The Henry Cort Community College Review 2026: A community secondary in transition, with clear priorities on curriculum, behaviour, and consistency

A school can be both familiar and changing at the same time. Here, the familiar parts are clear, a mixed 11 to 16 community secondary serving Hill Head and the wider Fareham area, organised around a house system and a strong emphasis on personal development. The changing parts matter too: the leadership team has been refreshed in the past two years, and the curriculum is described as being in a planned transition phase, with a more coherent Key Stage 3 sequence being embedded.

Families should also understand the medium-term context. Hampshire has approved plans to relocate the school to a new site in North Whiteley from September 2027, with catchment and linked-school arrangements expected to change as part of that programme. This does not alter day-to-day learning for current students, but it does shape how some families think about continuity, travel, and sibling planning across the next few admissions cycles.

The school presents itself through a simple organising idea, Aspire, expressed as Achievement, Support, Perseverance, Individuality, Respect, Excellence. That is more than a branding exercise when it is reflected in routines that students recognise quickly, tutor time, assemblies, a clear timetable, and a visible house identity through different-coloured ties.

The house system, Daring (red), Invincible (green), Triumph (yellow), Victorious (purple), is designed to create vertical connections across year groups rather than leaving students isolated in a single cohort. For a school of this size, that structure can be an important social stabiliser, students have more than one “home base” for recognition and responsibility, and staff have additional levers to build belonging through competitions and leadership roles.

The most recent external picture is mixed but specific. Students are described as generally calm moving around the site, with orderly social-time routines like queuing in the canteen, while classrooms in the younger years are reported to experience frequent low-level disruption in some lessons. That combination usually signals that systems exist, but consistency is the key variable, both in how expectations are applied and how quickly learning time is protected when behaviour drifts.

Leadership change is a relevant part of the atmosphere story. Mr Chris Rice is listed as Principal from 17 June 2024, and the school also discusses newer leadership roles and evolving approaches, including an intention to build a more restorative approach to behaviour. Parents evaluating fit should interpret this as a school that knows its priorities, but is still working through the practical work of making staff practice consistent across subjects and year groups.

This is a non-selective state secondary with GCSEs as the main endpoint. In the FindMySchool ranking for GCSE outcomes, the school is ranked 2,782nd in England and 5th in Fareham. This places performance below England average, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure (60th to 100th percentile).

Attainment 8 is 39.4. Progress 8 is -0.56, which indicates students, on average, make less progress than pupils nationally with similar prior attainment. For parents, that matters because it points to the combined effect of curriculum sequencing, teaching consistency, and classroom climate, progress measures tend to fall when learning is interrupted or when key knowledge is not revisited in a structured way.

The EBacc indicators also point to improvement priorities. The average EBacc APS is 3.6, and 12.7% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc. Taken together, these figures suggest the school has work to do on securing stronger outcomes in the subjects that typically form the EBacc suite, especially where course uptake and curriculum time allocation interact with engagement and behaviour.

These outcomes should be read alongside the school’s stated direction of travel. A curriculum described as being in transition can depress outcomes while new plans are embedded, especially if assessment and subject sequencing are not yet secure across all departments. The key question for families is whether the current leadership can translate planning into consistent classroom practice quickly enough to improve both progress and attainment.

The curriculum intent is framed as a five-year learning journey, with option choices occurring in Year 8 and a design that includes a blend of two-year and three-year courses across Key Stage 4, aimed at balancing workload and reducing pressure from terminal examinations. For many students, that kind of structure can make learning feel more manageable, particularly where earlier course completion provides confidence and frees capacity later in Year 11 for consolidation.

The more practical question is consistency. The latest inspection narrative describes stronger practice where teachers use effective questioning and check understanding precisely, and weaker practice where recap activities become disconnected or time-consuming, limiting what students can learn in a lesson. In parent terms, this is the difference between lessons that build knowledge step by step, and lessons that feel busy without securing the core learning.

Support for students with special educational needs and disabilities is described as being identified swiftly with clear strategies, and there is also reference to an on-site inclusion unit and breakfast club. That combination typically signals a school trying to remove barriers to learning in practical ways, through targeted support, structured routines, and early-day provision that can stabilise attendance and readiness to learn.

Because the school is 11 to 16, the main transition is into post-16 education. The school emphasises careers education and structured guidance so students can make informed choices about next steps, education, training, or employment. The implication for families is that the school is not treating Year 11 as an endpoint only, but as a bridge into the local college and training ecosystem, which is especially important where academic pathways are mixed across the cohort.

For many families, the practical next-step question is local. Fareham and the surrounding area offer a range of sixth form colleges and school sixth forms, and choices often depend on the student’s GCSE profile, preferred subjects, and travel. Parents should ask for clarity on how the school supports applications, whether guidance includes technical and apprenticeship routes as well as A-level options, and how early those conversations begin in Key Stage 4.

The relocation programme may also affect longer-term patterns of destination for some families, particularly where travel time changes once the school moves to North Whiteley in September 2027. That does not change current support, but it can change what “local” feels like for future cohorts depending on where a family lives.

This is a state school with no tuition fees, and Year 7 entry is co-ordinated through Hampshire. The school publishes clear key dates for September 2026 entry. The open evening is listed as 23 September 2025, with open day tours on 29 and 30 September and 1 October 2025. The application deadline is 31 October 2025, and national offer day is listed as 3 March 2026.

