The government has said it will introduce a legal ban on smartphones in schools in England.
Education minister Baroness Jacqui Smith told the House of Lords on Monday that the government would table an amendment to its landmark Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill "creating a clear legal requirement for schools" on the matter.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the move would give "legal force to what schools are already doing in practice".
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had written to schools earlier this year encouraging them to follow new guidance that schools be phone-free for the entire day.
The government has said it will put that guidance on a statutory footing, which means schools must pay attention to it.
It argues that this is different from what the Conservatives have been advocating, which is an outright legal ban.
Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott said the amendment, which is due to be tabled in the coming days, was "fantastic news for headteachers, parents and pupils across the country".
"For over a year, Labour dismissed this as an unnecessary gimmick, and just last week the education minister claimed the problem had already been solved," she wrote on X.
"I'm glad they've now listened, this is the right step for improving behaviour and raising attainment in our classrooms."
For the government, Baroness Smith told the House of Lords they had taken "not seen, not heard" - meaning phones must be off and in a bag - out of the guidance as an option for schools and were willing to consider "whether we should be stronger on that".
Some schools have chosen to have lockers or magnetically sealed pouches for phones.
The details of the government's amendment have not yet been published.
The Liberal Democrats said ministers must now "ensure all schools have the necessary support and funding to manage this transition".
The party's schools spokesperson Caroline Voaden said they had "delivered a major win for pupils, teachers, and families" by "dragging the government" towards introducing a ban.
For Reform UK, education spokesperson Suella Braverman said phones were "fuelling distraction and undermining discipline" in schools.
She said the existing guidance did not go far enough, and that a "clear, enforceable ban to protect children is the right thing to do".
Source: BBC
