Students at Castle Manor Academy in Haverhill will be required to keep their mobile phones away for the entire school day starting in June 2026. The new policy, which requires devices to be stored from the moment students arrive at the school gates until they depart, will apply to all current pupils in Years 7 to 10.
The initiative is being led by headteacher Vanessa Whitcombe. Parents have already provided overwhelmingly positive feedback on the plans, which were shared recently by staff member Miss Bushell via a newsletter sent to families. The school, which is part of the Unity Schools Partnership trust, is currently in the process of finalising how the new rules will work in practice.
The move by the school aligns with recent national developments regarding mobile phone use in education. On 20 April 2026, the government announced it would introduce a new legal requirement for schools in England to enforce mobile phone bans. This update is being made through an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Before this national announcement, many schools across the country had already adopted similar restrictions. Research from the Children’s Commissioner for England found that 90 per cent of secondary schools had existing policies that limited or restricted phone use during the school day. Officials at the academy are expected to provide further information to parents on a weekly basis as they prepare for the launch of the new policy in June.
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