Consultation on the future of The Clere School, Burghclere

Following discussions and concerns about the future of The Clere School, the governing body formally requested that Hampshire County Council undertake a consultation on the proposal to close the school.

In response to this request, The Director of Children’s Services, in consultation with the Executive Lead Member, has approved a period of public consultation on the proposal to close The Clere School with effect from 31 August 2027.

Background

The Clere School is a 725-place secondary school for pupils aged 11-16 (145 per year group). The school is located in the rural village of Burghclere in the north-east of Hampshire, close to the border with West Berkshire.

The school has experienced a sustained decline in pupil numbers for a number of years. At the time of its July 2013 Ofsted inspection, when the school was judged Good, there were 571 pupils on roll.  By the Spring 2026 census, this had fallen to 382 pupils. As of August 2026, only 35 offers had been made for Year 7 admission in September 2026, substantially below the number previously forecast.

At its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025, the school was found to require significant improvement. Ofsted judged two areas as Inadequate and two areas as Requires Improvement. Following the inspection, The Hurst School provided significant support to The Clere School between March 2025 and April 2026. The effectiveness of this support in helping maintain standards and improve outcomes was recognised during two subsequent Ofsted monitoring visits. However, this has not reversed the decline in pupil numbers.

The Department for Education (DfE) issued an academy order for the school on 2 April 2025, which remains in place. As a result, the school was expected to convert to academy status. Since then, Hampshire County Council has been in discussion with the DfE regarding the academy order, as any school structural changes require consideration of the order's status. On 5 May 2026, the DfE's Regional Director confirmed that the County Council could proceed with a consultation on closure if requested by governors. The ongoing consideration of the academy order, alongside uncertainty about future academy sponsorship arrangements, has meant that plans for the school's future have taken longer to clarify. This has had a detrimental impact on the school's ability to recruit and retain high-quality teaching staff and has added to the challenges faced by school leaders in securing long-term stability and school improvement.

On 13 May 2026, the Chair of Governors, on behalf of the governing body, wrote to Hampshire County Council asking it to begin the formal process and public consultation needed to consider closure of the school. This request was made because governors considered the school to be no longer financially and educationally sustainable in the long term.

Whilst the option of academy conversion has been considered, the school's low pupil numbers, lower demand for places and significant financial challenges mean it is not considered a sustainable long-term solution.

The school currently has a budget deficit of £2.7 million. The majority of a school’s funding is based on the number of pupils attending the school. Funding is allocated by the Government through a national funding formula. As pupil numbers have fallen, the school's income has reduced significantly, while many fixed costs, such as staffing, leadership and maintaining the school site, remain largely unchanged. Based on budget planning information submitted by the school in May 2026, the cumulative deficit is forecast to increase to approximately £7 million by 2028/29.

Low pupil numbers have also affected the school's ability to provide a broad and sustainable curriculum. Significant strategic support provided by Hampshire County Council services, together with the commitment and efforts of the school's headteacher and governors, has contributed to improvements in educational outcomes and attendance and has helped manage the school’s financial position.  However, the underlying issue of low pupil numbers has not improved. This is mainly due to demographic trends in the area and a long-standing pattern of parents choosing other secondary schools. Consequently, the school continues to face significant financial pressures which limit its ability to secure long-term financial sustainability and maintain an educational offer comparable to that available in larger secondary schools.

A significant proportion of pupils living within The Clere School's catchment area attend alternative secondary schools, principally in West Berkshire and, to a lesser extent, Wiltshire. This long-established pattern, together with lower numbers transferring from local primary schools and the impact of the 2025 Ofsted judgement, has contributed to a continued decline in projected intake. Current forecasts indicate that pupil numbers will remain low over the next five to ten years, placing further pressure on the school's long-term educational and financial sustainability.

Taken together, declining pupil numbers, ongoing financial pressures and lower demand for places raise significant concerns about the school's long-term viability. The forecasts below show the expected Year 7 intake over the coming years and how these projections may change based on the latest admissions information for September 2026. The first table sets out the current Year 7 forecast for the school.

However, as of August 2026, only 35 offers had been made for Year 7 admission in September 2026, compared with the previous forecast of 75 pupils. While it is not yet known how many offered places will be taken up, the current position suggests that future pupil numbers may be significantly lower than previously forecast. The revised forecast shown below is illustrative and is based on the assumption that the September 2026 intake is broadly consistent with the current number of offers made.

The Proposal

The Clere School faces significant and ongoing school organisation, educational and financial challenges. The latest available pupil forecast data for the school does not indicate that the position of the school will improve in the foreseeable future therefore the proposal is to close the school from 31 August 2027.

Subject to the outcome of the consultation and any subsequent decision to approve the proposal, Hampshire County Council is proposing, with the agreement of The Hurst School, that pupils on roll at The Clere School transfer to the roll of The Hurst School from the point of closure.

