Purpose and scope

East Leake Academy is a mobile phone-free school during the school day. This guidance sets out how that expectation applies to each year group and what happens when it is not followed. It forms part of the behaviour policy and applies from the start of the 2026/27 academic year.

The school day runs from arrival on site until students leave site at the end of the day, including break, lunch, movement between lessons.

This rule reflects the DfE guidance Mobile phones in schools (February 2024). The school’s power to confiscate items is set out in the main behaviour policy.

Years 7-9: lockable phone pouches

Every student in years 7, 8 and 9 is issued with a lockable Faraday phone pouch. The pouch belongs to the student to keep and bring to school every day.

  1. On arrival, the student’s phone must be switched off, placed in the pouch and the pouch locked before entering the school building.
  2. The phone stays locked in the pouch, and with the student, for the whole school day.
  3. Pouches are unlocked only at the staffed unlocking stations as students exit the school at the end of the day.

The following are breaches of our behaviour rules:

  • using, or having out, a phone at any point during the school day
  • arriving without the phone locked in the pouch
  • tampering with, damaging or forcing open a pouch
  • placing a dummy or second device in the pouch to keep a phone on them; this is treated as deliberate defiance under the behaviour policy, in addition to the phone being confiscated

Any breach results in the phone being confiscated.

Years 10 and 11: off and out of sight

Students in years 10 and 11 may bring a phone to school, but it must be switched off and out of sight for the whole school day. Silent or vibrate mode does not count as switched off.

A phone that is seen, heard or used at any point during the school day will be confiscated. This includes using headphones or smartwatch functions connected to a phone.

Confiscation and collection

The same procedure applies to all year groups.

  1. The member of staff asks the student to hand over the phone. Refusal to hand over a phone is treated as defiance under the behaviour policy.
  2. The phone is labelled with the student’s name and stored securely in the main office.
  3. The phone will only be returned to a parent, carer or adult nominated by a parent or carer. It will not be returned to the student.
  4. Phones can be collected from the main office at a time designated by the school.
  5. The school will hold the phone securely until an appropriate adult is able to collect it, including over a weekend or holiday if necessary.

Parents and carers are informed of the confiscation on the same day. A nominated adult must be named in advance by the parent or carer and may be asked to show identification.

The school takes reasonable care of confiscated phones but does not accept liability for loss or damage to phones brought onto site.

Lost, damaged or forgotten pouches

  • Forgotten pouch: the student reports to the main office on arrival. A spare pouch may be loaned for the day, or the phone is handed in and returned at the end of the day. This will be logged on the school system as a forgotten item.
  • Lost or damaged pouch: parents and carers pay £20 for a replacement.
  • Deliberate damage: handled as a breach, in addition to the replacement charge.

Phased extension

The school will extend phone pouches to further year groups year on year until every year group uses a pouch. Each new cohort entering year 7 will keep its pouch as it moves up the school.

Parents and carers will be told before any change to a year group’s arrangements.

Exceptions and contacting home

A student who needs a phone for a medical reason (for example, glucose monitoring) or another agreed need will have an individual arrangement agreed with the Assistant Principal for Inclusion. These arrangements are recorded and shared with relevant staff.

If a parent or carer needs to contact their child urgently during the day, they should call the main office. Students who need to contact home can do so through the main office or their pastoral team.

This guidance is reviewed annually alongside the behaviour policy, and when pouches are extended to a new year group.