HUNDREDS of Basingstoke pupils will learn the fate of their secondary school next week when the Hampshire County Council decides whether to close it down.

Fort Hill Community School in Winklebury has been under threat of closure since Hampshire County Council announced proposals to merge it with Cranbourne Business and Enterprise College (CBEC) in January.

The school’s future will be decided at a council meeting on Monday, June 19.

A council report recommends that executive member for education Cllr Peter Edgar approves the proposed closure of the school in Kenilworth Road.

The report said: “Any proposal relating to a school closure should be based upon the fact that the closure will contribute to raising local standards of education and new alternate provision will lead to improved attainment for pupils.

“GCSE results at Fort Hill over the past five years have been consistently poor and the school’s performance has been below the national headline figures year on year over this period.”

Parents have been frustrated with the county council’s lack of concern for their children’s future education, especially concerning students about to sit their GCSEs.

Mother-of-two Ruth Cooper told The Gazette: “We have had no communication from them ever regarding this information which as a parent of a Year 10 I find shocking.

“It’s still shocking the report says if they decide to cease education for Years 10 and 11 they can do so.

“What if the parents and children don’t want to go to CBEC? They are forcing our hands, taking away our choice as parents. They our holding a gun to our heads.”

Father-of-two Andrew Hood said: “What we have is a Conservative county councillor - who no longer represents the area - pushing through a school closure due to the funding cuts set out by a Conservative government.”

Winklebury ward councillor Laura Edwards added: “What we need to do if the proposal is approved is make sure the students get the support they need with transport, and uniforms so they aren’t made to feel like the new kids.”

If the school is to close, the county council said it will make the Fort Hill site available to the governing body of CBEC so it can continue to offer education on the site for Year 10 and 11 pupils from September 2017.

Cllr Edgar said: “I will be giving all responses to the public notice my full consideration before making a final decision. I shall also be mindful of the feedback received following the public consultation held earlier this year. This will be done in conjunction with my review of the facts about the school’s current status and its future prospects.”

At the last full Ofsted inspection in February 2015 the school had 563 pupils and was rated “requires improvement”.