Council approved three school mergers, FOI reveals

Hampshire Country Council is set to merge the junior and infants schools at three locations

A council has approved three school mergers after closing two schools in recent years, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request has revealed.

Documents obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service showed Hampshire County Council is set to merge the infant and junior campuses of schools in Gosport, Lymington and Fareham.

The council closed Hatherden Church of England Primary School, near Andover, in 2022 and Ampfield Church of England Primary School, near Romsey, in 2024, citing low pupil numbers and concerns around educational outcomes.

A council spokesperson said low pupil numbers as a result of falling birth rates were creating challenges for schools.

They said: "Amalgamations and closures are only ever proposed when all other possibilities have been fully exhausted and are always put forward with the pupils' very best interests in mind."

According to the Office for National Statistics, children aged up to 15 now make up 17.6% of Hampshire's population, down from 19.6% in 2004.

Peel Common Infant School and Peel Common Junior School in Gosport were approved for amalgamation earlier this year, with the infant school set to be repurposed as a new provision for children with special educational needs (SEND).

Pennington Infant School and Pennington Church of England Junior School are set to merge into a single primary school from 1 January 2026.

Orchard Lea Infant School and Orchard Lea Junior School in Fareham are also merge as part of the Department for Education's School Rebuilding Programme.

The new single primary school, to be built on the junior school site, is scheduled to open in July 2028 following major refurbishment.

The council is also considering closing another school near Andover and merging another school in Havant due to low pupil numbers, the documents revealed.

Decisions on those schools are expected in the coming months.