AQW 38133/22-27

Mrs Michelle Guy
Alliance Party
Lagan Valley

Tabled Date: 13/01/2026
Answered On Date: 03/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Education to detail (i) the cost of expanding the mobile phone pouch trial to all schools, and (ii) whether other options are being explored to implement the same policy, in a more financially sustainable way.

Answer:

The Department is currently running a pilot in nine post-primary schools across Northern Ireland to test the effectiveness of using lockable pouches as an approach to reducing mobile phone usage during the school day. The pilot is running from September 2025 until March 2026, with over 8000 pupils participating in the pilot.

An external evaluation of the pilot is being conducted by King’s College London, and the findings will help to inform future policy decisions, including any consideration of a wider roll-out. At this stage, no decision has been taken to expand beyond the current pilot and therefore a full cost model has not been developed. The Department is mindful of the need for any potential future approach to be provide value for money.