Plea to save Henry Cort school from closure and ditch plans to relocate it to Whiteley

It comes despite overwhelming opposition to the proposal which was one of three options which has been considered for the future Henry Cort Community College as well as meet the needs of the expanding population of Whiteley.

Hampshire County Council has previously approved moving the school from Hillson Drive to a new 900-pupil site – but is re-examining this decision because only 22 per cent of the first consultation’s 1,142 responses supported this. A motion from Fareham Borough Council also petitioned to keep Henry Cort open alongside the new school in Whiteley.

The results of a second public consultation on Henry Cort’s future will be used to make the final decision by Councillor Roz Chadd, at the Local Authority’s Children and Young People Select Committee meeting on April 22. However fewer people participated in this compared with the first, and objections again outweighed support.

Leader of Fareham Borough Council Simon Martin said: “We hope that the county council will change their mind on Henry Cort and keep it as an educational establishment going forward.”

Cllr Martin (Con, Park Gate) said: “We welcome the announcement of a new school for North Whiteley but are fighting for Henry Cort School to remain open.

“We want to avoid pupils being biased into the new school at Whiteley so if there was a closure we would want local pupils to attend the local schools in Fareham.

“We hope that the county council will change their mind on Henry Cort and keep it as an educational establishment going forward.”

Councillor Pamela Bryant (Con, Uplands and Funtley) who has not had a response to her motion said as a most deprived area of Fareham it is important for children to be educated where they live for social inclusion and the health concerns of families.

She said local families will for various reasons find going to the new Whiteley school extremely difficult. I really don’t understand the statement of ‘Not to close it but move it’ as pupils will have to move.

Cllr Bryant said she hopes if the county closes the school the pupils will be sent to local schools like Cams Hill School and Fareham Academy not bused to the new Whiteley location.

Councillor Joanne Burton (Con, Sarisbury and Whiteley) agrees that Henry Cort is situated and serves the most deprived area in the borough of Fareham and feels its closure will disproportionately affect those who are most disadvantaged. She also fears there will be a drop in school attendance due to the transport/travel arrangements.

Fareham Park ward Councillor Fred Birkett (Con) said closing the school in its entirety would change the whole dynamics of the area and impact families having to find different transport for journeys to school.

For those students currently studying at Henry Cort, this will be massively disruptive to them and their learning, he said.

Cllr Birkett said if the school had to be closed he wanted part of Henry Cort used for students with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). He, like other councillors, has discussed the idea with leader of HHC, Councillor Nick Adams-King who has indicated the idea would be investigated, he said.

HCC said the meeting originally scheduled for June was brought forward to give the Henry Cort community earlier clarity about the school’s future.

Development has seen 2,000 homes already built and with a further 3,500 planned north of the Whiteley settlement area.

The public meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 22 at Ashburton Hall, Elizabeth II Court, The Castle, Winchester starting at 10am.