Why choose a ‘no-smartphone-on-site’ policy for your school?

"We looked at lots of different options. We looked at pouches, we looked at locking them away in lockers, we visited other schools, looked at other policies, but it all came back down to the moral piece. This is about supporting a generation of young people to have firm foundations beneath them before the world gets their claws into them."

David Smith, Headteacher, Fulham Boys’ School

‘No smartphone on site’ policies help create the most powerful shift in school communities, reducing peer pressure and helping reset smartphone culture beyond the school gates. Increasing numbers of schools across the UK are making this change, with visible results.

What is a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

It’s a policy that prohibits students from bringing any smartphone or smart device into school.

In many school policies, smart devices are defined as any electronic device with potential access to the internet, including smartwatches and tablets. Any non-approved device is classified as prohibited and confiscated.

Only a simple, brick phone is permitted. For many schools who recommend a short list of permitted devices, brick phones have:

No access to the internet
No camera or video recording capability
No access to any apps

We’ve produced further guidance on brick phone only options for schools that can be found here.

As with any school policy, some exceptions will be necessary, particularly for medical needs, and are agreed between the school and parent.

What does this look like in practice for primary and secondary settings?

"We felt a stepped change was going to be easier. We started last academic year with a voluntary hand-in scheme with our Year 7 students. From this September, we will be starting a no-smartphones-on-site policy with Year 7s and then rolling it up year on year."

Tom Beveridge, Headteacher, Alderbrook School

In both settings, the boundary is the same: no smartphones on school grounds.

Primary schools

Students travelling to school alone can bring a simple 'brick' phone, which is handed in at reception on arrival. This is typically limited to Year 5 and/or Year 6 students and agreed in advance between the school leadership and parents.

Secondary schools

Students can bring in a simple ‘brick’ mobile phone from a school-approved list. A strict ‘no see, no hear’ approach applies here with devices off and kept in bags at all times during the school day, including break and lunchtime. Some secondary schools introduce the policy for all year groups all at once. Others take a phased approach, starting with incoming Year 7s and rolling this up year on year (with existing year groups continuing to follow the school’s previous approach).

Schools already using pouch or locker systems are further along this journey than they might think. The foundations of staff confidence, student buy-in and parental support that create the conditions to go further, have already been established. A ‘no smartphone on site’ policy is not a rejection of that decision, but a logical continuation. For many schools, pouches or lockers are the bridge, and the infrastructure is already in place to make the transition to a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy more straightforward than might be expected.

Clear confiscation policies applied consistently is essential to enforcing the policy in practice. Many schools report that longer confiscation periods (often a minimum of two weeks and with escalating consequences for repeat offences) are more effective than short, same‑day sanctions. You can find further guidance on addressing the practical aspects of a ‘no smartphone on site policy’ here.

Why go further than pouches to a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

"Almost every pastoral issue, every safeguarding concern, every mental health referral had a smartphone at its root.The trigger was accepting our existing approach wasn't working. We’re clear about which model is better long-term: moving towards basic phones is significantly better than the pouch infrastructure route. Pouches are better than nothing, but they are hard."

Michael Worth, Deputy Headteacher, The Misbourne

Pouches/locker systems and ‘no smartphone on site’ policies are both bell-to-bell practices that restrict phone use throughout the whole day.

But the most transformative schools aren't just reclaiming the school day; they're changing the culture around smartphones altogether. When only brick phones cross the school gates, the pressure to own a smartphone weakens, exposure to online harms reduces, and young people get breathing room to develop without constant digital intrusion.

