Hampshire County Council has unveiled its proposed capital programme for Children’s Services projects through to 2029 which if approved, will create more than 3,400 new school places – contributing to a total of over 17,800 new places since 2015. New schools represent more than £428 million of the overall programme and include:
- Luminous Oak Academy – a new special school opening in Boorley Green later this year
- Windmill Academy – a second special school due to open in Whiteley in 2029
- North Whiteley secondary school – a new secondary school set to become the new site of Henry Cort Community College, and due to open in September 2027 with 900 places
A report outlining the proposed overall capital programme was presented today (Wednesday, 21 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 for onwards consideration by the County Council’s Cabinet.
She commented: “Investing in our education estate is critical to ensure that children and families continue to access good local schools that meet their needs and pave the way for a successful future. This includes building new schools to serve growing communities and extending our specialist provision across the county, to support the rising number of children with special educational needs. Creating local places for local children not only reduces our School Transport costs but most importantly, means that more children can thrive in their own communities and alongside their peers.
“While there are many areas of significant growth in Hampshire, we also acknowledge the impact of low birth rates in other parts of the county. Our capital programme is developed with this challenge in mind, focusing new school places where they are most needed and allowing us to manage the overall picture carefully and sustainably.”
As well as new schools, the programme includes a further £25.2 million for 25 projects creating more than 390 additional specialist places in existing schools. These include several Resourced Provisions, which are specialist environments based within mainstream schools, and two new satellite sites.
New to the programme this year is the inclusion of Best Start Family Hubs, which aim to improve outcomes for babies, children and families by bringing health, education, and social care services together under one roof. The programme has allocated more than £644,000 to the planned rollout of hubs across the county.
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 early years settings. £75.8 million is allocated to social care projects such as modifications to foster carers’ homes and adaptations and equipment for children with disabilities, supporting them to live in their own homes rather than in a care setting.
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 ongoing cost pressures outlined in the Directorate's 2026/27 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 housing 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 Thursday, 12 February, before a final decision on the County Council’s overall budget for 2026/27 is made by the full County Council on Thursday, 26 February.