Archived decisions

Primary School Provision in Whiteley and the Western Wards

Note of meeting with governors of The Henry Cort Community College

23 March 2005 Item 6

The meeting was attended by 14 governors, the headteacher and the clerk, with Bob Eardley (Strategic Planning Manager) and Alex Munro (Education Officer - Admissions and Special Projects),

Officers made a brief presentation covering the options for meeting the demand for additional primary school places for the Whiteley area and summarised progress with the consultation exercise.

Questions asked/issues raised:

_ The Governors welcomed the opportunity to have their views represented but expressed surprise that Henry Cort had not been in the initial consultation although two of its feeder schools were involved.

_ Governors enquired about the possibility of expanding Titchfield Primary School as a solution to the shortfall of primary places for Whiteley children and asked whether this had been raised by Titchfield governors at their consultation meeting. They asked that careful thought be given to the catchment area implications of all of the options under consideration.

_ As an extension of this point, there was discussion about the possibility of changing catchment areas around the Leafy Lane area of Whiteley which could designate Titchfield Primary School as the catchment primary school for that area of Whiteley. This would reduce the pressure on Whiteley Primary School and provide additional numbers for Titchfield Primary.

_ Governors asked whether setting up separate 4 form entry infant and junior schools was an option. They also wondered whether parents would be attracted to a Church of England school.

_ They sought an assurance that having to deal with two local councils (Winchester and Fareham) was not a potential problem for the future.

_ Concerns were expressed about the transport implications of implementing Option 4. It was inevitable that this option would increase the amount of road traffic and contribute to congestion entering and leaving Whiteley.

_ Governors expressed their concern over the expansion of Brookfield Community School and Swanmore College of Technology in recent years, which they believed had had a detrimental effect on Henry Cort. The respective expansions were carried out without extensive consultation and failed to take into account falling rolls in Fareham and medium term trends i.e., Swanmore's and Brookfield's pupil numbers did not warrant an increase in their rolls. They sought reassurance that Henry Cort's interests would be a factor in the forthcoming decision-making process.

_ The governors stressed that it was important that the implications for secondary education of each of the options were fully taken into account and were reported to county councillors. If a new school were to be built in Whiteley, a linked secondary school would need to be identified; governors believed that this should be Henry Cort, as it had been expanded specifically to cater for Whiteley growth and offered a high standard of education and facilities.

The meeting ended at 7.30pm