A Fareham secondary school could close or relocate as part of plans to build a new school in Whiteley which would lead to a surplus of school places in the area. 

Henry Cort Community College, in Hillson Drive, could close or move to Whiteley, Hampshire County Council has revealed. 

Education chiefs have launched a public consultation into the proposals, which give three possible options for the future of schooling in Whiteley and Fareham.

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A new 900 place secondary school, with six classes per year group, is planned for North Whiteley from September 2027, which could later expand to 1,200 places, or eight classes of 30, to meet demand for school places as the ongoing development of Whiteley continues. 

The Whiteley area currently falls within the catchment of The Henry Cort Community College, which was rated 'requires improvement' during its last Ofsted inspection in June. 

However, forecasts show that operating both schools would lead to almost 450 excess places by 2030/31, a move which the county council says could have a direct impact on the viability of schools. 

Hampshire County Council is now consulting on three possible options - to build the new school as an academy and retain Henry Cort with a smaller catchment area, to build the new academy and close Henry Cort, or relocate Henry Cort Community College to the North Whiteley site. 

The third option is preferred by Hampshire County Council, but they are looking for parents, carers and residents to share their views on the best way forward. 

This can either be done online or at one of the drop-in meetings due to take place on Monday April 22 at Henry Cort Community College between 4pm and 7pm or the following day between 3pm and 7pm at Cornerstone Church of England Primary School.

All three options would require a statutory consultation to be undertaken, in addition to the public consultation, and would entail various changes to catchment areas, school transport, and arrangements for primary schools linked to secondary schools in the local area.

The consultation runs until May 31.