New dates confirmed for consultation on proposed relocation of The Henry Cort Community College

The consultation will be published on Hampshire County Council’s website and will run until Friday, 14 February 2025. 

The decision to formally consult was recently approved by Councillor Roz Chadd, Cabinet Lead for Children’s Services. Originally planned to open in early November, the agreed consultation was postponed after members of the County Council’s Children and Young People Select Committee asked to convene a meeting to discuss the matter. This took place today (Tuesday 19 November) and saw the majority of Committee Members agree that the decision to consult does not need to be reconsidered.

The formal consultation will now proceed in January and forms part of an ongoing process, with no final decision to be taken until June 2025, following local elections.

The proposal to relocate the school comes as forecasts show that the ongoing development of the Whiteley area will result in demand for between 900 and 1,200 secondary school places. A new secondary school in North Whiteley is planned to meet the predicted need for school places across the whole of the Whiteley area, once the new development is complete.

While clearly needed to meet future demand, the planned new school in North Whiteley would also have a significant impact on The Henry Cort Community College in Fareham, which currently takes pupils from across the Whiteley area. 

As more families in Whiteley are anticipated to move their children to the new school in North Whiteley from September 2027, it is expected that Henry Cort would see a corresponding reduction in its pupil numbers, and consequently in its funding from Government, which is allocated on a per-pupil basis. This in turn would lead to a reduced curriculum, staffing recruitment and retention difficulties, an impact on children’s educational outcomes, significant financial challenges - and ultimately, an untenable future.

The proposal to relocate Henry Cort to the new site in North Whiteley is considered the most viable option to protect its future while ensuring sufficient school places and most importantly of all, a good quality of education and stability for all children across Whiteley and Fareham. This has been informed by feedback from a previous informal consultation earlier this year, and consideration of the potential wider impacts on the educational offer in Whiteley and Fareham. If finally agreed, this would not mean that Henry Cort would close but that the school, including its staff and children, would be moved to the new site. 

Following the Select Committee, Councillor Chadd commented: “I want to thank my colleagues on the Select Committee for today’s discussion. I understand there are a range of views on the proposed relocation of Henry Cort, and I can assure local residents and my fellow members that all feedback is highly valued and appreciated. This is why we continue to consult extensively on this matter, and why it is so important for the Whiteley and Fareham community to come forward and share their views with us through the upcoming formal consultation. 

“I must stress that that no final decision has been taken, and will not be until June next year, following thorough consideration of all feedback received and the many important factors concerning the long-term educational offer in the local area.”

A Public Notice will now be published on Friday, 10 January on the County Council’s website. A further report outlining feedback from the formal consultation, and a final recommendation, will be presented to Councillor Chadd for her consideration at a public Decision Day meeting in June 2025.

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