Consultation on the relocation of The Henry Cort Community College

Hampshire County Council will be building a new 900-place secondary school in North Whiteley to serve the new housing development of North Whiteley and the existing Whiteley community. Long-term school forecasts suggest that having both a new 900-place secondary school serving the wider Whiteley development and retaining The Henry Cort Community College would lead to a significant surplus of school places across Fareham. Surplus places directly impact the viability of a school for various reasons.

Currently, over 300 children from the Whiteley community travel daily to The Henry Cort Community College. Once the new North Whiteley school is open and serving its local children, the demand for places at The Henry Cort Community College will reduce significantly.

We propose relocating The Henry Cort Community College to safeguard educational opportunities for all children in the medium term, given that all children on roll at The Henry Cort Community College in September 2027 will have access to the new school (subject to transition arrangements for Year 10 and 11 students). If the new secondary school in North Whiteley were to be a new separate school, it is likely to open only for Year 7 children in September 2027 and would annually grow with each new Year 7 admission, reaching full capacity for Years 7 to 11 in September 2031. Therefore, the new school would not initially teach children from Years 8-11, which may impact on local families who might have to manage having their children attend different schools.

Under this proposal, all children on roll at The Henry Cort Community College in September 2027 (Years 8-11) will be transferred to the new school building in North Whiteley and will be provided with funded school transport, where eligible, under Hampshire County Council’s School Transport Policy. Specific site arrangements for those children midway through their examination courses will be clarified by school leaders in consultation with parents and pupils closer to the time, to ensure they remain fully supported.

Additionally, the proposal is that the catchment area of The Henry Cort Community College will be redrawn from September 2027, and children residing in the Highlands, Titchfield and surrounding areas of North and West Fareham will have catchment priority for school admissions at either Fareham Academy or Cams Hill School. The linked schools of The Henry Cort Community College will also be changed at this time, with Titchfield Primary School, St Columba Church of England Primary School, and Orchard Lea Junior School transferring to either Fareham Academy or Cams Hill School.

Parents or carers are entitled to express their preferences for any secondary school within the School Admission process, and further information for applying for a school place can be found on our School admissions website.

Why is a new school being built?
A new 900-place secondary school is being built in North Whiteley and is set to open in September 2027. This school is designed to accommodate secondary-age children from both the existing Whiteley area and the new North Whiteley housing development. The new school is being funded by the developers building the new houses via a Section 106 agreement with the County Council. Hampshire County Council is in regular contact with the housing developers and local district councils, and the forecasted rate of building new properties along with pupil yield from existing houses warrants opening a new secondary school at Whiteley in September 2027.

As part of our overarching strategic responsibilities, Hampshire County Council must ensure that the educational resources in the surrounding areas are utilised to their maximum capacity. We have taken the opportunity to consider the demand for secondary education across Fareham whilst considering long-term forecasted numbers. Long-term school forecasts indicate that having both a new 900-place secondary school in Whiteley and retaining The Henry Cort Community College will lead to a significant surplus of school places across Fareham.

Surplus places can directly impact the viability of a school for many reasons. The proposal to relocate The Henry Cort Community College to the new school building in North Whiteley will ensure the most efficient use of the County Council’s education funding across the Fareham area.

Why does The Henry Cort Community College need to relocate?
With the new secondary school being built as part of the North Whiteley development set to open in September 2027, there will be a direct impact on The Henry Cort Community College’s student numbers, as Whiteley is currently part of its existing catchment area. Currently there are approximately 863 pupils on roll at The Henry Cort Community College, with over 300 living in the Whiteley area who receive Hampshire County Council funded school transport to The Henry Cort Community College’s current site on Hillson Drive. It is not sustainable to continue to transport the forecasted increase in secondary age children from Whiteley to The Henry Cort Community College. Hampshire County Council considers that the most efficient use of its education funding is to relocate The Henry Cort Community School to Whiteley to ensure the school’s long term viability.

School funding is allocated by central government and is directly related to the number of students enrolled. A decline in student numbers and the resulting reduction in funding make it challenging for a school to appoint and retain staff and offer a full range of curriculum opportunities to students. Reduced funding will result in fewer teachers and less flexibility around group sizes. Low student numbers will also affect leadership capacity and increase the workload of staff.