	No smartphone on site	Pouches or lockers
Safeguarding incidents	Significantly reduces exposure to smartphone-related safeguarding incidents both during the school day and on the journey to and from school. Fulham Boys' School reported a 90% reduction in child sexual exploitation cases for their younger years, including sexting and online grooming.	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. These incidents don’t stay outside the school gates; they follow students back into the classroom the next day.
Bullying	When no student has a smartphone on site, the potential for bullying or inferiority linked to device ownership is completely removed. No child stands out for what they do, or don’t, own. Difference in device is no longer a currency of peer comparison.	The daily ritual of visibly locking phones away can inadvertently showcase inequity between devices, and by singling out smartphones as forbidden, it potentially increases their desirability and status. Peer comparison doesn't disappear, but just moves to the school gate or tutor-time phone handover.
Student safety	Smartphones do not make students safer. They create a false sense of security for parents and children alike. Schools report that being recognised as a no-smartphone catchment area reduces opportunities for mugging and device theft. A brick phone provides everything a parent needs to stay in contact, and for families concerned about safety on the journey to and from school, it provides an effective solution.	Students reaching for their smartphones straight away as they leave school, can create immediate safety risks. As Tom Beveridge, headteacher of Alderbrook school, puts it: "When we see students step out onto the street and look straight down at their phone and not at oncoming traffic as they're crossing the road, that really says to me that it's not safer having their smartphones on them."
Tracking	A no smartphone policy is an opportunity to have honest conversations with parents about tracking, its assumed benefits and its unintended consequences. Knowing they can't default to a smartphone helps young people develop the independence, confidence and decision-making skills to navigate the world around them. There are still solutions for parents who wish to track their child without a smartphone. Further information can be found here.here.	Smartphone tracking can feel reassuring, but it creates the same illusion of safety as a smartphone device itself. It can be deactivated easily, and real confidence and autonomy come from teaching children to navigate the world themselves.
Cost	There is no upfront cost for schools. Families may need to purchase a brick phone. There are options available from £30 plus SIM, which is a fraction of the cost of a smartphone. Schools already using pouch systems can continue to use them during transition, with students simply storing their brick phone instead.	Pouch systems carry a significant cost, typically £15-20 per student. Some schools absorb this; others ask families to contribute. Replacement fees for lost or damaged pouches add around £25 per incident. Some schools, like Cardinal Newman School in Brighton, break the cost into instalments (e.g. £8 over three terms) and set up a bursary fund to support families who need help. These funds are often supported by parent and local business donations. Existing locker systems or basic plastic containers are sometimes used to reduce costs, but can bring their own logistical challenges and practical difficulties.
Enforcement and confiscation	Because only brick phones are permitted, the incentive to evade the policy with a burner phone is removed entirely. Strict, longer confiscation periods act as a powerful deterrent, quickly changing behaviour and reducing the enforcement burden on staff over time. Searches don’t need to be a routine part of the policy. Some schools find that one or two spot checks with a handheld metal detector in the early weeks are often sufficient to embed compliance. Framing this policy as a non-negotiable safeguarding issue, embedded into a school’s behaviour policy and expectations, gives it the weight it deserves, and makes it easier for both staff and parents to uphold.	Some students attempt to evade the policy entirely by placing a burner phone in their pouch or locker while keeping their smartphone hidden on them. This evasion is far harder to detect and enforce against. Managing the daily routines of pouch or locker enforcement places a recurring burden on staff and eats into tutor/form time or classroom time, even with the most streamlined of processes. The daily grind of enforcement and evasion can undermine staff confidence that the policy is actually working.
Transport to and from school	Some bus ticketing apps offer cheaper fares via smartphone. This is a legitimate concern and is worth addressing directly with providers to ensure affordable non-digital alternatives remain available. Further guidance, and solutions, can be found here. But the journey to and from school is also an opportunity. Without a smartphone to default to, students develop problem-solving skills, build confidence navigating the world independently, and engage more naturally with peers. The commute becomes a moment for real interaction, a small, but meaningful, part of reclaiming childhood.	Smartphone apps can offer convenient and sometimes cheaper travel ticketing. However, this convenience comes at a cost. It deepens students' reliance on their device for everyday tasks, reinforcing the habit of reaching for a phone at every moment. If a battery dies, a student is stranded without a ticket or a plan. Rather than building resilience and independence, the journey to school becomes yet another context in which the smartphone is indispensable.

What’s the impact?

The most powerful testimony of impact comes from the schools and students living this every day.

For many schools, the change is felt immediately, in corridors, classrooms, at break times, at lunchtimes.

But it’s the impact on what happens after the school day that really separates ‘a no smartphone on site’ policy from pouches or lockers.

Year 7 pupil at a ‘no smartphone on site’ school: "Because I haven't had my phone all day, when I get home I don't feel attached to it. I feel more attached to my family than I am to my phone."

When students go all day without a smartphone, they stop reaching for one the moment they leave and the habit loosens. Space opens up for family, for real conversation, and for discovering who they are without a screen in their hand.

Year 12 student‍: "It's had a lot of benefits. I'm quite grateful that I've been able to experience this and see what it's like to go to school not needing a phone."

Year 11 student: "I think it just encourages people to engage more, ask more questions, get more work done, and once you start getting used to not having your phone during the school day, you go home and you're not as eager to go on your phone straight away."

Year 8 student: "It allows you to experience and discover new hobbies. If you're just stuck on your phone 24/7, you're never going to realise that."

When the culture shifts inside school, it shifts outside it too. Parents who once faced relentless pressure to hand over a smartphone find that pressure easing. The social norm begins to change. When students aren't allowed smartphones in school, there's less incentive to own one at all, and that gives parents the breathing room to delay.

"The biggest impact for me is the culture. It's in everything we do. It's not just saying no, you can't have a smartphone. It's about why, and it's about the culture of interaction, the culture of being present."

Maryanne Ramsbottom, Headteacher at Birkenhead Junior School

This is the cultural shift a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy creates. The school day is just the beginning.

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Why choose a ‘no-smartphone-on-site’ policy for your school?

What is a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

What does this look like in practice for primary and secondary settings?

Why go further than pouches to a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

What’s the impact?

‘No-smartphone-on-site’ practical considerations for heads

Secondary school policies

Primary school policies

Why choose a ‘no-smartphone-on-site’ policy for your school?

What is a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

What does this look like in practice for primary and secondary settings?

Why go further than pouches to a ‘no smartphone on site’ policy?

What’s the impact?

Related articles

‘No-smartphone-on-site’ practical considerations for heads

Secondary school policies

Primary school policies