A HAMPSHIRE village school with fewer than 30 pupils looks set to close this year.

Ampfield Church of England Primary School has been recommended for closure after Hampshire County Council's consultation last year. 

The decision will be rubber-stamped on Friday, January 19 by Cllr Edward Heron,  county council executive lead member for children’s services.

The school has seen a consistently low intake of new pupils in recent years and, as of September, had just 26 pupils. 

The school has been in this position before when, in 2005, it federated with John Keble Church of England Primary School in Hursley.

Despite this, pupil numbers have been rapidly declining. Currently, just two children from Ampfield attend the school, with others travelling in from further afield.

READ MORE: Hampshire village school in Ampfield could close next year

The school would shut its doors on August 31, meaning this would be the last academic year. 

In the county council's report, it said: “Several options have been considered in recent years to support Ampfield CE Primary School, including the Federation with John Keble CE Primary School, which was introduced in 2013, enabling the schools to share one governing body and leadership team. An alternative option would be academisation. It was concluded that the low number of families living in catchment and the low number of families making a preference for the school mean that concerns around the provision of education and the national curriculum would not be solved by conversion to an academy. It is also highly unlikely that a sponsor could be found due to the low pupil numbers and financial position of the school.

“In total 41 responses were received from different sources including email, online survey and from the drop in events. 21 did not support a closure, 13 responses received were in support of a closure, three were unsure and four were not offering a view about the closure. 

“Staff affected by a closure will be provided with redeployment support, in anticipation of them securing alternative employment in another Hampshire maintained school or within the county council.”

The pupils currently on roll could be relocated to John Keble Church of England Primary School.

Alternatively, parents could apply in the usual way for places at other local schools, with support from the county council’s schools admissions team.

Full details of the recommendation can be found on the county council’s website.