Brighton and Hove School Streets 2026: Everything Parents and Residents Need to Know
Brighton and Hove City Council is working to make the school run safer for children and families across the city. Photo: Unsplash
Brighton and Hove City Council is proposing three new School Streets and rolling out camera enforcement at existing ones. Here is everything parents, carers and residents need to know
Brighton and Hove City Council has launched consultations on three new School Streets schemes, giving parents, carers, school communities and nearby residents the chance to have their say on plans that would restrict vehicle access outside three more of the city's primary schools during drop-off and pick-up times.
The three schools proposed for new School Streets are Woodingdean Primary, West Blatchington Primary including King's School, and Balfour Primary including Varndean and Dorothy Stringer schools. If approved, they would bring the total number of School Streets in Brighton and Hove to 18, adding to the 15 already in operation across the city.
The consultation is open until Tuesday 21 July 2026. You can have your say at yourvoice.brighton-hove.gov.uk. A drop-in session will also be held where you can ask questions in person. Details are on the individual consultation pages. For any questions, contact the School Streets team directly at school.streets@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
What is a School Street?
School Streets schemes are designed to address congestion, illegal or unsafe parking and air quality issues immediately outside schools at drop-off and pick-up times. By restricting access to motor vehicles on roads around schools for one hour at each end of the school day, they create a safer environment for children and families and encourage more walking, scooting and cycling to school.
School Streets operate Monday to Friday from 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.45pm to 3.45pm during school term time only. They do not operate on weekends or during school holidays. Motor vehicles are not allowed to enter the restricted area during enforcement hours unless exempt. Signs at the entrances inform road users of the restrictions and enforcement hours.
School Streets may also operate with staffed gates, bollards, temporary barriers or other traffic management devices managed by volunteers or school staff. The restrictions are legally enforced through a Traffic Regulation Order. Any vehicle without an exemption that ignores the restrictions may be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice of £70, reduced to £35 if paid within 21 days.
Camera enforcement coming to three schools from 2 September 2026
At the end of 2025, Brighton and Hove City Council was granted new powers by the Department for Transport to enforce School Streets using CCTV cameras. This frees up teachers and volunteers from managing gates and barriers every morning and afternoon, something school communities across the city have welcomed.
The council will pilot these new powers from 2 September 2026 at three schools already operating School Streets:
Hangleton Primary on Northease Drive and Dale View will become camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
Hove Junior and West Hove Infants on School Road and Marmion Road will become camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
Queen's Park Primary on Freshfield Place will become camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
If you need regular access to one of these camera-enforced zones, you must apply for a virtual permit before enforcement begins. Allow up to 10 working days for your application to be processed. Apply at the official School Streets page on the council website.
Who is exempt from School Street restrictions?
School Streets are not full road closures. Certain vehicles can access a School Street at any time without a permit. Emergency services and council waste collections can always enter. Buses and other public transport vehicles with routes running through a School Street can also continue to operate normally during School Street hours.
You may be permitted to access a School Street while it is in operation if you fall into one of the following categories. Drivers of vehicles registered to a residential or business address within the restricted area are permitted. Blue Badge holders who need to access a property within the street are permitted. Compass Card holders who need to access a property within the street are permitted. Professional carers or carers for vulnerable residents who live on the street are permitted. Emergency services vehicles on an emergency call are permitted. Utility providers on an emergency call are permitted. Employees of or those working with a business or service operating within the street are permitted. Drivers of contracted school transport vehicles are permitted.
Parents and carers dropping off children at school, delivery drivers, tradespeople and general visitors would not typically be granted access during restricted times. Requests for emergency access exemptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you need access to a camera-enforced School Street zone, you must apply for a virtual permit in advance at the official School Streets page. Allow up to 10 working days for processing.
Every School Street currently operating in Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove currently has 15 School Streets in operation. The full list of every existing scheme and the roads affected during school hours is below. For maps of each location, visit the official School Streets page.
Aldrington CE Primary on Eridge Road.
Brunswick Primary on Somerhill Road.
Downs Infant on Florence Place.
Downs Junior on Grantham Road.
Fairlight Primary School on Hastings Road.
Hangleton Primary on Dale View and Northease Drive. Camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
Hove Junior and West Hove Infants on School Road and Marmion Road. Camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
Queen's Park Primary on Freshfield Place. Camera enforced from 2 September 2026.
Saltdean Primary School on School Lane.
St Luke's Primary on Queens Park Rise.
St Mary's Catholic Primary on Vale Gardens.
St Nicolas CE Primary on Highlands Road.
St Pauls C of E Primary School on St Nicholas Road and Church Street.
Westdene Primary on Barn Rise.
Brighton and Hove school term dates
School Streets only operate during school term time and not on weekends or during school holidays. The dates below apply to community schools in Brighton and Hove maintained by the council. They may not apply to academies, free schools, sixth form colleges, further education colleges or schools in the independent sector. Always check with your individual school for their specific INSET days.
Brighton and Hove City Council provides two ways to check term dates online. You can view the full written list of term dates at brighton-hove.gov.uk/school-term-and-holiday-dates, or download the visual calendar versions at brighton-hove.gov.uk/school-term-calendars.
School term dates 2025 to 2026
Autumn term: starts 4 September 2025, half term 27 to 31 October, ends 19 December 2025.
Spring term: starts 5 January 2026, half term 16 to 20 February, ends 27 March 2026.
Summer term: starts 13 April 2026, half term 26 to 29 May, ends 22 July 2026.
Download school term dates 2025 to 2026 as PDF
School term dates 2026 to 2027
Autumn term: starts 2 September 2026, half term 26 to 30 October, ends 18 December 2026.
Spring term: starts 4 January 2027, half term 15 to 19 February, ends 25 March 2027.
Summer term: starts 12 April 2027, half term 1 to 4 June, ends 21 July 2027.
Download school term dates 2026 to 2027 as PDF
School term dates 2027 to 2028
Autumn term: starts 1 September 2027, half term 25 to 29 October, ends 17 December 2027.
Spring term: starts 4 January 2028, half term 14 to 18 February, ends 31 March 2028.
Summer term: starts 18 April 2028, half term 30 May to 2 June, ends 21 July 2028.
Download school term dates 2027 to 2028 as PDF
Have your say before 21 July 2026
The consultation on the three new proposed School Streets at Woodingdean Primary, West Blatchington Primary and Balfour Primary is open until Tuesday 21 July 2026. You can read the proposals and submit your response online at yourvoice.brighton-hove.gov.uk. A drop-in session will also be held where you can ask questions in person. Details can be found on the individual consultation pages.
To apply for a vehicle exemption or virtual permit for one of the camera-enforced zones starting 2 September 2026, visit the official School Streets page on the council website. Allow up to 10 working days for your application to be processed.
For any questions about School Streets in Brighton and Hove, contact the School Streets team at school.streets@brighton-hove.gov.uk.
For more Brighton and Hove news, follow ImJustBrighton. For a full guide to getting around Brighton, read our Brighton Travel Guide 2026.
This article is based on a Brighton and Hove City Council press release issued on 8 June 2026, sent directly to ImJustBrighton via Vuelio, and verified from the official Brighton and Hove City Council School Streets page and school term dates pages at brighton-hove.gov.uk. Last updated June 2026.