Responding to UNESCO's report which calls for mobile phones to be banned from schools, Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said:

“A complete ban on mobile phones may work for some schools. However, in some cases it may cause more problems than it solves, leading to pupils becoming more secretive about their phone use meaning problems are hidden from staff and therefore more difficult to spot and address. There are also practical reasons why pupils may need a mobile phone such as while travelling to and from school.

“Schools help to prepare young people for the outside world, and this includes equipping them with awareness and strategies to responsibly monitor their own screen use and the ability to identify and respond to any potentially harmful content and the impact it may have.

“Individual schools know their pupils and communities so are best placed to develop their own policies when it comes to mobile phones according to what works for them and for pupils’ education and wellbeing.”