What are the phone rules in your school?

The government says it's going to make it law that smartphones should be banned in schools in England.

Lots of schools already forbid the use of phones - some tell pupils to keep them in their bags, switched off, while others use lockers or pouches to keep them stashed away until the end of the school day.

The change would reflect guidance sent out by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson earlier this year, but now the rules would be statutory, meaning schools would have to pay attention to them and follow them.

Let us know what the rules on phones are in your school, and tell us what you think about a total ban, in the comments below...

Earlier this year the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson wrote to schools in England encouraging children to be banned from using phones throughout the entire school day including break times and lunchtime.

Putting the guidance into law makes it stronger and forces schools to follow it.

This will be monitored by Ofsted - the organisation that inspects schools in England to see how well they are doing - to make sure the rule is being followed.

BBC Education reporter Kate McGough told Newsround that most schools already have rules around putting phones away during the day, but the original guidance allowed schools leaders to manage that as they saw best.

However, depending on the detail of this announcement, Kate said that pupils might see teachers become stricter with those rules, or the policy might change from pupils being allowed to keep their phones in their bags, for example, to schools deciding to use lockers or phone pouches.

This law would only cover England, because rules on education are devolved, which means they're set out by each of the four nations.

The Scottish government brought in rules allowing headteachers to ban mobile phones in 2024.

Headteachers in Wales also have the power to be able to ban or restrict the use of mobile phones in their schools, but it's not a national ban.

And in Northern Ireland, they've just finished testing a scheme in nine schools and a report on that is due to be published in June.

The Department for Education (DfE) said it had been "consistently clear that mobile phones have no place in schools" and that the majority already ban them, but it said the new rules would give "legal force to what schools are already doing in practice".

Conservative Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott said the change was "fantastic news for headteachers, parents and pupils across the country" and is "the right step for improving behaviour and raising attainment in our classrooms".

The Liberal Democrats said ministers must now "ensure all schools have the necessary support and funding to manage this transition," but added it was "a major win for pupils, teachers, and families".

Reform UK's Education Spokeswoman Suella Braverman MP said a "clear, enforceable ban" is "the right thing to do".

"Mobile phones have no place in our schools. They are fuelling distraction and undermining discipline," she added.

A Green Party spokesperson said the party is "deeply concerned" about the potential harm caused to children and young people by smartphone and social media usage.

They added a consultation process with parents, teachers and students "is key to creating effective solutions to the problems associated with mobile phone use in schools".

The head of the Association of School and College Leaders said the change "doesn't really change very much" because most schools already enforce their own bans.

"What would really be helpful is for the government to make funding available to schools for the safe and secure storage of mobile phones, such as storage lockers or locked pouches," said the union's general secretary Pepe Di'Iasio.

Campaign group Generation Focus wants to see clear rules spelled out on how schools should enforce the rules as it says just telling children to keep phones in their bags on a "no see, no hear" basis isn't enough.

Don't forget to let us know about the rules on phones in your school, and tell us what you think about a total ban, in the comments below...