Two schools in the region have trialled the no phones during school days rule this semester, reporting a greater focus in class and improved socialisation among students.

Cootamundra High School principal Leesa Daly said the policy was introduced this semester in part as a response to students being "addicted to their phones".

"The research and our data were clearly telling us that we needed to do more," she said.

The Cootamundra school has gone further than simply banning phone use throughout the day, with the introduction of pouches which lock away mobile devices in the morning until day's end.

"We've been trying really hard to have our kids put phones in bags and keep them away but it just wasn't working," she said.

Mrs Daly said the benefits to school life were significant since the semester's start.

"We had an almost instantaneous cultural shift," she said.

The principal said teachers had seen less negative behaviour in class, fewer students distracted and more conversations between classmates about tasks at hand.

"Students have conceded, begrudgingly, that this is actually the case," Mrs Daly said.

"They've been quietly surprised by how quickly the change happened in the classrooms."

Students are also reportedly less agitated.

"There's a really calm, purposeful movement between classes," Mrs Daly said.

And results have gone beyond the classroom.

"There's noise in our playgrounds again - our playground were silent," Mrs Daly said.

"There's not enough squares to play handball anymore."

Students are still contactable through the school and are allowed to unlock their pouches with permission.

NSW opposition leader Chris Minns announced this week that if elected next year, a Labor government would implement a state-wide zero phone policy in public schools.

Julie Cowell, whose 13-year-old daughter Eliza attends Cootamundra High School, said high schools across the state adopting the zero phone policy was a good idea.

"I think it's fantastic," she said.

"Parents that I've spoken to have said they think it's fantastic.

"There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that kids shouldn't have phones at school."

Mrs Cowell said students like her daughter were initially resistant to the change.

"The kids were all up in arms in the first week or two," she said.

"But there's not a peep out of her now."

In Wagga, The Riverina Anglican College have also adopted a zero phone policy this semester but only requiring phones to be placed in lockers throughout the day.

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Principal Geoff Marsh said he had seen similarly positive results from the policy's trial, with teachers reporting more student engagement in class.

"This is anecdotal evidence but generally the kids are saying that it's okay, that they're able to manage without having their phone for six hours in a day," he said.

Mr Marsh said the school is still figuring out how to best adopt a long term policy during the initial trial, such as whether year 12 students should be allowed access to their phones in order to adopt more personal responsibility.

Like in Cootamundra, students in Wagga can be given permission to access their phones during the day, which are at times needed for class purposes.

"I don't want to stop them bringing their phones to school," Mr Marsh said.

"I just want to have systems in place that allow them to learn and not be distracted."

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