The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 has placed the DfE’s guidance on mobile phones in schools on a statutory footing. From (Today) 29 June 2026, headteachers are legally required to have regard to that guidance, meaning the days of treating it as optional are over.
But what does this mean when pupils leave the school gates on a visit? The answer is more nuanced than many schools may expect.
Mobile phones & educational visits what the new guidance means for visit leaders
Need to know
Section 36 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 came into force on 29 June 2026, giving the DfE’s mobile phone guidance the force of law.
The statutory guidance requires schools to be mobile phone-free by default during the school day, but trips outside the normal school day are treated differently.
For educational visits, schools must determine their own approach and ensure phones do not disrupt the educational experience.
Visit leaders should make an active, documented decision on phone use for each trip considering both risks and potential benefits.
The in-school rule means phones are banned by default
During the school day, the DfE’s position is clear. All schools should be mobile phone-free environments by default this is covering lessons, breaks, lunchtime and the time between sessions. Smart watches and other devices with similar functionality are included.
The guidance makes limited exceptions, such as for pupils with medical needs (for example continuous glucose monitors linked to a phone), for pupils with disabilities, where a reasonable adjustment is required under the Equality Act 2010, and for sixth-form students at certain limited times and locations.
Educational visits pose a different question
When it comes to visits outside the normal school day, including day trips and residential visits, the statutory guidance takes a deliberately flexible approach. Schools must determine how they wish to manage the use of mobile phones on trips, with the expectation that pupils’ educational experience is not disrupted. Schools should consider restricting use, but the decision is theirs to make.
This is a significant distinction. The blanket default ban that applies during the school day does not automatically transfer to an off-site visit. Visit leaders need to make an active, considered decision and document it.
Weighing risks and benefits
As with everything, educational visits and mobile phones during visits are not a simple yes-or-no question. The right answer will vary by trip type, age group and activity. Just as with our approach to risk assessment, schools should use the STAGED approach to inform their decisions. There are genuine risks which could include distraction, online safety concerns, the potential for misleading information to spread during an incident, but there are also legitimate benefits worth considering:
Emergency communication or routine check-ins during unaccompanied or remotely supervised activities
Photography to support learning and document the visit
Navigation, museum guide, and wildlife identification apps that genuinely enhance the educational experience
The key is making a deliberate, recorded decision rather than leaving phone policy as an afterthought.
Residential visits start with safeguarding
For overnight (residential) visits, safeguarding must shape any phone policy. Pupils should be able to access their phones where necessary.
Any residential policy should clearly provide a code of conduct covering use of phones. For international trips, time zone differences and any roaming costs are worth factoring in from the outset.
5 top tips for visit leaders
Write a phone policy into your visit risk assessments
Don’t leave it undefined. Your risk assessment should clearly state whether phones are permitted, restricted to set times, or prohibited and why. A documented decision protects you and demonstrates that the school has applied the DfE guidance thoughtfully.
Plan your incident communications protocol in advance
If something goes wrong during a visit, uncontrolled phone use by pupils can cause serious harm, alarming parents with half-formed information or spreading inaccurate details before facts are established. Decide before you leave how phones will be managed in an emergency, and brief pupils and staff on it.
Consider the educational value of phones, not just the risks
Mapping apps, museum guides, wildlife identification tools, translation and photography can all genuinely enhance a visit. A blanket ban may be right for some trips and wrong for others. The guidance asks you to make a considered decision, so weigh both sides rather than defaulting to NO.
Think carefully before requiring pupils to hand in their phones
If you collect phones, your school takes on responsibility for any loss or damage. Make sure your approach to storage and returns is robust and that parents are informed in advance. For residential trips in particular, pupils may also need access to their medical apps.
Keep safeguarding at the centre of any policy
On overnight trips, pupils must be able to raise concerns with a trusted adult, and sometimes that means having phone access. Any phone-free policy in a residential setting should explicitly preserve routes for pupils to contact staff about safeguarding concerns, including those arising online.
Further Reading
This publication is a general summary of guidance. It should not replace advice tailored to your specific circumstances. ©️EVOLVE Advice 2026
If you’d like further support on this issue, or advice on other aspects related to educational visits, speak to your Educational Visits Adviser.