Phone bans in England's schools to be enforced by law
The government is making a phone ban a ‘clear legal requirement’ for schools
Schools in England will be forced to ban mobile phones under new plans announced by the government.
An amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill will make excluding phones a legal requirement.
The Department for Education already says the devices shouldn't be allowed, but headteachers are able to ignore the advice if they disagree.
Labour education minister Baroness Smith said the move would create a "clear legal requirement for schools."
Teachers have long voiced concerns that phones distract pupils from learning and can add to problems such as bullying.
A spokesperson for the DfE said: "We have been consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools, and the majority already prohibit them.
"This amendment makes existing guidance statutory, giving legal force to what schools are already doing in practice.
"It builds on the steps we've already taken to strengthen enforcement, with Ofsted considering schools' mobile phone policies as part of inspection from this month.
"We will always put children's interests first, including through this Bill - which is widely recognised as the biggest piece of child safeguarding legislation in decades, with critical measures like laws to crack down on profiteering in children's social care and a new unique identifier to stop children falling through the cracks."
Peers will vote in the Lords on Monday evening on a Conservative amendment to the Bill on mobile phones.
The Education Secretary has previously written to headteachers in England to stress that schools should be phone-free throughout the entire school day. However, guidance to schools on mobile phones has been non-statutory.
Teaching union NASUWT has previously announced its support for a statutory school phone ban.