More than 3,000 new school places on horizon for Hampshire over next three years

Major investment of over £500 million could create 3,175 extra school places in Hampshire by September 2028

Jan 22 2025

Hampshire County Council has set out its proposed capital projects for Children’s Services over the next three years, which include:

  • Ten new schools, including three primary schools opening this September on the Wellesley, Hounsome Fields, and West of Waterlooville developments
  • Three new special schools
  • Three school expansions
  • 11 projects to increase provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) by an additional 114 places

A report outlining the proposed overall capital programme for 2025/26 – 2027/28 was presented today (Wednesday, 22 January) to Councillor Roz Chadd, the County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, who gave her approval for the proposals to be submitted onwards for consideration by the County Council’s Cabinet.

Commenting on the proposed programme, Councillor Chadd said: “This signals a major capital investment in our educational estate – and the future of Hampshire’s children - which if approved, will ensure that children in Hampshire continue to have access to good quality schools close to home. It is vital that as our county continues to grow, sufficient school places are available to meet both existing and future demand; I am therefore pleased to note the considerable proposed investment in both new and expanded schools. I also welcome the strong ongoing emphasis on specialist provision, which remains crucial in supporting more children with special educational needs to access the right support in their local communities.”

In total, proposed new schools and expansions represent £390 million of the overall £502 million three-year programme. The additional resulting school places would contribute to a total of 19,260 new school places since 2014.

The spend on individual projects will require further approval by the Executive Member for Education, Councillor Steve Forster, who has today already given the initial go-ahead for the following: 

Other projects to be funded by the capital programme, subject to approval, include access improvements in schools and other modernisations across existing buildings, as well as projects for children’s social care and early years settings.

The capital programme for Children's Services demonstrates the Local Authority's ongoing commitment to investment in the county’s educational infrastructure, despite the significant and unrelenting cost pressures outlined in the Directorate's 2025/26 revenue budget – which relates to the operational expenditure of the day-to-day delivery of children’s services across Hampshire. The programme seeks to ensure that wherever possible, funding for approved projects is drawn from external sources including contributions from developers and central Government.

Following approval today by the Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, the capital programme recommendations will now be considered by the County Council’s Cabinet on Tuesday, 4 February, before a final decision on the County Council’s overall budget for 2025/26 is made by the full County Council on Thursday, 13 February.