Duke donates for phone pouch plan

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

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The Duke of Westminster and Dan Price, Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner, meeting high school students.

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 £150,000 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 turbocharge adoption of phone pouches in Cheshire schools towards the 100% target.