Feb 23, 2024, Hampshire Co Council: Plans for new special school in Eastleigh move forward as academy trust confirmed https://www.hants.gov.uk/News/20240223boorleygreen
SE England
The Department for Education has appointed Solent Academies Trust to manage a new special school in Boorley Green, Eastleigh to be funded through Hampshire County Council’s Children’s Services capital programme and designed and delivered by its Property Services team. The new £17.9 million [$22.7M] school is intended to provide accommodation for up to 125 children aged eight to 16 with social, emotional and mental health needs and, subject to planning consent, is due to open in summer 2026. . .
Councillor Steve Forster, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Like all Local Authorities, we continue to see significant demand for special school places in Hampshire and as a result, a growing use of expensive, independent non-maintained settings. It is vital that we continue to expand special school places across the county not only to help contain these financial pressures but most importantly, to enable more children with special educational needs and disabilities to learn in their local communities and alongside their peers.
“The plans for a new special free school in Eastleigh are an important part of our wider ongoing investment in specialist education provision and we welcome the appointment of Solent Academies Trust to manage the school. With extensive experience of managing special schools, they are an ideal sponsor and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming months and years as we continue to progress these much-needed plans.”
Solent Academies Trust currently provides specialist education for pupils aged two to 19 years old across five high performing special schools; one in Hampshire, one in West Sussex, and three in Portsmouth. Commenting on its appointment as the academy sponsor for the planned new special school in Eastleigh, Sharon Burt, Chief Executive Officer of Solent Academies Trust, said: “We are delighted to have approval to lead the new special free school which is greatly needed for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs to remain educated in local provision. . . .
Andrew Hill, Chair of Trustees at Solent Academies Trust, said: “This is wonderful news for our trust. We are looking forward to having the opportunity to open a brand-new school and build on the experience we have gained in how best to prepare children with SEMH to be successful in their lives. It also fits into our long-term goal of developing the scale of our trust to be able to offer targeted support to a greater number of children with special needs.” . . .
The capital programme also includes plans for eight new mainstream schools, two school expansions, and seven projects to increase special needs provision in existing schools. . . .
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