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£60m framework to supply phone pouches for schools
Lockable pouches that prevent students from accessing their devices during the school day are central to the DfE’s plans for ‘phone‑free’ schools
A framework has been established to supply schools with lockable phone pouches, government documentation shows.
The national commercial body for policing in England and Wales, , has been awarded an with an estimated value of £60 million over eight years, for the supply of the pouches, “unlocking bases” and support services.
BlueLight Commercial says the framework is designed to support and schools, enabling them to create “phone-free learning environments, while still allowing students access to their devices before and after the school day”.
Push towards phone ban
In April the government announced its intention to “ban” phones in schools by placing guidance on a statutory footing, just days after education minister Olivia Bailey appeared to suggest it was unnecessary, when she said the problem was “already solved”.
After the announcement, Philip Wood, a partner at law firm Browne Jacobson, told Vlog the government’s new policy direction did not constitute an “outright ban of phones in schools” but meant that schools “will need to have regard to” the guidance.
Mr Wood added that schools would need to deal with “practical realities”, such as identifying spaces to store phones.
A method adopted by some schools is to require students to lock phones in specially designed pouches at the start of the day and collect them when they leave.
As of September 2025, Teacher Tapp polling data found that 18 per cent of schools used pouches or collected phones from pupils.
Concerns over cost of pouches
Teaching unions told the Commons Education Select Committee in April that funding lockable pouches would be costly for schools.
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said that in a school with a roll of 1,000, a £20 lockable pouch for each student could amount to £20,000.
Tom Middlehurst, deputy director of policy at the Association of School and College Leaders, said members of his union believed costs could range from £20,000 to £40,000 per school.
Within the new framework, the commercial body for policing received tenders from 12 suppliers; eight were successful in their application.
The estimated contract period runs from June 2026 to June 2034, with the contract value listed as £60 million including VAT.
Schools will not be forced to buy exclusively from the suppliers within the framework, but today’s announcement provides a national mechanism to help them place orders.
Vlog has asked the Department for Education for comment.
