'Phones In Bags' Policies Failing Schools

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21 July 2026

Thames Valley's Police and Crime Commissioner has announced £255,000 of funding drawn from seized criminal assets to help secondary schools across the region introduce secure phone storage during the day. 

A survey by the Commissioner's office found that 63 per cent of secondary school leaders in the region require devices to be switched off and kept in pupils' bags during the school day. Headteachers and policymakers describe bag policies as hard to enforce and a source of conflict between staff and pupils.

A legally enforceable ban on smartphones in schools came into force on Monday 29th June after being announced by the government in April.

Secure storage is becoming a preferred solution. Dedicated phone lockers allow pupils to deposit devices at the start of the school day and collect them at the end. Removing the need for staff to monitor or police individual behaviour throughout the day. Schools that have made the change report fewer incidents of conflict, less classroom disruption and improved pupil focus.

St Bede's Roman Catholic High School in Blackburn takes this approach. The school has recently taken delivery from AJ Products of 50 phone storage as part of a new whole-school wellbeing initiative, providing capacity for up to 1,500 handsets across its 1,000-strong pupils.

Lucy Diffley, Assistant Headteacher at St Bede's, said: "We made the decision to place mobile phones in lockers during the school day because our priority is creating a calm, focused learning environment where every student can thrive. By securing phones in lockers, we're giving students the freedom to be fully present, during lessons, in conversations and in their own wellbeing. The lockers provide a simple and fair solution that protects learning time, reduces conflict and helps our school community reconnect with what truly matters."

Helen Beebe, Managing Director of AJ Products UK, said: "Phone-free policies work best when the solution is consistent and visible to the whole school community. Lockers give schools a practical, durable answer. Phones are secured and out of reach for the entire school day, without relying on pupils to self-manage. The Thames Valley funding is a step in the right direction, but the challenge is national. Schools everywhere are looking for something easy to implement, fair to pupils and straightforward for staff."

Picture: An image of a secure phone locker at St Bede’s Roman Catholic High School.

Article written by Dave Mapps | Published 21 July 2026

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