The published admission number is presented as 180 for main-round admissions on the school’s admissions page. For families, that number matters in two ways: it shapes the likely size of Year 7, and it frames how competitive the school can be if local demand rises or falls in a given year.

Hampshire also publishes linked schools information for the area, and families should check whether attendance at a linked primary affects priority in the local admissions rules. Where schools are oversubscribed, admissions criteria are usually applied in a strict order, and small details, such as siblings, catchment, and timing of application, can become decisive.

Looking ahead, admissions context becomes more complex because of the planned relocation to North Whiteley from September 2027. Hampshire’s consultation materials indicate that catchment and linked schools are expected to change from September 2027 as part of the relocation programme, and the local authority sets out transitional arrangements for pupils on roll and some sibling-related protections. Families considering entry in 2027 and beyond should treat the published consultation information as essential reading, and should expect further formal admissions consultation and updated maps.

Pastoral strength in a secondary school is usually visible in two places, safeguarding culture and the day-to-day management of behaviour. Safeguarding arrangements are described as effective, with accurate record-keeping, staff training, and use of external partners where specialist help is needed. That is the baseline parents should insist on, and it is clearly in place here.

Behaviour is the more nuanced part of the wellbeing picture. The inspection narrative describes a school working to improve behaviour and standards, while also noting concerns from some pupils and parents about fairness and effectiveness of sanctions, alongside reports of frequent low-level disruption in some lessons in younger years. For families, the implication is practical: ask how behaviour expectations are applied across subjects, what happens after repeated low-level disruption, and how quickly classroom learning time is protected.

The school also signals inclusive intent through personal development programmes and student leadership roles. When those systems work well, they can improve belonging, reduce incidents, and give students constructive ways to influence school life, especially through house competitions, ambassadors, and student voice channels.

Extracurricular life here is presented as structured and timetabled rather than informal. The school publishes an enrichment programme with both lunchtime and after-school options, and it is unusually specific about what runs in a given half term. That clarity helps families whose children need a nudge to participate, because it reduces the barrier of “not knowing what’s on” and makes it easier to plan around buses and commitments.

A snapshot of clubs illustrates the range. There are clear academic and interest-based options, including STEM Club, KS3 literacy drop-in, Book Club, Blooket Club, Warhammer Club, iMedia, and Minecraft Club. There are also identity and support spaces, such as an LGBTQ+ drop-in and Young Carers provision. The implication is that extracurricular life is not only about sport or performance, it also includes belonging, confidence, and practical support for students whose home responsibilities can be invisible in a standard timetable.

Sport and activity are prominent, with scheduled clubs such as hockey on the all-weather pitch, badminton in the sports hall, and basketball and netball sessions for specific year groups. For many students, these are not just “extras”; they are a route to improved attendance, better peer relationships, and a healthier routine, particularly when a student finds classroom concentration difficult earlier in the day.

Performance opportunities also appear consistently. Choir (including VOX), drama and theatre club, school production rehearsals, and open art sessions for Key Stage 4 students show a school trying to keep creative routes open alongside GCSE demands. That matters for engagement: students who have a reason to stay after 14:35 are often the students who feel more anchored to school life.

The school day starts early. Students are expected on site from 08:20 for tutor time at 08:25, with the last compulsory lesson ending at 14:35. The school also runs an enrichment window from 14:35 to 15:35, and notes a late bus at 16:05 Monday to Thursday for eligible students, with no late bus on Fridays.

Travel planning is treated seriously, with detailed guidance on walking and cycling routes via the tennis courts, cycle permit expectations, and a focus on safer drop-off through recommended park-and-stride points. For bus users, the school references specific local services and stresses the importance of boarding the correct route, alongside a published late-bus stop list covering areas such as Titchfield, Park Gate, and multiple Whiteley stops.

For families thinking ahead, the planned relocation to North Whiteley from September 2027 is likely to change travel patterns for some households. Parents considering entry for 2027 and beyond should factor potential catchment and journey-time changes into their shortlisting, particularly if siblings will apply across multiple years.

• Behaviour consistency. Low-level disruption in some lessons and mixed views on the fairness and effectiveness of sanctions suggest that classroom consistency is a key improvement area. Ask how behaviour policies are applied across departments, and what follow-up looks like for repeated disruption.

• Outcomes and progress. GCSE progress and attainment indicators are below England average on this dataset, and the school is ranked in the bottom 40% of schools in England for GCSE outcomes. Families should ask how curriculum changes are being implemented, and what evidence there is that teaching consistency is improving.

• Relocation and admissions uncertainty from 2027. Hampshire has approved relocation to North Whiteley from September 2027, with planned catchment and linked-school changes. Families with younger children should read the consultation information carefully and expect further updates.

• A shorter secondary phase. With no sixth form, the school needs to guide students into post-16 destinations well. Ask about Year 10 and Year 11 careers education, application support, and how the school engages families in those decisions.

This is a community secondary that is explicit about the work it needs to do, improving curriculum coherence, strengthening classroom consistency, and reducing disruption. Leadership has changed recently, and the wider system context includes a planned relocation from September 2027, which makes it sensible for families to think in timelines rather than snapshots. Best suited to families who want a local, state-funded 11 to 16 school with structured enrichment and clear routines, and who are prepared to engage actively with the school around behaviour expectations and academic improvement.