Parent called police to school after head teacher introduced ban on mobile phones

However, schools have questioned the feasibility of an outright, nationwide ban, saying enforcing it would be exhausting, take hundreds of hours to set up and maintain, and could lead to the abuse of staff.

Multiple parents have expressed safety fears as well, accusing head teachers of having blood on their hands if anything were to happen to a student on their journey home.

In one instance, the head of a state school in London, who wished not to be named, introduced a ban on smartphones in September last year.

Under his plan, if a phone was brought into school, it would be confiscated for six school weeks.

However, one parent was so furious after their child had their phone confiscated they called the police.

Officers were then sent to the school, according to the Times.

When police visited the school, the head was reassured it was a civil matter before leaving.

In a final swipe at the institution, the parents then reported the school to Ofsted.

Speaking on his decision to introduce the ban, the headteacher believes schools across Britain need the Government to step in.

"It would be so much easier if there was no phones in education," he said.

"We need a Government ban on smartphones. A huge majority of schools don't feel they have the backing of parents or governors to ban completely."

The head continued to say some parents were so angered by confiscation that "when someone really wants to kick off, they go nuclear".

He acknowledged the ban was "difficult, particularly with parents of older children who felt they were safer if they could track them".

But, he said parents with younger children were "delighted" by his decision.

"We did a lot of work with parents about the danger of phones; we had coffee mornings and afternoons," the headteacher said.

"I think parents are more anxious than children, and that dictates the mental health crisis."

He said it was "really freeing not to have phones" in schools.

Once the ban came into effect last year, 40 phones were confiscated in the first few weeks.

That changed to just four this year.

The London teacher said children arrived from primary school already addicted to porn or facing bullying on social media.

He observed students asking to go to the toilets fewer times, online bullying was reduced, and the school had seen a 90 per cent fall in child sexual exploitation safeguarding incidents.

Elsewhere in the country, a West Midlands secondary school headteacher agreed phones were a "massive problem".

They said Years 7 and 8 hand in their phones at the beginning of each day before being locked away, leading to zero incidents of phone use in those year groups.

Year 7s will now only be allowed to bring "brick" or "dumb" phones from next year, with the head, saying once school finished, the students would "pull them out at the end of the day, walk into moving traffic and there's the risk of carrying expensive phones".

Rugby's Harris Church of England Academy Head Roberta Harrison has brought in lockable phone pouches. However, she backs a national ban.

However, the Government has previously said it has no plans to legislate a nationwide ban as schools already have the power to ban phones.

"We support head teachers to take the necessary steps to prevent disruption, backed by clear guidance," a spokeswoman said.

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