School mobile phone ban ‘not top of my to-do list’, says headteacher

A headteacher says banning mobile phones is “not top of his to-do list”, as he spoke of more pressing issues facing schools across the country.

Tony Guise, headteacher of The Calder Learning Trust, said he is more concerned about finding more staff and getting better facilities for his students, during an interview with BBC Breakfast on Monday (19 February).

Mr Guise’s comments come as government ministers moved ahead with a pledge to ban mobile phones in schools, publishing guidance the Department for Education said would ensure consistency in classrooms across England.

The non-statutory guidance instructs headteachers on how to ban the use of phones not only during lessons but during break and lunch periods as well.