The decision was approved by Councillor Roz Chadd, the County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, at her Decision Day on Wednesday, 19 November. It follows a non-statutory four-week public consultation in October which gathered initial feedback on the potential closure of the school.
It comes as pupil numbers at the school have continued to decline in recent years, with now just 14 children on roll despite an overall capacity for 105 pupils. This is the lowest number of children attending any Hampshire school and reflects a national trend of falling birth rates over recent years.
Councillor Chadd commented: “I know that officers have worked incredibly hard to support Smannell and Enham over a number of years and that, together with the Diocese of Winchester and the Department for Education, they have thoroughly explored various options for the school’s future. Sadly, despite these efforts there is no suitable long-term solution in sight.
“I have fully reviewed the feedback from the initial consultation and have considered at length, the school’s ongoing challenges in terms of its low pupil numbers, and the associated impacts on its finances and the quality of its educational provision. While regrettable, on balance I believe that a statutory consultation is now necessary to ensure that the final decision made is fully informed and in the best interests of the school’s children.
“I encourage families, staff and the local community to take part in this process and to share their feedback. I want to assure everyone that all views will be thoroughly considered ahead of any final decision and that should the school ultimately close, every step would be taken to support both the families and staff affected.”
Smannell and Enham is a primary school for pupils aged four to 11, around one mile northeast of Andover. Given the small number of pupils now attending the school, children of mixed ages are taught together across just two classes. Despite the school's work to strengthen its approach to teaching the National Curriculum, this structure can make it more complex to deliver the curriculum in a way that meets the needs of all pupils.
Having been judged as ‘Inadequate’ by Ofsted in May 2024, the school has since been subject to an Academy Order, which is issued by the Government and instructs a school to convert to an academy. Despite ongoing efforts from the County Council, the Diocese of Winchester and the Department for Education, the school’s challenges have meant it has not been possible to find an academy sponsor to date. Other options such as federation with another school, which sees two or more schools operate under the same governing body, cannot be considered while the Academy Order remains in place.
Like many small schools, Smannell and Enham has found it difficult to recruit and retain permanent staff. While school staff have worked hard to provide stability and consistency for pupils, this has resulted in some children experiencing staff changes within the last academic year. Various County Council teams including the Hampshire Improvement and Advisory Service for schools (HIAS) have continued to provide strategic and operational support to the school throughout these challenges. However, the impact of this work has been limited due to staff changes in the school.
As school budgets are primarily based on the number of pupils on roll, the school faces additional pressures on its finances. As such, there are concerns that the school cannot be sustained financially or without impacting the quality of its educational provision further.
Following the decision to proceed with a statutory consultation, a public notice will be published on the County Council’s website from 20 November until 18 December allowing parents, the local community and others with an interest in the school to give their views on the proposal. A final decision will then be taken at a further Decision Day meeting before the end of this year.
Should the school ultimately close, this would happen on 27 March 2026. This has been delayed from an original proposed date of 13 February 2026, following feedback from the initial non-statutory consultation. In the event of a closure, the County Council would work with schools in the area to ensure there is other available local provision for children. The authority’s Admissions Team would be able to advise parents and support them with any queries about making in-year applications to other schools. Schools would then process any applications in line with statutory processes.