Mobile Phones in Schools

Jonathan Brash Excerpts

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

The right hon. Member asks excellent questions in this House, and I am very happy to answer the specific one about homework and AI. He is right to highlight that this is an issue to which we will need to return in years to come. In fact, in many ways homework has already been highly disrupted by the use of generative AI tools. The issue for school leaders and teachers is ensuring there are methods of assessment and pushing learning that have grit and friction. Often that will need to be in the classroom, where we can be confident that AI tools are not being used to do the cognitive offloading, meaning children miss out on the opportunity to grow and develop, which is what our schools should be all about.

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

Speaking as a former teacher and, indeed, as a parent, I warmly welcome this announcement from the Minister. Our schools should be phone-free environments focused on learning. Furthermore, as a parent, when my daughter Alice leaves the front door in the morning to go to her brilliant Hartlepool school, and when she leaves the school gate at the end of the school day, I do want to be able to contact her and to know where she is. Does the Minister agree with me that schools banning pupils even being able to arrive at school with a phone are going too far, and that lots of parents would have serious concerns about that?