have a policy in place, which may or may not present challenges in the school. The certainty is, how you implement this change matters enormously.
At Inclusion School, we work with children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) aged 11-16. We enable young people who experience high anxiety, emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), depression, suicide ideation and other complex needs such as ASC and PDA, to access an enriching curriculum and social interactions in a safe, calm and nurturing environment. For many learners, phones have often been lifelines. They’ve provided connection to family during anxiety, familiar comfort in overwhelming situations, or, in some cases, are the only tool they’ve learned to use for regulation.
When we became phone-free in 2024, we knew one wrong move could undo years of relationship-building. Get it right, though, and we could transform their experience of education.
This is what we learned that might help your school manage this change carefully.
The guidance talks about distraction, disruption, and safety risks. All true. But for some young people, phones represent something more fundamental: control, connection, or coping.
Before we changed anything, we asked our learners directly. Some were honest that phones stopped them concentrating in lessons. Others admitted they wanted to build friendships without constant messaging. But many told us their phone was their primary tool for managing anxiety, or their only way to feel safe.
If you don’t understand what phones mean to your students, you can’t design a policy that meets their actual needs. And if young people feel something vital is being taken without anything offered in return, trust breaks.
We’ve seen it happen with other policies. Uniform rules, for instance, can become battlegrounds when they’re imposed without consultation. Each conflict over a skirt length or a hoodie creates distance between staff and students. These aren’t just minor disagreements. They’re erosions of trust that make everything else harder.
A phone policy implemented without genuine co-design risks becoming exactly that. Another rule that feels arbitrary. Another thing adults have decided without listening. Another source of daily conflict that pushes young people further away from the very relationships they need most.
The government guidance encourages schools to teach pupils “the benefits of having a mobile phone-free environment” and develop “intrinsic motivation to support the school culture.” That’s exactly right. But it only works if young people genuinely experience those benefits, not just hear about them in an assembly.
Throughout 2023/24, we consulted three groups: staff, parents and carers, and learners themselves.
Staff helped us understand the reality in teaching rooms. They’d seen young people retreat into devices rather than engage. They’d witnessed anxiety spike when notifications arrived. They’d struggled to build relationships when phones created a barrier.
Parents and carers had mixed feelings. Some were relieved at the prospect of phone-free school. Others worried about staying connected during emergencies or whether their child could cope without that familiar comfort. Those concerns needed addressing, not dismissing.
Young people gave us the insights that shaped our final approach. Yes, they acknowledged the problems. But they also told us what they’d lose if we simply confiscated phones: music for regulation, a sense of control, and emergency contact with family.
The government guidance acknowledges that schools should “consider the impact on children travelling to and from school, where not having a mobile phone poses a risk or the perception of a risk.” That perception matters. For anxious young people, it can be the difference between attending school and refusing to leave home.
amental in the classroom. But not at the cost of building trust. When learners feel that you genuinely care about them, they engage more deeply with learning. They respond more positively to challenging situations, too.
Our solution isn’t perfect, but it reflects what we learned from consultation.
When learners arrive each morning, they hand in their personal phones. These are stored securely with our School Admin Assistant, labelled and safe.
But here’s the crucial part: we provide school devices in exchange. These are secure phones connected only to our protected WiFi (monitored by Smoothwall, our safeguarding partner). Young people can access their Spotify accounts for music. Many told us this helps them regulate throughout the day. The devices are protected against harmful content, exploitation, and unsupervised AI apps.
This approach addresses the government’s clear expectation that “pupils do not have access to their mobile phone throughout the school day” whilst maintaining the support functions that matter for vulnerable young people’s wellbeing.
The guidance recognises that schools must “comply with their other legal duties such as the duty to make reasonable adjustments where necessary.” For us, that meant understanding that some young people use their phones as regulation tools, and finding a way to preserve that function safely.
The policy came into effect at a specific point, but preparation started months earlier. We used assemblies, tutor time, and one-to-one conversations to help young people understand what was happening and why.
