Ampfield Church of England Primary School is an 84-place primary school for pupils aged 4-11 in Romsey. It is federated with John Keble Church of England Primary School in the village of Hursley. This means that both schools share the same governing body, but are funded separately.
Ampfield itself has seen a consistently low intake of new pupils in recent years and, as at September 2023, had just 26 pupils on its roll. Given this small number, children of mixed ages are taught together and this in turn impacts the school’s delivery of the National Curriculum, which requires children to be taught specific sequences of knowledge according to their age.
As school budgets are primarily based on the number of pupils on roll, the school has also experienced growing pressure on its finances. As such, Governors are concerned that the school cannot be sustained financially or without impacting on the quality of its educational provision.
A public consultation will now run from Friday 29 September until Friday 3 November and will seek feedback on a proposal to close the school at the end of the current academic year. Parents, carers and other stakeholders will also have an opportunity to share their views and ask questions at two public meetings, to be held on the following dates:
- 09 October, 7pm-8.30pm - Ampfield Church of England Primary School
10 October, 7pm-8.30pm - John Keble Church of England Primary School
A report setting out the responses to the consultation and recommendations will be presented at a Decision Day in January 2024. At this stage, the County Council’s Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services will decide whether to proceed to a statutory consultation (Public Notice) or, alternatively, to undertake a further period of public consultation into other proposed options. A final decision on the future of the school is expected to be taken in spring 2024.
In the event of a closure, parents would be informed of local schools with places available and would need to make an application to one of these or another school of their choice. The County Council’s Admissions Team would support each family in this process and offer places at parents’ preferred schools where possible. Staff would also be closely supported by the Local Authority in line with the standard processes.
For more information including FAQs, and for details of how to respond to the consultation, visit the County Council’s website.
