Funding paves way for 120 new special needs places in Gosport and the New Forest

Earlier today, Councillor Juliet Henderson, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, approved funding that will support more children to access the right support, closer to home and alongside their friends and neighbours.

In Gosport, a new ‘satellite’ site based at the former Peel Common Infant School will boost The Waterloo School, a special school in Waterlooville, by another 70 places.

The second project will create a new 50 place Special Educational Needs (SEN) unit in the New Forest, based at the former Pennington Infant School site and run by Pennington Church of England Primary School.

The projects follow the mergers of Peel Common Infant and Junior Schools, and Pennington Infant School and Pennington Church of England Junior School – forming single primary schools on the former junior sites. Following consultations with the local communities, approval was granted earlier this year to redevelop the freed up infant sites to create much-needed extra SEN provision.

Both projects are subject to planning consent, with decisions expected in October.

Councillor Henderson commented: “I am delighted to approve these exciting projects which will enable more children to learn and thrive in their local area, while also reducing their travel times and associated transport costs. I am particularly pleased that we can make this investment using existing buildings in our estate, providing a sustainable solution to the growing demand for SEN support in these areas.”

The £6.2 million project at Peel Common Infant School will include eight new classrooms, a life skills room, a therapy room, and a soft play and sensory room. At Pennington Infant School, a £6 million investment will provide five new classrooms, a life skills room, a therapy room, and a library. Both sites will see improvements to outside areas.

As the first of its kind in Hampshire, the SEN unit at Pennington will support children who need more help than a mainstream school can usually provide, but who can still benefit from joining mainstream activities where appropriate. 

Councillor Henderson added: “While we’ve been working hard for many years to grow the specialist provision available within our mainstream settings, we recognise that some children require an additional layer of support to be able to thrive in those environments. Our plans for Pennington are designed to bridge that gap, allowing pupils to get the benefits of a dedicated specialist setting physically separate to the main school, while still being part of the wider mainstream school community. This is a new and innovative approach and means that more children who might otherwise have needed to attend a special needs school – potentially miles from home – will now be able to access the right support, much closer to their own communities and friends.”

Subject to planning approval, work is due to start on both sites in January 2027 and complete in summer 2027.