Consultation on school admission arrangements for 2028-2029

Open until

Hampshire County Council is seeking your views on proposed changes to the admission arrangements for community and voluntary controlled schools in Hampshire (not including Portsmouth and Southampton) for the school year 2028/29.

This consultation will run from 9 November until 28 December 2026.

Background

The School Admissions Code (Sept 2021), published by the Department for Education, requires all admission authorities to consult on their admission arrangements if they are seeking to make changes from the previous year or if the arrangements have not been consulted on for at least 7 years. Consultation must take place for a minimum of 6 weeks between 1 October and 31 January of the school year before those arrangements are to apply (the determination year). The final arrangements must be determined by 28 February.

The admission arrangements include an admission policy for each phase of school, a list of school specific criteria, the published admission number (PAN) and catchment area for each community and voluntary controlled school. Other documents include Hampshire County Council’s co-ordinated scheme for main round admissions, the Supplementary Information Form for Hampshire’s voluntary controlled schools and the random allocation procedure.

Consultation

Hampshire County Council, as the admission authority for all community and voluntary controlled schools in its administrative area, is proposing the following changes to the admission arrangements for 2028/29:

Published Admission Numbers (PANs)

A reduction to the PAN for the following schools:

  • Hatch Warren Infant School, Basingstoke - from 90 to 60
  • The Butts Primary School, East Hants - from 60 to 45
  • Herne Junior School, East Hants - from 120 to 75
  • Petersfield Infant School, East Hants - from 120 to 75
  • Merdon Junior School, Eastleigh - from 64 to 30
  • Netley Abbey Infant School, Eastleigh - from 90 to 60
  • Shakespeare Junior School, Eastleigh - from 90 to 60
  • Northern Junior School, Fareham - from 50 to 45
  • Orchard Lea Junior School, Fareham - from 64 to 30
  • Elson Junior School, Gosport - from 90 to 60
  • Haselworth Primary School, Gosport - from 20 to 15
  • Rowner Infant School, Gosport - from 60 to 45
  • Hook Infant School, Hart - from 120 to 105
  • Fairfield Infant School, Havant - from 90 to 75
  • Park Community School (Year R), Havant - from 60 to 30
  • Sharps Copse Primary School, Havant - from 45 to 30
  • Breamore CE Primary School, New Forest - from 17 to 15
  • Hythe Primary School, New Forest - from 45 to 30
  • Manor CE Infant School, New Forest - from 30 to 20
  • Netley Marsh CE Infant School, New Forest - from 30 to 20
  • Guillemont Junior School, Rushmoor - from 90 to 70
  • Southwood Infant School, Rushmoor - from 45 to 30
  • Romsey Primary School, Test Valley - from 60 to 30

An increase to the PAN for the following schools:

  • Botley CE Primary School, Eastleigh - from 45 to 60
  • Freegrounds Junior School, Eastleigh - from 64 to 90
  • Greenfields Junior School, Hart - from 60 to 64
  • Padnell Junior School, Havant - from 90 to 93
  • Broughton Primary School, Test Valley - from 12 to 15

The full lists of proposed PANs for 2028/29 for all community and voluntary controlled schools in Hampshire are available below:

Any proposed increases to PAN shown on these lists are for information only. There is no requirement for admission authorities to consult on an increase to PAN.

Admission Policies

The following changes to the admission policies are also proposed to ensure they are as clear as possible and easier for parents to understand:

  • Clarification of the home address point to determine catchment school eligibility
  • Renaming of Resourced Provision to Inclusion Base (Specialist)
  • Addition of Barton Farm Primary Academy as a linked school for The Henry Beaufort School
  • Addition of Stoneham Park Primary School as a linked school for Crestwood Community School
  • Clarification in the admission policy for community all-through schools that they operate separate catchment areas for their primary and secondary phases.

The full proposed admission policies are included at the bottom of this webpage.

School specific criteria

A new school specific criterion to be included as part of the admission arrangements for the following schools. Please click on the school for more details.

The full list of school specific criteria for 2028/29 is available at the bottom of this document.

Catchment areas

We are proposing catchment area changes for the following schools:

Any comments previously received in response to the initial consultations with local schools and residents will be included as part of the decision-making process for this wider admission arrangements consultation, so consultees do not need to resubmit their earlier comments.

The full proposed 2028/29 admission arrangements for Hampshire community and voluntary controlled schools are available below:

How to respond

If you have comments about any the changes outlined above or any other aspects of the proposed admission arrangements for 2028/29, please send them by e-mail to [email protected] or write to:

Admissions Team
Children’s Services
Hampshire County Council
The Castle
Winchester
SO23 8UG

All responses will be collated and considered by Hampshire’s Admissions Forum at their meeting on 11 January 2027, who will make recommendations to the Executive Member for Education, in advance of their decision day on 23 February 2027.

The final arrangements will be published on the County Council website by 15 March 2027. If you have any questions relating to this consultation or would like to request a paper copy of the consultation, please email [email protected].