The Hurst School, located in Baughurst, Tadley, is the nearest Hampshire secondary school to The Clere School and within approximately 6.5 miles radius. Subject to approval of the proposal, pupils transferring to the roll of The Hurst School would be expected to benefit from a broader curriculum delivered by specialist subject teachers, together with a wider range of enrichment and extracurricular opportunities available within a larger secondary school.

An assessment of accommodation requirements at The Hurst School is currently underway. It is anticipated that any additional accommodation required at The Hurst School site could not be delivered before the potential closure date of The Clere School. Therefore, it is likely that, for a period of time, pupils who were on roll at The Clere School may continue to be educated on the existing school site until suitable accommodation becomes available at The Hurst School. The detail of this is currently being worked through.

No decision has yet been made. This consultation provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to give their views before any final decision is taken.

Admission arrangements

In accordance with the School Admissions Code, specific arrangements will be determined and published by the Local Authority in collaboration with other schools in the local area to secure provision for affected children who will be on the roll of the school at the time of closure. Subject to the outcome of the consultation process and any subsequent decision to close the school, the County Council is proposing, with the agreement of The Hurst School, that all the pupils on roll at The Clere School will transfer to the roll of The Hurst School at the point of closure.

Parents may apply for a place at another school at any time through the in-year admissions process. Applications will be considered in line with the published admissions arrangements for the relevant school. Information about local schools, admissions arrangements and oversubscription criteria is available on the finder GIS | Hantsweb or find a school Find a school | Hampshire County Council (hants.gov.uk) webpages. Families can also contact the Admissions Team at [email protected] for advice and support.

The main admissions round for Year 7 in September 2027 is subject to statutory timescales outlined in the School Admissions Code. In Hampshire, the admissions round will open on 7 September 2026 and the deadline for on-time applications is midnight on 31 October 2026. The deadline cannot change or be extended as this is a national deadline, and all Local Authorities must abide by this.

As the consultation process will not be concluded before the application deadline, The Clere School will remain available as a preference when applying for a secondary school place. This is because the outcome of a public notice period cannot be pre-empted. Parents are advised to use all three available preferences on their application form. All applications will be processed in accordance with published admissions arrangements. Where necessary parents can make late applications, though it is worth noting that late applications will be considered after all on-time applications.

If the Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services decides to move forward with the statutory consultation process, The Clere School’s admission arrangements will be reviewed. Any proposed changes, including what will happen to the school’s current catchment area, will be included in the statutory consultation for the public to consider and comment on.

School Transport

The Hampshire County Council school transport policy provides local authority funded transport to the nearest school with a space when the home to school journey is more than the statutory walking distance or if the journey is less than the statutory distance, but the walking route is unsafe. The statutory distance is 2 miles for a child who is 7 years or under and rises to 3 miles for children aged 8 or over.

For each child who is a resident in the Hampshire County Council Local Authority administrative area, who moves school following a school closure, an application for school transport would be required and then an individual transport assessment would be made based on their home address and the journey to their new school.

Further information

Frequently asked questions

Catchment Areas of Other Local Secondary Schools

Privacy Notice

The Consultation

This non-statutory consultation will run from Friday 4 September 2026 to Friday 2 October 2026.

The purpose of this consultation is to seek the view of all stakeholders on the proposed closure of The Clere School from 31 August 2027.

Drop-in events where you will be able to discuss the proposal with County Council Officers will take place on;

• Year 7 and Year 8 families: Tuesday 22 September 2026 between 3:45pm – 5:45pm at The Clere School, Earlstone Common, Burghclere, Newbury, RG20 9HP
• Year 9 and Year 10 families: Wednesday 23 September 2026 between 4pm – 6pm at The Clere School, Earlstone Common, Burghclere, Newbury, RG20 9HP
• Year 11 families and other stakeholders: Thursday 24 September 2026 between 5pm – 7pm at The Clere School, Earlstone Common, Burghclere, Newbury, RG20 9HP

These sessions are intended to provide opportunities for stakeholders to discuss the proposal and ask questions about the consultation process. There will be no formal presentation, and attendees are welcome to drop in at any point during the advertised times.

If you wish to make a comment on the proposal, please write to Rebecca Prowting, Strategic Development Officer, Children’s Services Department, Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG or email: [email protected] by Friday 2 October 2026.

The decision-making process is outlined below:

• This initial non-statutory consultation will run from Friday 4 September 2026 to Friday 2 October 2026 and will include drop-in events, detailed above.
• A report setting out the consultation responses received will be taken to the Executive Lead Member for Children’s Services in October 2026 to decide if the proposal should continue to the statutory consultation stage.
• If approved, a statutory Public Notice would be published for a period of four weeks during which representations can be made to the Local Authority. This will likely run from November to December 2026.
• If, at this stage, a decision is taken to proceed with the closure, a report would be taken to the Executive Lead Member for Children's Services for final approval.