Overview
- The House of Lords approved the plan 276–169 on Monday, leaving Commons consideration and passage of the wider Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill next.
- Lords Amendment 106 would require every school in England to bar smartphone use and possession during the school day within 12 months of the Bill becoming law, with exemptions for medical devices and limited sixth‑form flexibility.
- The amendment gives legal force to Department for Education guidance so schools must run phone‑free days from first lesson to final lesson unless there is a legally justified reason.
- Enforcement plans and funding for secure storage remain unclear, while Ofsted has begun reviewing schools’ phone policies this month.
- MPs, headteachers and many parents back fewer classroom distractions, while unions say most schools already ban phones and want support for storage and action on social media harms outside school hours.