Council approves £2.4m to create 44 new SEN places

Hampshire County Council was given the funding to expand its in-house SEN provision

Special educational needs (SEN) places for 44 pupils will be created across Hampshire after an investment of £2.4m.

Work will focus on refurbishment, new buildings and conversion of county council offices into SEN classes.

Hampshire County Council was given the funding to expand its in-house SEN provision due to the high demand across the county.

It will be spent on Hollywater Special School in Mill Chase Rd, Bordon, Velmead Junior School in Flee and Bartley Church of England Junior School in Bartley.

Hollywater currently provides places for 143 pupils with learning difficulties, aged between four and 19.

The £1m proposal will involve creating a new building and adapting existing accommodation to provide two additional classrooms.

The plan will enable the school to accommodate 10 additional pupils in 2025/26 and 10 additional pupils in 2026/27 academic years.

At Velmead £650,000 will be invested in installing a new building to provide space for up to 12 pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).

Bartley, which currently provides education for up to 356 pupils between 7 and 11 years old, will see the conversion of a former county council office space into two classrooms.

With a cost of £750,000, this modification will provide an additional 12 places for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

Cabinet member for education Steve Forster approved the projects.