As ministers issue guidance to the Ministry of Education, it appears that mobile phones will be banned from schools to ensure consistency in the classroom.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said it was a significant step after the idea was tabled at the Conservative Party conference last October.
That pledge was questioned at the time, with one union calling it "non-policy on non-issues" on Monday.
InUnited Kingdom, which currently is up to the individual in charge to decide their own cell phone policy and whether they should ban cell phones or not.
This non-statutory guidance guides principals on how to ban the use of mobile phones not only in the classroom, but also during recess and lunchtime.
The report also recommends that staff may search mobile phones in students and their school bags if necessary, noting that "principals can and should list cell phones and similar devices as something that may be searched in the school's conduct policy."
In the foreword to the document, Ms Keegan said it would provide "clarity and consistency" for teachers, with "there is currently "a lot of variation in how different schools manage mobile phone use".
In a statement, she said: "Schools are where children learn, and mobile phones are at least an unwelcome distraction in the classroom. ”
We're giving hard-working teachers the tools to take action to improve behaviors and let them do what they do best – teach. ”
Tom Bennet, behaviour adviser at the UK Department for Education, said: "Mobile phones may be ubiquitous, but it is becoming increasingly clear to us how harmful they can be to children's social and educational development. ”
The most vulnerable suffer the most. Many schools already have some policies in place regarding cell phones, but this guidance provides clear guidance for everyone, including parents, on what is right and what is not for the sake of their child's health.
* Notes that recent official data shows that 29% of secondary school students report using their phones when they shouldn't.
ButUnited StatesThe Association of School and College Leaders said it did not expect any noticeable impact from the new guidance.
Jeff Barton, the association's secretary-general, said the "compulsive use" of electronic devices did not happen in schools, but "when children are out of school."
"Most schools have banned the use of mobile phones during school hours, or only allow the use of mobile phones in limited and prescribed circumstances," he said.
We have lost count of the number of times ministers have announced that they are going to ban the use of mobile phones in schools. This is a non-policy for non-issues.
It would be much better if you focused your efforts on cracking down on platforms that give children access to disturbing and extreme content. ”