Henry Cort Community College could move as part of plans to build a new secondary school in Whiteley

The move was one of three options being considered for the future of the school which is expected to see a fall in pupil numbers once another new secondary school in Whiteley opens. If approved, the move would take place ready for September 2027.

As previously reported by The News, Hampshire County Council has been looking at options for schools in the Fareham and Whiteley area as a result of the significant re-development in recent years, with 3,500 new homes already built and a further 2,000 in the pipeline in the North Whiteley area.

A new secondary school in North Whiteley is planned to meet the forecast demand for school places across the whole of the Whiteley area, once the development is complete. This new school would be built with capacity for 900 places and scope to expand to up to 1,200 in future, if needed.

However once open, this would have an impact on The Henry Cort Community College in Fareham, as it currently takes pupils from across the Whiteley area. This is because children from that area expected to attend the new school instead leading to a reduction in the number of pupils.

Earlier this year the county council held an informal consultation outlining three possible options as a result of the changing demand. They were:

• Option 1 – To build the North Whiteley secondary school as a new academy and keep The Henry Cort Community College operational but with a smaller catchment area.  
• Option 2 – To build the North Whiteley secondary school as a new academy and close The Henry Cort Community College.  
• Option 3  – To relocate The Henry Cort Community College to the new North Whiteley secondary school site.   

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Hampshire County Council has said it carefully reviewed the feedback received during the recent informal consultation, which resulted in it deciding the third option was the most viable. It said this will protect the school’s future, while ensuring sufficient school places and a good quality of education and stability for all children across Whiteley and Fareham. 

As a result, a recommendation to proceed to a statutory consultation on the relocation of Henry Cort will be put to Councillor Roz Chadd, the County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, at her upcoming Decision Day on Friday, October 25.  

If agreed, parents and the local community and others will be able to submit their views between November 8 and December 13 which would feed into a final recommendation, would be presented to Councillor Chadd for her consideration at a future Decision Day in February 2025. 

Should the relocation of Henry Cort ultimately be agreed, the council warned this would entail various changes to local catchment areas and admissions arrangements, which would be subject to separate consultations thereafter, in line with standard process.  

Visit the county council’s website for full details of the recommendation to consult.