The government should fund phone lockers in schools to stop children from using ... trends now
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Tory MPs last night urged Rishi Sunak to fund the installation of mobile phone lockers in schools to prevent children from using them during the day.
More than 50 MPs and peers have written to the Prime Minister asking him to go further to tackle the 'disastrous consequences of a phone-based childhood'.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan issued new guidance to schools in February urging head teachers to ban the use of smartphones in schools, including during break periods.
But a study by the Policy Exchange think tank this week found that only one in 10 secondary schools have an 'effective ban' that physically prevents children from using their phones.
In their letter today, MPs urge the PM to fund the installation of lockers in all schools and to update guidance for Ofsted
The group warns that the prevalence of smartphones among teenage children 'has serious implications for learning (Stock Image)
These schools either ban them from the premises or insist that phones are shut away in dedicated lockers or pouches for the entire school day.
In their letter today, MPs urge the PM to fund the installation of lockers in all schools and to update guidance for Ofsted to require the watchdog to assess the effectiveness of mobile phone bans in the classroom.
The letter was sent by former minister Neil O'Brien and fellow MP Miriam Cates and signed by 40 Conservative MPs and 19 peers.
Signatories include
