PUPILS, parents and councillors gathered outside Fort Hill Community School with a clear message: "Save Our School".

Ahead of today's first drop-in consultation, parents from the Winklebury school were seeking answers as to why the proposed merger with Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College (CBEC) is being put forward. 

Hampshire County Council (HCC) launched the consultation to get parents and residents views on the proposed amalgamation.

Concerns were raised by chair of governors of the federation which oversees the schools, John Crawford, who requested in a letter to the council that the schools be merged at the bigger CBEC site, in Wessex Close.

In the letter from the county council to parents it stated that “low numbers, when combined with a reduced budget, limits a school’s ability to provide an appropriately broad curricular and extra curriculum offer.”

Only 39 pupils submitted an application for this September’s intake at Fort Hill out of the 145 places available in Year 7, while Cranbourne has also only been selected as a first preference by 47 youngsters so far.

Labour Candidate for the winklebury by-election, Angie Freeman who attended the protest, said:  "Closing the school would rip out the heart of the community and we have had so much support in this bid to save the school. 

"We want to find out if there are solutions that can be made to keep the school open, and I am hoping we will get some answers today."