The Henry Cort Community College, Fareham

Ofsted's report card from its 20 January 2026 inspection grades The Henry Cort Community College on 6 areas: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Pupils' attendance has improved steadily over recent years, and pupils now attend regularly."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Inclusion is an important aspect of the school's culture."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders have a detailed understanding of the school's strengths and where more development is required."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The school has developed a coherent and appropriate personal development programme that includes all of the necessary content pupils need to learn."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils' progress through the curriculum is variable."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "There is too much variability in the quality of teaching."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should make sure that in-lesson curriculum and teaching adaptation consistently meet the specific needs of pupils, thereby enabling them to overcome any barriers to learning, leading to improved achievement across the curriculum. • Leaders should ensure that assessment processes lead to any gaps in pupils' knowledge, or misconceptions, being systematically identified and addressed in order to raise achievement and readiness for next steps. • Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is consistently embedded across the school so that all groups of pupils make strong progress across the curriculum".

In its own words: "The Henry Cort Community College promotes and celebrates enjoyment, effort and excellence. We aim for happy students who develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to achieve their goals, gain the best possible outcomes, and play a full and active role in society."

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are delighted to welcome you to The Henry Cort Community College. At Henry Cort, we are proud to be a caring, inclusive and ambitious community where every student is encouraged to achieve their very best."

Coming up: an open day on Thursday 24 June 2027 and an open evening on Tuesday 29 June 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

In 2026, pupils at The Henry Cort Community College averaged an Attainment 8 score of 39.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 45.6 in Hampshire and 47 across England.

34% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 43% in Hampshire and 47% in England.

That is down from 44.2 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.56: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 27.8, against 42.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 14.8 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 24 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Sports Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 122 families put The Henry Cort Community College as their first choice and 261 named it as one of their preferences, for 188 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to The Henry Cort Community College are Fareham Academy (1.5 miles, Good, Attainment 8 39.2); Cams Hill School (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51); Crofton School (2.8 miles, Attainment 8 45.5); and Brookfield Community School (2.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.5).

The Henry Cort Community College's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.

196 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about The Henry Cort Community College (as of April 2026): 71% would recommend the school, 75% say their child is happy there and 75% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (80%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (59%).

Of the 157 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 29% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 3% into work.

5.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The nearest railway station is Fareham Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Henry Cort Drive (near), 240 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Henry Cort Community College stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, The Henry Cort Community College issued 157 suspensions, 18.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 4 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to The Henry Cort Community College are St Columba CE Primary School (0.2 miles), Orchard Lea Infant School (0.7 miles), Orchard Lea Junior School (0.7 miles) and Ranvilles Infant School (1 mile). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.