All state high schools in Cheshire will have phones locked away under Cheshire PCC’s initiative

The Duke of Westminster is making a significant personal donation of £250,000 to help Cheshire’s state high schools buy lockable phone pouches.

The donation means Cheshire is likely to become the first county in the UK where all mainstream state high schools adopt effective phone-free education.

In 2025, nine of Cheshire’s 71 mainstream high schools had introduced lockable phone pouches, with most others having an ‘out of sight’ policy, where students are asked to keep their phones in a pocket or schoolbag.

Last November, after seeing the positive results achieved in the schools with phone pouches, the Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Dan Price, launched an ambition to make all Cheshire schools phone-free. He offered £150k of funding from proceeds of crime to buy phone pouches for students on free school meals, if their schools could find a way to fund the remaining amount.

Two months on, more than 50% (37) of Cheshire’s schools have taken up the offer and have plans in place to implement in the next 12 months.

The Duke of Westminster’s donation will support all participating schools, lowering the overall funding requirement and making it easier for every school, including those already signed up, to implement a phone-free approach. This additional support is expected to turbo-charge adoption of phone pouches in Cheshire schools towards the 100% target.

The Duke’s donation is driven by growing concerns around young people’s mental health, wellbeing and online safety. He has been inspired by Esther Ghey’s campaign and recently met staff and students at Birchwood Community High School in Warrington where Brianna Ghey attended - and one of the first schools in Cheshire to implement the phone pouch system – to hear about the clear impact they are having. 

While many schools operate ‘out of sight’ phone bans, these are often difficult to enforce without lockable pouches. The Duke hopes that by helping prove the campaign’s success in Cheshire, it will encourage similar action across the rest of the UK.  

The Duke of Westminster said:

“This is something I feel strongly about, both personally and because the evidence is now clear. When you speak to young people, parents and teachers and look at the data from schools using lockable phone pouches, the benefits are undeniable. We’re seeing real, measurable improvements in wellbeing, focus and crucially, safety.

“It isn’t just about avoiding harmful content, important though that is. It’s also about giving young people a break from constant notifications and the anxiety that comes with always being contactable during the school day. Through my work with the Westminster Foundation, I’ve seen how practical, evidence-based interventions can make a lasting difference to young people’s lives and this is one of them.

“I’m proud to support the Police and Crime Commissioner with this campaign in making Cheshire the first county to take this step.”

The Duke’s decision has also been shaped by his work as Chair of his Westminster Foundation, where the focus is on improving life chances for children and young people, particularly those facing disadvantages.

Dan Price, Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner said:

“The Duke’s generous personal donation means that more young people in Cheshire will grow up with less online bullying, less access to potentially harmful or violent content, less distractions and less exclusions.

“With the Duke’s help, Cheshire is leading the way on this campaign. I know other counties are watching and also putting plans in place to follow. Together we can transform young people’s lives to make their school days positive, productive and safe.”

Schools with lockable pouches are seeing immediate, widespread, positive results in wellbeing and a dramatic reduction in online safeguarding incidents; one quoting an 81% reduction in these.

While many schools have ‘out of sight’ mobile bans, these are often ineffective or problematic to enforce.

Going from an ‘out of sight’ policy to adoption of phone pouches saw Birchwood Community High School:

• Achieve its best ever GCSE results
• Increase its attainment 8 score for disadvantaged students from 24.7 to 40.1
• Improve persistence absences by 8.1%
• Reduce its exclusions to zero

In October 2025, Cheshire mum Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered in 2023, launched a national Phone Free Education campaign in parliament.

Esther Ghey said:

“I’m incredibly proud that Cheshire is leading the way with the Phone Free Education campaign. The work Dan Price is doing is absolutely outstanding, with £150,000 invested to help ensure mobile phones are locked away during the school day. Now, with the Duke of Westminster’s generous £250,000 contribution, even more schools and thousands more children across Cheshire will be supported.

“We know that becoming phone-free has a powerful positive impact, from improvements in GCSE outcomes and significant reductions in safeguarding incidents, to better behaviour and improved teacher wellbeing. For many schools, the main barrier has been funding, and the generosity shown by the Duke of Westminster and Dan Price is removing that barrier here in Cheshire.”

Emma Mills, Birchwood Community High School Head said:

“Becoming a phone-free school has been transformational for our pupils. Since introducing the policy, we’ve seen an 81% reduction in safeguarding issues linked to social media and mobile phones, and a 94% reduction in behaviour incidents connected to them.

“The Duke of Westminster’s generosity is absolutely fantastic. Knowing this funding will allow the initiative to be rolled out more quickly across Cheshire means so much - it will benefit thousands of children and help schools create calmer, safer learning environments.”

Students’ experiences of being phone free in school:

Jessica, a year 10 student from Birchwood Community High:

“The biggest difference I have noticed with having the phones in the pouches is that people are socialising more, we are talking to each other more and engaging in the other activities that the school has to offer, for example the enrichment programme.”

Louie, a year 10 student from Birchwood Community High:

“I think people were a bit reluctant at first, but this didn’t last long. People can see that the school are trying to help us not to worry about things online and help us to focus on our schoolwork. This includes helping us to understand the dangers of social media.”

National context:

• 79% of UK schools operate the lowest form of mobile phone ban
• Only 3.5% of schools ban phones being brought to school outright
• Only 7.9% of schools ask students to leave their phones in a secure place
• 1 in 5 teenagers are disturbed in lessons by phones everyday
• 13% of children aged 11-15 say their school never confiscates phones – even if pupils break the rules
• Exclusion rates in schools with pouches are drastically falling as the addictive nature of smartphones is broken during the school day.

*Stats from School phone policies in England, Children’s Commissioner, April 2025, and Parentkind polling March 2025.

More information about the Duke of Westminster can be found at: 

The Duke of Westminster

More information about the PCC can be found at: 

www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk

Pictured - Louie and Jess from Birchwood Community High School, the Duke of Westminster and Dan Price, Cheshire PCC with pouch.

Picture Credit: Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner