On Wednesday, 25 June, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Roz Chadd, will consider whether to open an informal consultation on the proposed amalgamation, which would create an all-through school accommodating children aged four to 16 years old.
The proposed consultation has been requested by both governing bodies of the schools, following a decline in pupil numbers at the Riders Federation over several years. As school funding is directly linked to the number of pupils, the infant and junior schools will therefore face significant budget pressures in the future and associated impacts on their long-term stability. The schools also face ongoing performance challenges, with both currently judged as ‘Requires Improvement’ by Ofsted, while Park Community School has been judged as ‘Good’ since 2017.
Merging the Riders Federation with Park Community School would therefore ensure a more financially sustainable and efficient arrangement, while continuing to provide primary education in the local area. This is in line with forecasts which show an ongoing need locally for 30 school places in each primary year.
Having an all-through school would also remove the need for pupils to move between new schools at different key stages, providing them with a consistent educational approach from age four to 16 and enabling staff to build and maintain strong engagement with them and their families over a much longer period of time. Staff would also benefit from a much wider range of resources, further strengthening the overall teaching quality and improving pupils’ outcomes.
If ultimately agreed, the amalgamation would be achieved by closing the Riders Federation and extending the age range of Park Community School to become an all-through school for children from Reception to Year 11, from September 2026. The new school would operate across both the Riders and Park Community sites.
On 25 June, Councillor Chadd will also be asked to consider whether to give final approval for the amalgamations of Pennington Church of England Infant and Junior Schools in Lymington and of Orchard Lea Infant and Junior Schools in Fareham, following two formal statutory consultations earlier this year.