Long-term school forecasts indicate that having both a new 900-place secondary school in Whiteley and retaining The Henry Cort Community College will lead to a significant surplus of school places across Fareham. The opening of the new school will result in a significant decline in future pupil numbers at The Henry Cort Community College. This decline will negatively impact the existing provision, including a reduced curriculum offer for children, challenges in staff retention, and undermine the financial viability of the school.

Will the new school in Whiteley be oversubscribed with Whiteley children?
The proposed catchment area is shown on the map. This will encompass the entire Whiteley area, and the school will initially be linked with Whiteley Primary School and Cornerstone Church of England Primary School.

The secondary school in North Whiteley will open with an anticipated Published Admission Number (PAN) of 180 to account for the future PAN of 90 at Cornerstone Church of England Primary School and the current PAN of 90 at Whiteley Primary School. There is also the potential to expand the secondary school by an additional 60 places to accommodate the proposed third primary school in Whiteley, should the need arise.

The County Council is in advanced discussions with Fareham Academy and Cams Hill School to determine the catchment area arrangements affecting Titchfield Primary School, St Columba Church of England Primary School, and Orchard Lea Junior School from September 2027. This area is currently shown in purple on the map. The primary schools will be linked with either Fareham Academy or Cams Hill School, which will give an oversubscription priority within each school’s admission arrangements. Further consultation with the community will take place in due course as part of each school’s admissions arrangements in Autumn 2025.

What will be the catchment secondary school be for Titchfield and Highlands?
Following the request from Cams Hill School and Fareham Academy to clearly define, rather than share catchment areas, Hampshire County Council is currently liaising with both schools to agree their new catchment areas and linked schools should The Henry Cort Community College relocate to the new site in North Whiteley. These new catchment arrangements will be subject to separate admission arrangements consultations and, once agreed upon, will be implemented for admissions starting in September 2027. It is anticipated that the consultation on the catchment changes will take place in Autumn 2025.

Scenario: I live in Highlands and my child attends The Henry Cort Community College but I don’t want my child to travel to Whiteley – what options do I have?
See transport section for more details on school transport eligibility.

Any parent/carer has the right to apply for a school place, and you may wish to apply through Hampshire County Council’s School Admissions Team for an alternative school for your child. Further information can be found on our website. The School Admissions Team can support parents in identifying their local schools, or parents can access the County Council’s school catchment finder or Find a school webpages. All applications will be handled in line with each school’s published admissions arrangements. Some applications may be refused, in which case parents will be offered the right to appeal against any refusal of a school place.

Why doesn’t the County Council shrink the Brookfield Community School catchment to support The Henry Cort Community College?
Brookfield Community School has consistently met on-time catchment demand over many years, meaning a significant change to this school's catchment area is unnecessary. Proposing to shrink the Brookfield Community School catchment area would create unnecessary transport implications for affected children and disrupt historic links between the school and the linked junior and primary schools, which would not be beneficial.

Will children from Whiteley currently at The Henry Cort Community College move to the new school in September 2027?
All children on-roll at The Henry Cort Community College in Years 8-11 as of September 2027, when the decision would take effect, will remain on roll at the relocated secondary school in North Whiteley. No students will be removed from roll. Eligible children will receive school transport support from the County Council. The new school in North Whiteley will open with a new catchment area starting in September 2027. Admissions to Year 7 in September 2027 will follow the statutory admissions application process, which will open in September 2026 and close on 31 October 2026.

If children who live in Whiteley but have chosen to attend a secondary school other than The Henry Cort Community College wish to move to the new secondary school at North Whiteley, will there be capacity?
The proposal to relocate The Henry Cort Community College will result in all Year 8 to Year 11 pupils being automatically transferred to the new site.

Any remaining spaces can be applied for through the Hampshire County Council Admissions Process. For Year 7 applications, parents must submit a main round application between September and October 2026, with late applications accepted afterward. For other year groups, in-year applications for September 2027 can be made starting from May 2027. Both application types will be processed according to the school's determined admission arrangements, which will include the proposed catchment area changes giving Whiteley residents an in-catchment priority at The Henry Cort Community College. Fareham parents can still apply for a place at the school as an out-catchment applicant.

What about the younger siblings of children already on roll at The Henry Cort Community College if they are no longer in the school's catchment area after the changes?
In line with other catchment changes for Hampshire County Council community and voluntary controlled schools there will be three-year transitional arrangements to support families affected by the catchment change, as follows:

Out-catchment children starting secondary school for the first time living in the parts of Fareham that were previously in the catchment area for The Henry Cort Community College before it changed in September 2027, and have a sibling on roll at The Henry Cort Community College (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 younger child’s admission), will be given catchment, sibling priority, for up to and including admission in September 2030.

