School Phone Policies a 'Huge Drain' on Staff Resources, Study Finds
New research from the University of Birmingham has revealed that smartphone policies in English secondary schools are consuming substantial staff resources, with schools spending an average of more than 100 hours per week enforcing restrictions on mobile phone use. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, provides the first economic analysis of how these policies impact school operations.
Staff Time Diverted from Educational Activities
According to the research, teachers, teaching assistants, caretakers, and receptionists are all involved in policing pupils' smartphone use. This includes recording incidents, overseeing detentions, and communicating with parents about phone-related issues. The study found that schools with restrictive policies – requiring phones to be turned off and hidden in bags or handed in throughout the school day – spend approximately 102 hours weekly on enforcement, equivalent to 3.1 full-time staff members.
"School phone policies, whether permissive or restrictive, are a huge drain on a school to enforce," said Professor Victoria Goodyear, chief investigator of the Smart Schools Study. "The high proportions of teacher time spent managing phone use or phone-related behaviours during the school day is potentially being diverted away from other types of wellbeing-promoting activities, such as pastoral support or extracurricular activities."
Permissive Policies May Cost More
Interestingly, the research found that schools with permissive policies – allowing phone use during breaks and lunchtimes – actually spend slightly more time on average: 108 hours weekly, equivalent to 3.3 full-time staff. This potentially costs £94 more per pupil per school year compared to more restrictive approaches.
The study was based on data from a nationally representative sample of 20 schools in England, with 13 having restrictive policies and seven having permissive policies. All data was self-reported by the participating institutions.
Government Guidance Versus Statutory Bans
The research comes as the government has issued new guidance calling for schools to be phone-free environments, including during breaks and lunchtimes. The schools watchdog Ofsted will inspect how schools implement these policies. However, the NASUWT teaching union has urged the government to go further by introducing a statutory requirement for schools to lock away pupils' mobile phones for the entire school day, rather than relying on guidance alone.
Professor Miranda Pallan, one of the report's authors, cautioned that "it is unknown how a statutory ban may impact on the staff burden of dealing with phones. There will be different ways of implementing a statutory ban such as handing in phones, pouches, or complete site bans, which will each have a different impact on staff time and school resources. Even with a ban, there will be breaches that will need to be dealt with, which will still place a burden on staff time."
Current Landscape and Union Perspectives
Data from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology shows that while 99.9% of primary schools and 90% of secondary schools have mobile phone policies, enforcement remains challenging. Approximately 58% of secondary school pupils report phones being used without permission in some lessons, rising to 65% among key stage four pupils.
Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, stated: "From interrupted learning and reduced concentration to confrontations when staff ask pupils to hand over devices, the situation has reached a critical point. Schools cannot be expected to manage this alone while the government offers no meaningful support."
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the school leaders' union NAHT, offered a different perspective: "We recognise that effective enforcement activity can be time-consuming, but as parents' and pupils' expectations about being able to access their phone in school hours change, and bans become the norm, we hope the need for such activity will be reduced."
Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, called for practical support: "We would like to see funding support provided to schools for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones, such as storage lockers or locked pouches."
Government Response
A Department for Education spokesperson defended the current approach: "Mobile phones have no place in classrooms. Without the distraction, children learn better and teachers can teach. Our guidance helps schools implement phone-free policies effectively, with practical case studies showing how schools across the country are making this work without it becoming a burden on staff time."
The research highlights the complex balancing act schools face in managing smartphone use while maintaining educational focus, with significant implications for staff workload and resource allocation across England's education system.
