(UK) Herts: School to increase SPED places from 100 to126; 867 added since 2019

Nov 6, 2025, Hertfordshire.gov: Southfield School in Hatfield is set to grow

https://www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/about-the-council/news/news-archive/southfield-school-in-hatfield-is-set-to-grow

Near London

Hertfordshire County Council’s Cabinet has approved plans to expand Southfield School, following public consultation.

Specialist places for children aged 4–11 with Learning Difficulties (LD) and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) will increase from 100 to 126 pupils from September 2026.

The need for special school places is rapidly increasing. Despite increasing the number of funded places in special schools by 867 since 2019/20, representing a 37% increase, there remains a significant number of children who cannot access a specialist place. This expansion will create much-needed places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Hertfordshire.

Cllr Mark Watkin, Executive Member for Education, SEND and Inclusion, said: “This expansion reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting the needs of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as locally as possible. This proposal will create 26 additional places for children who would otherwise not be able to access a school place at a Hertfordshire special school. . . .

In the past two years, we have created over 550 special school places and placed over 300 children in the independent sector. Added to this, by January 2026, we will have created almost 200 places (since 2023) in specialist resourced provisions attached to mainstream schools. . . .

Angela O’Rourke, Headteacher at Southfield School, said: “We’re delighted to work with Hertfordshire County Council on this next joint venture in our journey in being able to offer further specialist places to our community. . . .