How will the School Transport costs be impacted by relocating the school?
There are an increasing number of children travelling to The Henry Cort Community College site from Whiteley (currently over 300). Relocating The Henry Cort Community College to the new secondary school site in Whiteley will mean these children will no longer require funded school transport, resulting in school transport savings of approximately £500,000 per annum.

Changes to catchment areas are needed to align The Henry Cort Community College’s existing linked primary schools with Fareham Academy or Cams Hill School which will generate new school transport costs, estimated to not exceed £100,000 per annum.

Therefore, the proposal to relocate The Henry Cort Community College to North Whiteley will realise a net reduction in school transport costs of approximately £400,000 per annum.

Children on roll at The Henry Cort Community College in September 2027 (Years 8-11) will be transferred to the new school building in North Whiteley and, where eligible under the Hampshire County Council School Transport Policy, will be provided with funded school transport until they have completed secondary school. The costs for school transport under these arrangements will diminish over a four-year period.

Will transporting children from Fareham to Whiteley reverse the problem the County Council is trying to solve?
The need to transport children to Whiteley will be time-limited to a maximum of four years while the children enrolled in Years 8-11 at The Henry Cort Community College in September 2027 move through the secondary school phase. The proposal is that all these children will remain on roll and transfer to the new site in North Whiteley. However, if the school leaders and governors decide to continue educating any older year groups at The Henry Cort Community College’s current Hillson Drive site for a short period while they complete their examination subjects, a smaller number of Whiteley children will need to be transported to the Fareham site.

The proposal also means that Fareham children who will be part of the main admissions round for 2027 will be in the catchment area of either Fareham Academy or Cams Hill School. Should any of these children be eligible under the School Transport Policy, they will receive transport assistance.

Scenario: I live in Highlands and my child attends The Henry Cort Community College but I don’t want my child to travel to Whiteley – what options do I have?
If this proposal is agreed, support will be given to students and their families attending The Henry Cort Community College to alleviate any concerns they may have regarding travelling logistics. This will be advised nearer the time. It is intended that the staffing at The Henry Cort Community College will transfer to the new site at North Whiteley which will give your child continuity of their education.

What will the new school building look like?
A planning application for the new school is currently seeking planning consent. Full details can be viewed via the following link:

Planning application: 24/02645/HCM - North Whiteley Secondary School

What will happen to the current school site at The Henry Cort Community College if the school relocates to North Whiteley?
The decision regarding the future use of The Henry Cort Community College land and assets, if the school were to relocate, will not be considered until a final decision is made. If a decision is made to relocate the school, options for the site will be thoroughly evaluated at that stage. All suggestions will be fully considered, such as any proposal for a new school for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Why not keep The Henry Cort Community College open with smaller classes as it will support a better education?
Funding for schools is directly related to the number of students enrolled. A decline in student numbers means a reduction in funding, not smaller class sizes. Reduced funding presents difficulties for schools in appointing staff and delivering a full range of curriculum opportunities to students. It also results in fewer teachers and less flexibility around group sizes.

School funding is on a per-pupil basis, so regardless of the overall size of a school, it is not financially sustainable to run smaller classes.

The prognosis for small secondary schools is not good, either nationally or locally. This situation is made worse when there are newer, better-equipped schools nearby that are large enough to offer a full range of examination courses and provide modern, adaptive teaching that is responsive to student needs.

Has keeping The Henry Cort Community College open with a reduced Published Admissions Number (PAN) and using the remaining premises to support SEND provision been considered?
Maintained schools can have some specific provision for children with SEND, known as a Resourced Provision, but these typically accommodate between 12 and 40 children. Since school funding is awarded on a per-pupil basis, the addition of a Resourced Provision or SEND unit would not significantly increase the number of students in a secondary school to stabilise its funding, especially if the school has decreased in size.

The decision regarding the future use of The Henry Cort Community College land and assets, should the school relocate, will not be made until a final decision is reached. At that point, there could be consideration for establishing a new special school or a satellite of one of our current special schools on the site with the need for specialist provision in the area being a key factor.

