Edinburgh pupils face 'bell to bell' ban on mobile phones in schools from August 2026
Consultation showed parents and staff backed all-day ban, but pupils did not
Schools across Edinburgh are set to have an all-day "bell to bell" ban on mobile phones from the start of the new school year in August.
High school pupils will have to place their phones in lockable pouches when they arrive at school in the morning and won't be able to use them until they leave at the end of the school day - though there will be exemptions for those with medical or other needs.
Primary schools will have cabinets where phones are locked away.
The move, expected to be agreed by the council's education committee on Tuesday, June 9, follows the success of a trial of the lockable pouches at Portobello and Queensferry high schools.
Queensferry operated the ban "bell to bell" while Portobello allowed pupils to access their phones at break times. And the report by officials to the committee recommends banning phone use "during learning time".
But education convener James Dalgleish said he would be proposing the "bell to bell" option instead and expected that to be supported by other political groups.
He said: "What are we trying to do, is the fundamental question. If it's reducing screen time, helping people focus on the classroom throughout the school day, and stopping people watching harmful content, then to help tackle those problems it is better for the restrictions to apply for the whole of the school day. If young people can still access their phones during lunchtime then they're still able to access harmful content."
He acknowledged young people would still be able to access such content at home. But he said it was the council's responsibility to look after pupils' wellbeing while they were at school and when they went home that was their parents' responsibility.
The consultation on a mobile phone ban in city schools found 73 per cent of parents and 69 per cent of staff backed the ban being for the whole school day, but only three per cent of pupils supported that option. Some 53 per cent of pupils backed a ban during class time, while 32 per cent opposed a ban.
Cllr Dalgleish said: "I don't want to be dismissive towards young people who have strong thoughts on it, who put their views forward for the consultation, because it was really important they did so and we appreciate their feedback.
"I would also look to the survey where we tried the bell to bell smartphone-free school, and although young people were hesitant at the start of that process, as time has gone on they have come to appreciate that way of working and that ban throughout the day.
"So I totally get that some young people won't want this and I think the majority of young people are sensible, more or less, with their smartphone use during the day. But I would ask them to trust us, that we're doing this for the right reasons, we're doing it for the welfare of young people. And a year from now we're going to be reviewing the process, so if things aren't working we will hear that feedback and we're open to amending our plans."
The officials’ recommendation left open the door to the ban taking a different form in different schools, saying that lockable pouches should be procured “for those secondary schools where consultation feedback and further local engagement supports this”.
But Cllr Dalgleish said he would propose pouches for all secondary schools. He said: “Teacher-pupil relationships have improved when phones are in pouches and away and it’s not about teachers having to tell pupils off, it’s about that never being a problem in the classroom at all because it’s already dealt with first thing in the morning. It allows teachers to teach and pupils to learn.”
New Education Secretary Mairi McAllan announced on Tuesday that the Scottish Government planned to bring forward legislation to make Scotland’s schools phone-free learning environments.
A consultation will be launched within the government’s first 100 days, with refreshed guidance published this summer to further encourage schools to bring in their own restrictions in advance of the law change.
Ms McAllan said: “Legislation is the way for us to mandate phone-free learning, but if head teachers want to take action themselves they do not have to wait, and nor should they. Our schools and learning environments should be safe and nurturing environments for our children and young people, where they can learn free from the distractions of mobile phones.”