A council is urging the Government to bring in a ban on smart phones in all primary schools in England.

West Sussex County Council is to write to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to urge her to ‘make primary schools smartphone-free’.

A ban is being called for amid from concerns from councillors at the local authority ‘about the harmful influence of toxic online content and the importance of positive role models for young people’.

The move was backed at a full council meeting this month and follows a recent event in the county involving senior council officers, police, digital safety experts and young people to look at issues around online harm in schools.

The motion to write to the Government to mandate a ban was proposed by Cllr John Dabell, who noted that a similar ban for under 16s has been passed in Australia.

The letter to Ms Phillipson will be written by Cllr Jacquie Russell, cabinet member for children, young people and learning, and Cllr Bob Lanzer, the council’s cabinet member for public health and wellbeing.

Current Government guidance only expects schools to ban mobile phones during the school day.

The council notes that a private members bill by children’s minister Josh MacAllister MP had initially aimed to make all schools phone-free but this element of his bill was withdrawn.

In November, Cheshire became the first county in the UK to introduce lockable phone pouches for pupils in all state secondary schools.

This initiative was led by Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Dan Price, and backed with £150,000 in funding.

Mr Price said that schools in the county using the pouches ‘are seeing immediate, widespread, positive results in wellbeing and a dramatic reduction in online safeguarding incidents’. One school reported an 80% reduction in such cases.

‘From a crime prevention perspective, this is an absolute no-brainer,’ he added.

‘Less online bullying, less access to potentially harmful or violent content, less distractions, less exclusions.’