Edinburgh council reveals cost of mobile phone ban in schools

The cost of providing secure storage for pupils’ mobile phones in Edinburgh primary and secondary schools could be up to £495,000 a year.

The City of Edinburgh Council is currently carrying out an impact assessment on an all-primary school phone ban which it hopes to complete by the middle of the month.

It is likely to involve the use of lockable cabinets, while pouches remain the preferred option for a proposed ban in high schools.

Earlier this year students at Portobello High School and Queensferry High School were issued with special wallets which once sealed require a magnetic pad to unlock them.

A report for the council’s education, children and families committee said the banning of phones had “the clear potential to improve the welfare of pupils”.

It added the move would have a “long-lasting, positive impact” on the quality of their education.

It estimated the cost, for 2026/27 budget setting, to be between £380,000 and £495,000.

The Scottish government issued guidance to headteachers last year which said a total phone ban was an option as long as the needs of certain pupils, such as those with medical conditions, were taken into account.

It came after a 2022 study which showed about a third of pupils in Scottish classrooms admitted being distracted by phones in almost every lesson.

It is hoped bans will help curb disruptions such as distracting notifications as well as the filming of bullying incidents.

Portobello was the first Edinburgh school to implement the policy on 7 May and Queensferry followed suit a week later.

The council hope to commit in January to some form of ban in the city’s high schools, subject to an agreement on how much it will cost.