What are the smartphone policy options for my school?

[.style-intro]This movement has shown that parents – and many young people – want schools to help reduce the impact of smartphones in children’s lives. Since Smartphone Free Childhood began, hundreds of schools have worked with families to strengthen their policies. The result? Better focus, behaviour, and wellbeing for students – and stronger boundaries at home.[.style-intro]

Primary schools

Most primary schools already ask children to hand in their smartphones on arrival, but there's still more you can do to shift the culture around smartphones in your school community.

Smartphone ownership is creeping ever younger. Ofcom's latest data shows that a quarter of 3- and 4-year-olds in the UK now have one, the average age of first smartphone ownership is 9, and half of Britain's under-13s are on social media.

Primary schools have a powerful role to play in guiding families through this new reality. By making it clear that children at your school don't need smartphones, you help reset social norms in that crucial window before they get their first device.

A recommended approach for primary schools

Set a clear boundary: primary school children do not need smartphones

• Strengthen your policy so that smartphones are not allowed on school grounds. Children walking to school alone can bring in simple 'brick' phones and hand them in to reception on arrival if agreed in advance with the school leadership.
• Have a 'walking to school' form that parents can fill in to say their child will be bringing a brick phone.
• Implement a disciplinary measure that smartphones will be confiscated for a certain amount of time if the policy is breached.
• Support parents in your school who are working on growing Parent Pacts in the school community.
• Join forces with other local schools to create a common smartphone-policy, like schools in the borough of Barnet did in February 2025.

Communicate the policy clearly:

• Display your smartphone-free policy on your website.
• Inform parents via the school newsletter.
• Include it in 'new starter' information packs so every family understands the school's ethos from day one.
• Share information about the SFC Parent Pact via the school newsletter.
• Host a coffee morning or afternoon talk for parents to start the conversation about delaying smartphone ownership. You can adapt and edit SFC slides here.

Secondary schools

Understandably, things get more complicated when it comes to secondary schools. Broadly speaking, there are four types of smartphone policies:

1. No restrictions

What it means: There are no rules around smartphone-use in classes or at breaktimes. These policies are becoming increasingly rare.

• Schools with this policy often face significant challenges with distraction, cyberbullying, and classroom disruption.

2. 'No see, no hear' policy

What it means: This is currently the most common approach across schools in the UK – smartphones are allowed in school but must remain out of sight and switched off during lessons, and sometimes during breaktimes. Often these 'restrictions' mean children still have their smartphones in their pockets throughout the day.

Challenges:

• These policies rely on students self-regulating – an almost impossible ask when smartphones are deliberately designed to be addictive.
• Schools report that this policy is difficult to enforce, requiring a lot of teacher effort to police and monitor. Unless very strictly enforced, they are not effective.
• Even with strict enforcement, many schools report students sneaking off to toilets in lessons to use their smartphones.

3. Lockers or pouches

What it means: Students must store smartphones in school lockers or magnetic, signal-blocking phone pouches during the school day.

Pros:

• Significantly improves the educational environment – fewer distractions, better focus, and improved behaviour.
• Frees teachers from dealing with smartphone-related issues in class.

Cons:

• Requires investment in storage or pouches.
• While it transforms school hours, it has less impact beyond the school day.
• Immediate access to smartphones after the school day leaves students exposed to smartphone-related safeguarding incidents and bullying on the journey to and from school.

4. ‘No smartphones on site’ (Brick phones only) policy

What it means: No smartphones allowed at school at all. Students can bring in basic mobile phones (calls and texts only), but not smartphones.

Pros:

• Encourages a cultural shift – when students aren't allowed smartphones in school, there's less incentive for them to own one at all.
• Benefits extend beyond the school day – results in less smartphone use at home too.
• Reduces the pressure on parents to give their child a smartphone.

Cons:

• Some initial parental pushback, though many families appreciate the policy once it's in place.

Which policies work best?

Lockers, pouches, handing in phones and brick phone only policies are the only true 'bell-to-bell' solutions – ensuring students have no smartphone access at all during the school day. These policies have proven transformative in schools across the country, for learning, socialising and the overall school environment.

However, brick phone only policies go one step further by shifting cultural norms beyond school gates, leading to healthier long-term habits. That's why it's the policy most parents in our community would choose for their child.

Some schools use pouches or locker systems as the bridge towards brick phones only; the infrastructure is already in place to make the transition to a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy more straightforward than might be expected. For schools using this approach, the foundations that create conditions to go further – staff confidence, student buy-in and parental support – have already been established. A ‘no smartphone on site’ policy is not a rejection of that decision, but a logical continuation. 

Implementation tips from school leaders

Based on dozens of conversations with school leaders, here are the steps that make the biggest difference.

1. Start with staff

Bring your SLT and staff on board early. Discuss what’s not working and invite input on what might work better. Staff will need to be consistent for the policy to succeed.

2. Communicate with families

Start early. Send a letter outlining the plan and invite parents to a Q&A session or information evening. Use newsletters and social media to share the rationale and evidence. Highlight the benefits to wellbeing, learning and focus.

If using pouches or lockers, explain the costs and support options upfront.

3. Visit other schools that have made the change

Seeing policies in practice and hearing honest reflections from other heads, can provide valuable insights. It can help refine your approach, offering both reassurance and practical guidance to help you shape what’s right for your context.  

4. Explore a phased introduction

Some schools have found success by introducing a new policy with one year group at a time. For example, launching with Year 7 and then rolling the policy up over time as that cohort progresses. This allows families time to adjust and creates a strong foundation for change.

5. Be clear and consistent

Make the policy simple and easy to follow. Define clear sanctions for breaches. Pupils should know what’s expected – and what happens if the rules are broken.

Many schools find a short warning period helpful before the new policy goes live. This gives families time to adjust.

6. Lead from the front

On launch day, have SLT and year leaders at the gates. Check compliance and support any pupils who are unsure. Your leadership will set the tone.

7. Check and adapt

Regular checks help reinforce the culture. Some schools do pouch or bag checks in form time or random spot checks during lessons. Monitor how things are going and make small adjustments where needed.

8. Share the wins

Once the policy is live, share positive changes with your community. Highlight calmer classrooms, better focus, and student feedback. Use this momentum to reinforce the new normal.

If you're interested in finding out more about the options available and steps other schools have taken, we're here to help.

Join our SFC Schools Network to access a community of teachers and school leaders who are working towards changing the culture around kids and smartphones in their school communities.