Consultation on school catchment area changes: The Federation of Bursledon C of E (C) Infant and Bursledon (CA) Junior Schools and Kings Copse Primary School, The Hamble School and The Wildern Academy Trust

The County Council have been in discussion with the local schools about a proposed change to their current catchment areas.

The catchment areas for the The Federation of Bursledon C of E (C) Infant & Bursledon (CA) Junior Schools and The Hamble School currently extend North of the M27. However, for houses north of the M27, Kings Copse Primary School and The Wildern Academy Trust are more accessible, with no need to commute across the M27. Kings Copse Primary School and The Wildern Academy Trust also have the capacity to serve all the existing and expected children from the area. It is therefore proposed that the catchment boundaries should be redrawn including land north of the M27 within Kings Copse Primary School and The Wildern Academy Trust for admissions from September 2022 onwards.

Transitional arrangements are proposed by the County Council to mitigate the impact of this change for families currently living in the affected area with children already in the existing catchment schools, as follows:

• Transitional arrangements for admission to Bursledon Church Of England Infant School: A child starting school for the first time who has a sibling on roll at Bursledon Church Of England Infant School or Bursledon Junior School (who was on roll prior to the catchment change and who will still be attending the school at the time of the younger child’s admission), will also be given catchment priority for Bursledon Church Of England Infant School, up to, and including, for admission in September 2027.
• Transitional arrangements for admission to Bursledon Junior School: A child starting junior school who has a sibling on roll at Bursledon Church Of England Infant School or Bursledon Junior School (who was on roll prior to the catchment change and who will still be attending the school at the time of the younger child’s admission), will also be given catchment priority for Bursledon Junior School, up to, and including, for admission in September 2024.
• Transitional arrangements for admission to The Hamble School: A child starting school for the first time who has a sibling on roll at The Hamble School who was on roll prior to the catchment change and will still be on roll at the time of the younger child’s admission will also be given catchment priority for The Hamble School up to and including admission in September 2025.

The Wildern Academy Trust, as their own admission authority, will conduct a separate consultation, but have agreed in principle to this arrangement. It is therefore proposed that, subject to the outcome of the consultation by The Wildern Academy Trust, these catchment arrangements would be implemented for school admissions from September 2022 onwards.

Proposed Primary Catchment Change Map

Proposed Secondary Catchment Change Map

Further Information

Subject to approval the catchment change will be implemented for September 2022 admissions. Should the catchment change be implemented all details will be updated in the schools admission policies and on Hampshire County Council web pages to reflect this change.

Any comments on these proposals should be sent to Mark Saunders, Strategic Development Officer, Children’s Services Department, Hampshire County Council, Elizabeth II Court North, Winchester, SO23 8UG or by email to [email protected] no later than 4 November 2020. Any comments received will be considered as part of the statutory consultation on admission arrangements which takes place between 9 November and 18 December 2020. A final decision which takes account of the statutory admissions consultation will be made by the Executive Member for Education and Skills in February 2021. Details of the statutory admissions consultation can also be viewed via this website.