Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend is supporting the approach to make schools phone-free.

This follows the commissioner’s visit to Winston Churchill School in St John’s that has introduced a self-funded scheme where secure lockable pouches for student phones are standard practice.

The 1,500 students at the mixed secondary school for 11- to 16-year-olds keep their phones with them, secured in a Yondr pouch, which is locked on arrival and unlocked at the end of the school day, by tapping the pouch on an unlocking base.

This creates a clear physical boundary that removes distraction without requiring constant enforcement by staff.

On 29 June, the use of mobile phones in state schools in England will transition from non-statutory guidance to a mandatory legal requirement under the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026.

Ms Townsend said: “We have understood for a while that mobile phones in schools disrupt learning by diverting attention, increasing anxiety and generating peer conflict.

“Most schools have an advised mobile phone policy but are challenged with day-to-day enforcement. This scheme at Winston Churchill puts paid to that in a simple way.”

James French, deputy headteacher at Winston Churchill said: “As a result of the scheme, we have seen more than a 50 per cent reduction in phone-related behaviour incidents throughout the school.

“Children have told us they feel more confident in school without fear of being filmed or humiliated, and relationships between students have improved and strengthened.

“Teachers report that students are more focused, and more lesson time is spent on learning without the distraction of mobile phones. It has been transformational.”

Ms Townsend added: “The group of students I met unanimously agreed the mandatory phone pouch policy at school was the right way forward.

“Other schools adopting the scheme have reported up to an 80 per cent decrease in safeguarding incidents after going phone-free.”