Plans progressed for more special needs school places in Eastleigh, Aldershot and Hart

Councillor Juliet Henderson, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, has given the go-ahead for an extra 12 places at Hiltingbury Junior School for children with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs – to open in phases from January next year. It comes alongside plans, also agreed today, to consult on additional specialist places for children with autism at Talavera Infant School in Aldershot and Tweseldown Infant School in Hart.  

Speaking following a Decision Day meeting earlier today, Councillor Henderson said: “I am delighted to approve these plans, which form part of our wider ongoing efforts to significantly boost the number of special needs places across the county and drive greater inclusion in our mainstream schools. This work is continuing at pace and is supporting more and more children with additional needs to learn and thrive in their local communities, alongside their friends and neighbours. We know how beneficial this is for both children and their families and that being in mainstream education, where appropriate and when packaged together with high-quality, tailored specialist provision, can lead to positive and long-lasting outcomes for many children with SEN.”  

As well as supporting better outcomes, the plans seek to reduce the County Council’s reliance on independent and non-maintained specialist settings. These are usually located much further away and therefore investing in home-grown placements minimises School Transports costs and reduces the time that children need to travel. It is also significantly more cost-efficient, with independent settings costing an extra £1.88 million per year to provide the same number of places compared to delivering them across the three local schools.  

The approved plans for Hiltingbury Junior School follow two consultations with the local community and come in response to growing demand for SEMH provision in the local area. They will see the creation of a new modular building providing two classrooms, a life skills room, and a dedicated outdoor play area. This will be delivered using High Needs Provision Capital Allocation funding from Government and will enhance the specialist support and facilities available more widely across the whole school, through additional staffing, training and funding. Work is expected to start on the new building in October and complete in January, ready for the beginning of the spring term.  

Following Councillor Henderson’s approval, the County Council will now also consult with the public on the following plans for Aldershot and Hart. This consultation will be publicised on the County Council’s website from 26 June, and run until 24 July.  

• Talavera Infant School, Aldershot – 9 additional places for children with autism, to open in phases from September 2026
• Tweseldown Infant School, Hart – 9 additional places for children with autism, to open in phases from September 2026

If finally approved, both schools would use existing accommodation to facilitate the extra places, with only minor adjustments required – again to be delivered using Government funding. Similar plans for the two linked junior schools would come forward for consultation at a later date, with a view to providing continuous specialist support throughout the primary phase.   

All three projects – Hiltingbury Junior, Talavera Infant and Tweseldown Infant – are included in the updated Children’s Services Capital programme, also approved earlier today.