Consultation for expansion of SEND school places

People are to be asked their views on the expansion of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in four schools.

Two sites in Gosport, one in Eastleigh and another in Blackfield could see their SEND places increase by 58 for children with education, health and care plans (EHCPs).

They would be created through the renovation of facilities and the merging of services.

Hampshire County Council cabinet member for education, Steve Forster, welcomed the plan, saying it "built" on previous decisions to increase SEND provision.

As of July 2024, Hampshire County Council was maintaining 17,002 EHCPs, which detail the extra support a child needs.

In the past year, the council said it had extended provision across all state schools, creating additional places for children with autistic spectrum condition (ASC), social, language and communication needs (SLCN), and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

Some 42 new spaces would be created at Bedenham Primary School and Holbrook Primary School, both in Gosport.

At Bedenham, the extra room would come from renovating a spare classroom, whilst Holbrook would enlarge its ASC provisions by merging the SLCN provision into a single resource.

The Cherbourg Primary School in Eastleigh would cater for an extra four children with SEMH starting September 2025.

The council would also work with Inspire Learning Partnership Academy Trust to provide spaces for 12 new pupils at Blackfield Primary School from September 2025.

Education council boss Forster said it was "such an important area to ensure those specialist places are provided".

“I'm really pleased that we've been responsive to the lack of take-up on the SLCN places, and shifting that capacity to autistic spectrum conditions is really good news," he said.

A four-week statutory consultation will be undertaken regarding the proposals for Bedenham, Holbrook and Cherbourg, whilst Blackfield, as an academy, will undertake its own.

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