Consultation on changes to the school catchment areas for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School in relation to the new primary school at Hartland Village, Fleet, due to open in September 2027

Hampshire County Council is reviewing and consulting upon the school catchment areas for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School to take account of the new housing development at Hartland Village, Fleet, and the new primary school being built there. Due to the new school’s opening date changing to September 2027 (previously September 2026), this catchment change consultation is being re-run.

This consultation will run between Monday 2 June and Monday 30 June 2025.

What is being proposed?

The proposal is to change the school catchment areas for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School to take account of the new housing and new primary school at Hartland Village, Fleet, where approximately 1500 new dwellings are due to be built.

The new primary school is planned to open in September 2027 and would admit up to 30 places for Year R (age 4+) in its first year and will grow over time to a total of 60 pupils per year group, an overall total of 420 pupils, to cater for the expected demand from new residents. It is proposed that the new Hartland Village housing development, plus some existing dwellings located in the vicinity of the new development, will be part of the new catchment area of the new primary school from September 2027.

The new primary school will be an academy. The Circle Trust has been appointed as the school’s academy sponsor, and they will be the admissions authority for the school. Hampshire County Council is undertaking this informal consultation on the proposed catchment area changes to support the future statutory consultation process relating to admission arrangements for 2027 for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School. The proposed catchment for the new school will need to be determined by the trust board of The Circle Trust.

It is proposed that the catchment boundary line for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School will be changed to remove the area that the new primary school in Hartland Village will cover. Please follow the links below for maps showing the current and proposed catchment areas for the new Hartland Village school, Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School:

Current Catchment Area Map
Proposed Catchment Area Map

This proposal, if approved, removes the area shown in blue on the map from the catchment areas of Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School. Children living in the housing detailed on the plan will not have catchment priority at either Fleet Infant School or Velmead Junior School from September 2027.

For families in the affected area with children already in either school, the following transitional arrangements will be put in place:

• For Fleet Infant School

Out-catchment children starting school for the first time, living in the portion of land which was previously in the catchment area for Fleet Infant School before it changed in September 2027, and have a sibling on roll at Fleet Infant School or Velmead Junior School (who was on roll and living at the same address prior to the catchment change and will still be on roll at the time of the other child’s admission), will be given catchment, sibling priority for Fleet Infant School, for up to and including admission in September 2030.

• For Velmead Junior School

Out-catchment children starting junior school for the first time, living in the portion of land which was previously in the catchment area for Velmead Junior School before it changed in September 2027, and have a sibling on roll at Fleet Infant School or Velmead Junior School (who was on roll and living at the same address prior to the catchment change and will still be on roll at the time of the other child’s admission), will be given catchment, sibling priority for Velmead Junior School, for up to and including admission in September 2030.

It is therefore proposed that the catchment boundaries be redrawn for school admissions from September 2027 for Fleet Infant School and Velmead Junior School.

The Consultation

If you wish to make a comment, please write to Rebecca Prowting, Strategic Development Officer, Children’s Services Department, Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG or by email to: [email protected] by Monday 30 June 2025.

What happens after this consultation?

Any comments received will also be considered as part of the future statutory consultation on admission arrangements which takes place over six weeks in November and December 2025.  A final decision which takes account of the statutory admissions consultation will be made by the Executive Member for Education in February 2026.