The new secondary school at North Whiteley has been designed to include a Resourced Provision, offering specialist SEND support for up to 15 children in two classroom-sized spaces with ancillary rooms. It is proposed that The Henry Cort Community College once relocated would operate this at the new site. The expectation is that children will move between mainstream teaching groups and their Resourced Provision as required.

Where will children from Welborne be accommodated?
A new primary school at Welborne is due to open in September 2028, starting with a Year R class of 30 and growing with each new Year R admission. A new secondary school is proposed to serve the Welborne development, but it is unlikely that there will be significant secondary demand before 2035, when the first cohort at the primary school will move to the secondary school phase. This is dependent on the pace of the development and the demand for school places at that time. Until then, as with all new developments, to ensure viability, we would utilise the surplus capacity in secondary schools within the surrounding area.

Data shows that the secondary schools in Fareham fill with children from outside the local area, most notably from Gosport, whose schools have availability. Therefore, there is capacity within the system to meet more demand from Fareham residents if required. utilised to their maximum capacity. The key driver behind this consultation is to provide secondary education provision locally for the growing development area of Whiteley whilst ensuring that children in Fareham continue to receive a high-quality education locally all whilst ensuring Hampshire County Council’s educational resources are utilised to their maximum capacity.

What consideration has been given regarding the population in this part of Hampshire, for example, population increase in Fareham due to development in the area?
As part of our overarching strategic responsibilities, Hampshire County Council must ensure that educational resources are utilised to their maximum capacity. Hampshire County Council is in regular contact with the housing developers and local district councils regarding the forecasted build out rate of the new properties. The County Council uses school place planning areas, based on historic student movements between a small number of school catchments, to help forecast the demand across the local area. This data, along with other linked information, primarily birth and housing data, is used to forecast school places across the County.

How can you be sure that the number of pupils expected in the future is accurate?
Predicting school place demand is a complex task. Factors such as housing growth, inward and outward population migration, and parental preference all influence where children go to school. Therefore, planning for school places relies on historical trends, immunisation and vaccination data, and certain assumptions rather than certainties. While student forecasts are derived from a sound methodology, external influences mean these forecasts are not guaranteed. However, the County Council’s forecasting methodology is well-established and used to effectively plan provision across its administrative area.

Why is option 1 not being taken forward given that it had the highest number of responses?
Option 1, which was to build North Whiteley Secondary as a new 900-place Academy while keeping The Henry Cort Community College operational, would have compromised the educational offer at The Henry Cort Community College due to insufficient funding resulting from low pupil numbers. A decline in student numbers and the subsequent reduction in funding present difficulties for a school, which could lead to staff redundancies, challenges in appointing staff and in delivering a full range of curriculum opportunities to students.

Reduced funding will result in fewer teachers and less flexibility around group sizes. Low student numbers will also impact leadership capacity and increase the workload of staff.

While acknowledging that the non-statutory consultation showed a preference for one option, it should be noted that this process was part of a Hampshire County Council ‘good practice’ approach to consultation to enable points of view to be expressed and considered.

Based on extensive experience in making changes to secondary school provision, the County Council maintains that the decision to relocate The Henry Cort Community College offers the best opportunity for educationally and financially viable secondary education for families in the communities of Fareham and Whiteley.

What number of Whiteley children attend other local secondary schools?
Please see the table below for data on maintained schools. We are not able to provide numbers for children attending out of county, private or independent schools.

An initial non-statutory consultation ran from Thursday 28 March 2024 until Friday 31 May 2024 following the Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services (ELMCS) approval in March 2024.

A consultation webpage containing a detailed information pack and a presentation video giving background details on the proposals was published. There was a survey for stakeholders to submit their views and also two drop-in events so those affected by the proposals could meet with Hampshire County Council officers to discuss the proposals in person.

Following the consultation, all comments were reviewed and analysed. A second report was written and presented on the October 2024 ELMCS decision day. In the report, Hampshire County Council proposed to proceed with Option 3: the relocation of The Henry Cort Community College to the North Whiteley secondary site in new 900-place accommodation.

The benefit of relocating The Henry Cort Community College is that the school will be of an optimum size to have a strong and broad curriculum offer, supporting both pupil and staff retention as well as educational quality. A purpose-built school with new teaching spaces will meet the needs of the current curriculum and provide excellent provision for all pupils. The Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Roz Chadd, approved the proposal to enter a statutory consultation on the relocation of The Henry Cort Community College to the new site at North Whiteley from September 2027.