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The government has “already solved” the challenge of banning phones in schools, an education minister has claimed.

Olivia Bailey was speaking in a Commons debate yesterday afternoon to consider amendments to the .

The bill had been sent back to the House of Commons after peers in the House of Lords refused to back down from calling for changes, including the introduction of a statutory ban on phones in schools and restrictions on children accessing social media.

However, Ms Bailey told MPs that the government would only support a statutory ban on phones if recommended in its on the issue, which closes on 26 May.

The consultation followed the publication of updated on phones in schools.

No statutory ban on phones in schools

Speaking yesterday, Ms Bailey said: “I have looked in great detail at the problem with why these policies in schools were not being enforced properly.

“It was a question of weak guidance, and the schools, therefore, not enforcing that guidance properly.

“Ofsted is now enforcing that, and teams of people are supporting schools to implement it.”

Ms Bailey said the government is clear that if the consultation says a legal ban is the “silver bullet that will solve the problem”, then it will support it.

“But in my honest view, we have already solved the problem of banning phones in schools”, she added.

Ms Bailey’s comments were criticised by opposition MPs, who described the government’s stance as “preposterous”.

Conservative MP and former education secretary Damian Hinds interrupted Ms Bailey, saying: “I think I just heard the minister say, ‘We have already solved this problem.’ I do not know if any other colleagues heard that.”

Mr Hinds said headteachers believe that writing the ban into law “would be so much more straightforward”.

‘Preposterous’ to say problem solved

Fellow Conservative MP Graham Stuart said he had “sympathy” for Ms Bailey, stating his belief that education secretary Bridget Phillipson had “obviously” ordered her to “make the preposterous case” that the issue has been solved, while also consulting on it.

“Clearly it needs to be legislated for, and clearly the minister - who is smart, likeable and decent, and committed to the welfare of children - has been put in an impossible position, arguing a ridiculous case,” he said.

His party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has called for a blanket ban on social media for under-16s after Australia became the first country in the world to introduce this last year.

Meanwhile, Andy Burnham, Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, has expressed similar sentiments, saying: “I find myself agreeing with a lot of what Kemi Badenoch is saying about children and social media.

“It seems to me parents would welcome a cross-party consensus around much bolder action.”

PM meets tech bosses

Amid mounting pressure, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer today told tech bosses that the risks children face on social media “can’t go on like this”.

Sir Keir is due to meet senior figures from X, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and Google, which owns YouTube, in Downing Street today, to encourage them to go further in protecting young people on their platforms.

School admissions changes

The government defeated the proposed amendments on statutory bans on phones and social media in yesterday’s debate, and won every vote.

Peers in the House of Lords had also proposed, under an amendment to the bill, to limit when the schools adjudicator can tell a school to lower its published admission number (PAN) after a parent or council challenges it, but this was also defeated.

This proposal to grant local authorities greater power over school admissions divided education leaders, with some telling ����Vlog that it could force high‑performing academies to shrink, and others arguing it was necessary amid falling rolls.

Ms Bailey said that the government would update the school admissions code and ensure that parental choice is a “central factor” in any decision on PAN.

The government supported amendments strengthening the rights of children in care to stay in contact with their siblings, and requiring schools to have, publish and regularly update allergy safety policies.

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will now return to the House of Lords for further consideration.

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