There are growing calls for a Fareham school to be kept open amid plans to move it to a new housing development.

Fareham Borough Council has approved a motion to try and keep Henry Cort Community School, in Hillson Drive, open to support families in the area. This, councillors said, would reduce inequalities through education, wellbeing and developing the local area.

Councillor Pamela Bryant (Con, Uplands and Funtley) introduced the motion to write to Hampshire County Council - which will make the decision - asking to keep the school open. Hampshire County Council is considering closing and moving it to North Whiteley, but Cllr Bryant wants both schools.

The county council’s first consultation found the majority of residents, 72 per cent, voted in favour of keeping Henry Cort open. A second public consultation will now be held between January 10 to February 14 with a decision to be made in June 2025.

Cllr Bryant said as a most deprived area of Fareham it is important for children to be educated where they live for social inclusion and the health concerns of families.

She said: “Children identify in the area that they live.”

She said residents had concerns that children would point blank refuse to go to school, one said their child would feel uncomfortable, another said they wouldn’t have any friends because it’s not where they lived. 

The motion documents said there were further issues of transportation and impacts on the environment, educational needs within Fareham, Welborne’s residents needing school places, development in the local area, and the borough council’s recent decision to invest in a new community centre site next door to Henry Cort.

Members heard there is an increase in special educational needs requirements in the area which could be catered for by Henry Cort.

Councillor Fred Birkett (Con, Fareham Park) seconding the motion, said it is all about budget balancing not political. The consultation should not be viewed as a box-ticking exercise by the county council.

The meeting heard a new school for Whiteley would be good as children wouldn’t have to travel to Henry Cort, but if Henry Cort closed, pupils would have to be bussed to Whiteley.

Councillor Gemma Furnivall (Lab, Fort Fareham) added that there are children living in poverty and was concerned about the knock-on effect of closing the school – children did not need more barriers to not attend school.

The motion, debated at Fareham Borough Council’s meeting on December 12, also included calls for more space to be created at Fareham Academy and Cams Hill School should Henry Cort be closed.