A Year 7 girl came home from her school crying because she didn’t have a mobile phone to use in class, her mum says.

In some classes, pupils at Whitchurch High School in Cardiff are asked to use their phones to help them learn. Celeste Lewis told the BBC that she now feels guilty that her daughter Ava doesn’t have a phone like the rest of her classmates.

In England, the government tells schools to ban phones from classrooms, but in Wales, they’re allowed to be used “to support learning”.

Ava’s friends started getting phones in primary school. “In Year 6, I’d say every single kid in her class had a smartphone except for her,” said Celeste. She chose not to buy Ava one to protect her mental health.

She said that Whitchurch High had been “really kind” by offering Ava a laptop in lessons, but she doesn’t think phones should be used in class.

Each school in Wales has its own rules. Whitchurch High says that it “educates students on acceptable and appropriate use” – but other schools in the same area have banned phones altogether.