Pre-Planning Consultation – Pennington CE Primary School - New Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) Special Educational Needs Unit

Hampshire County Council wishes to consult with you ahead of submitting a planning application to create a new Special Educational Needs (SEN) Unit for up to 50 primary pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs at Pennington CE Primary School. This SEN Unit would utilise the site and accommodation at the former Pennington Infant School, which was vacated in January 2026 when the infant and junior school amalgamated. If approved, the SEN Unit would open in phases from September 2027.

This pre-planning consultation will run from Friday 15 May to Friday 19 June 2026.

Please note that this consultation relates specifically to the proposed planning and building works. There is a concurrent and parallel statutory consultation relating to opening the SEN Unit, which can be found on our Public notices website.

Background

With the full support of the headteacher and governing bodies, Hampshire County Council consulted on the amalgamation of Pennington Infant School and Pennington CE Junior School as a result of increasing concerns regarding low pupil numbers and the financial positions of both schools. In January 2026, Pennington Infant School closed and amalgamated with Pennington CE Junior School to form Pennington CE Primary School. The infant school’s pupils moved into the junior school’s building, and the former Pennington Infant School site has been vacant since.

Further information relating to the amalgamation of the two schools.

Over recent months, Hampshire County Council has explored a range of potential options for the vacant former infant school site, particularly in response to the increasing number of children having an Education Health Care (EHC) Plan and needing specialist provision.

This proposal seeks to address the increased demand for additional specialist school places which will enable pupils to access appropriate, high-quality specialist education.

The Proposal

It is proposed to open a new SEN Unit to support primary aged pupils with SEMH needs within the former Pennington Infant School site. The proposed SEN Unit will be in addition to the current eight place SEMH Resource Provision Pennington CE Primary School already operates from the primary school building. This proposal will not affect the current SEMH Resourced Provision at Pennington CE Primary School.

A Resourced Provision is different from an SEN Unit because it is designed to support pupils with specific special educational needs while keeping them primarily included in mainstream classes. Pupils in a Resourced Provision are on the roll of the mainstream school and usually spend most of their time learning alongside their peers, accessing additional targeted support or specialist teaching when needed. In contrast, a SEN Unit typically provides a more separate, specialist learning environment, where pupils spend the majority of their school day taught in smaller, dedicated classes, with some but less integration into mainstream lessons.

The proposal includes reconfiguring the former infant school building to create specialist classrooms, therapy spaces, and outdoor areas. Additional on-site parking and a pick-up/drop-off area will also be created. It is also proposed that a new artificial grass play area is created and located on the primary school’s site for the use of the mainstream and RP pupils. Further information, including a Frequently Asked Questions document, can be found in the following links:

Current site location plan
Proposed site plan
Proposed floor plan
Frequently Asked Questions

The pupils who would attend the new SEN Unit would generally be from the local area. To be able to attend, pupils must have the unit named on their EHC plan and be allocated a place by Hampshire County Council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Team. When places in the SEN Unit are agreed, the children would go on roll at Pennington CE Primary School, and the school will receive additional resources to ensure that the children’s needs are well supported so that they can be successful.

If approved, the unit would open in phases from September 2027, gradually increasing to 50 places over three years.

The Consultation

This pre-planning consultation will run for five weeks from Friday 15 May to Friday 19 June 2026.

A drop-in event where you will be able to discuss the proposal with County Council Officers will take place on Tuesday 9 June 2026 between 3:30 to 6pm at Pennington CE Primary School.

Following the conclusion of this pre-planning consultation, comments will be reviewed prior to the full planning application being submitted.

Further Information

If you wish to make a comment on the proposed building works, please write to Owain Hale-Heighway, Strategic Development Officer, Children’s Services Department, Elizabeth II Court, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 8UG or by email to: [email protected] by Friday 19 June.