Hove Learning Federation announces it will be going fully smartphone-free from January 2026

The Executive Headteacher of Hove Learning Federation, Madeleine Southern, has announced that Hove Junior School and West Hove Infant School are going fully smartphone free from January 2026. 

This means a ban from bringing any smartphone, smartwatch or other photographically or internet-enabled device into school. Brick phones will be permitted, and will be handed in at the beginning of the day to be locked away. 

Madeleine’s letter to parents laid out three key reasons for the change in policy:

• ⁠Supporting child wellbeing and safety.
• Encouraging positive face-to-face social interaction.
• Supporting families and children to withstand the social pressures around owning expensive devices.

Hove Learning Federation is one of the largest primary federations in the city, with nearly 1,200 primary-aged pupils across three sites at School Road, Portland Road, and Holland Road. 

Hove Junior School and West Hove Infant School are the fifth and sixth primary-age schools in the city to announce they are going fully smartphone free, following on from Cottesmore, Benfield, Hangleton and the Bilingual School.