TEACHING unions warned the government against “heavy-handed” Ofsted inspections today after the Education Secretary said that schools should be entirely mobile-free.

In a letter to headteachers in England, Bridget Phillipson said that it was “not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators, or for research” both inside and outside of class time.

It follows government guidance around phone use in schools issued last week that said pupils “should not have access to their devices during lessons, break times, lunch times, or between lessons.”

“Schools should make sure those policies are applied consistently across classes and at all times and we want parents to back these policies too,” Ms Phillipson said in her letter.

Ministers have launched a consultation on implementing an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s in Britain.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has said it will also be taking immediate action on children’s social media use, including directing Ofsted to examine schools’ mobile phone policies and how effectively they are implemented during inspections.

Teaching unions have generally welcomed the social media consultation, but pushed back on the suggestion of Ofsted monitoring schools’ mobile phone policies.

National Association of Head Teachers general secretary Paul Whiteman said that school leaders “need support from the government, not the threat of heavy-handed inspection.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, added the letter would provide clarity for schools and parents, and said he hoped it would be the first step towards the overall ban on social media for under-16s.