Guidance to restrict mobile phones in schools announced as education priorities set out

• The Welsh Government will issue statutory guidance to schools on restricting the use of mobile phones in schools following a consultation.
• A workforce survey found a large majority of respondents wanted greater national direction on phone use in schools.
• The Education Minister has set out her priorities including raising standards, strengthening the Welsh language, developing skills and building a system that works for everyone.

The guidance for local authorities and schools will strengthen and make clear the expectations for how phones are used within the school day.

The guidance will be evaluated over the school year, with the option to further strengthen expectations if needed.

To support the guidance a workforce survey of mobile phone use in schools was carried out. The findings showed that whilst most schools have mobile phone policies, there was no consistent approach, and a large majority of respondents wanted greater national direction, with 82% in favour of statutory restrictions.

Cabinet Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Anna Brychan said:

“Our 100 day plan was clear we would act and I have listened to the calls for stronger clarity on this issue. This is why the government will publish statutory guidance to provide clear national expectations on how mobile phones are used in schools.

 I want to be clear: as Cabinet Minister, I fully support – and strongly encourage – headteachers to introduce clear and robust restrictions on mobile phone use during the school day, up to and including a full restriction across the school site. I am  mindful some children will always need exceptions for medical reasons for example. By consulting on guidance at the start of the school year I am giving schools the clarity they want quickly, and creating a safer learning environment by reducing distractions now.”

The UK Government has announced plans this week for new restrictions on under-16s’ access to social media. We are committed to protecting young people online, and will carefully assess the implications of this announcement. We will work with school leaders and partners across the education system in Wales to ensure that their voices are heard and needs are reflected as new restrictions are taken forward.”

The Education Minister also set out her priorities for the education sector including;

• Raising standard for every child, in every community through developing a new Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan before the end of the summer and reviewing the curriculum.
• Supporting our education workforce by reducing workload and creating the best conditions for teaching.
• Give all children and equal opportunity to speak Welsh by expanding Welsh-medium education and ensuring learners have real opportunities to use Welsh beyond the classroom.
• Create a coherent tertiary education system that puts learners at the heart of everything, address the participation gap and review how universities are funded.

Anna Brychan added:

“Education is the key to unleashing our nation's potential and there is no shortage of talent, energy and innovation in Wales. If we want to unlock this potential and build a stronger Wales, we need a stronger education system.

We will raise standards, strengthen the Welsh language, develop skills and build a system that works. By working together, we can provide opportunity, ambition and excellence for all learners, in all parts of Wales and support the workforce that makes it possible. This Government has made education a priority because the future of Wales depends on it.”