For learners who were particularly anxious about the change, we involved parents and carers in advance. We acknowledged that handing over their phone would feel vulnerable. We treated their concerns with respect, not dismissal.
The government guidance emphasises that “pupils should be taught the risks that are associated with the use of mobile phones” and “encouraged to see such an environment as desirable and valuable.” We’d add this: young people also need time to process what they’re being asked to do, and support to manage the emotions that come with it.
The focus here is genuine transparency, listening to concerns, and adapting where possible to meet real needs.
The guidance is explicit: “Staff should not use their own mobile phone for personal reasons in front of pupils throughout the school day.” This matters more than many schools realise.
If staff are scrolling on phones whilst telling young people they can’t have theirs, the message is: “Rules are for you, not us.” For young people who’ve experienced adult hypocrisy before, that’s trust broken instantly.
We designated specific spaces where staff can use phones for work purposes: the staff room, the school office, and the Headteacher’s office. Staff members who use phones elsewhere should expect to be challenged by senior leaders, colleagues, or learners themselves.
The only exception is our First Aid Lead, who needs access to their work device at all times for safety reasons. Young people understand reasonable exceptions when they’re explained clearly.
Since becoming phone-free, we’ve watched young people build stronger friendships with peers. They’re developing real relationships with staff members, learning that support can come from conversation rather than just screens.
Parents tell us it’s given their children a “rest” from social media during the day. A space where they don’t have to perform, compare, or respond to every notification. Many young people have told us they actually appreciate this.
Most importantly, they’re safer. They’re protected from exploitation, harmful content, and the relentless pressure of social media during school hours. But they still have access to music for regulation and emergency contact with trusted adults.
Change like this isn’t easy. Some young people found handing over their phones genuinely difficult. A few needed several conversations before they felt ready. There were wobbles in the early days and throughout policy adoption like this. These feelings shouldn’t be dismissed.
But we’d involved them in designing the approach. We’d listened to what they needed and found ways to meet those needs safely. The trust held.
That’s what matters most. The government guidance provides the framework, but implementation is where trust is built or broken.
The guidance gives schools clear direction: be mobile phone-free by default. But it also recognises that “it is for headteachers to decide how best to achieve this within their own unique contexts.”
Your context matters. Your students’ needs matter. The reasons they rely on phones matter.
Get this wrong, and you’ll create another source of daily conflict. Another policy that distances staff from students. Another rule that erodes trust rather than builds it. We’ve all seen what happens when policies like uniform codes become battlegrounds. Phone policies have the same potential to damage relationships or strengthen them.
Here’s what we’d suggest:
Ask your students first. What do phones mean to them? What would they lose? What would they gain? Listen properly to the answers, especially from your most vulnerable young people.
Involve parents and carers early. Some will support this immediately. Others will have genuine concerns. Address those concerns with practical solutions, not reassurance that “it’ll be fine.”
Think beyond confiscation. If young people use phones for regulation, what will you offer instead? If they need emergency contact, how will you facilitate that? If they’re anxious about travelling without a phone, how will you address that?
Prepare staff properly. They need to understand not just the rules, but the reasons. They need to model phone-free behaviour themselves. And they need strategies for supporting young people who struggle with the change.
Give it time. Some young people will adapt immediately. Others will need support, reassurance, and patience. That’s not failure. It’s meeting young people where they are.
The government guidance is right: mobile phone-free environments can benefit young people enormously. They reduce distraction, improve relationships, protect from online risks, and create space to be present.
But those benefits only materialise if the implementation builds trust rather than breaking it.
Changing this significantly requires care, consultation, and genuine respect for young people’s concerns. It requires listening to what they need and finding ways to meet those needs within a safer framework.
That’s how you create lasting change. Not through rules imposed from above, but through collaboration that puts wellbeing and trust at the centre.
Because when young people feel heard, seen, and genuinely supported, that’s when they can thrive in phone-free environments.