Funding for new North Whiteley secondary school awaiting seal of approval

Councillor Steve Forster, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, will be asked at his Decision Day on Friday, 7 March to approve spend of £46.7 million to build the new school, subject to planning consent. 

The site for the new school was secured as part of wider approvals for the development of North Whiteley and will support the delivery of around 3,500 new homes in the area. The new school, anticipated to open in 2027, is intended to meet the predicted demand for secondary school places across Whiteley, with scope to expand to a 1200-place school if needed, in the future.  

Plans for the new school include a three-storey main building providing classrooms, drama studio, and assembly and dining halls, with a separate two-storey sports block featuring a four-court sports hall and multi-use activity studio. The main building will also include a Resourced Provision (RP) for 15 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This type of provision is a specialist environment within a mainstream school for children with SEND.

Outside, the site will provide two all-weather sports pitches, grass playing fields and a multi-use games area. The school’s sports facilities and assembly hall will be available for community use outside school hours. 

The site will include a range of measures to reduce carbon emissions and ensure resilience to climate change, as well as improvements to the local footpath and cycle network to encourage families and staff to walk and cycle to school. 

The request to approve the spend for the project follows an earlier four-week public consultation seeking feedback on the school building plans. This took place in September 2024, ahead of a planning application being submitted. A planning decision is expected in spring 2025; subject to this, work is anticipated to begin on site this summer and to complete in summer 2027. 

A separate process is underway to determine who will run and occupy the school, with a proposal to relocate The Henry Cort Community College in Fareham to the new site in North Whiteley when it opens in 2027. Feedback from a recent formal consultation on this proposal continues to be carefully considered, with a final decision on this expected in June 2025.

Full details of the plans for the new school building are available on the County Council website.