Hampshire Children’s Services Strategic Development Team

Responsible for many wide-ranging aspects of capital investment within Children’s Services, school organisation and the strategic planning around school places in Hampshire

Hampshire County Council has a statutory duty to ensure a sufficiency of school places for Hampshire children. It is the County Council’s role to plan, commission and organise school places in conjunction with the Regional Schools Commissioner in a way that promotes the raising of standards, manages supply and creates a diverse infrastructure.

The Children’s Services Strategic Development Team are responsible for capital investment in schools in Hampshire to ensure this statutory duty is met. The Strategic Development Team work closely with many departments within Children's Services, and closely with Property Services

We try to make it possible for every child in Hampshire to have the opportunity to fulfil their potential, by providing exceptional learning environments and the facilities to nurture ambition, success and compassion.

We undertake the following duties:

Strategically plan the provision of school places across the county and produce an annual School Organisation Plan
Ensure an appropriate number of school places exist in all educational sectors across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, focusing on specific geographical areas with shortfalls and high surpluses
Set and manage a three-year resourced capital programme across the Children's Services estate including schools and projects for children in care
Work in partnership with colleagues across Hampshire County Council departments to develop common goals in the wider interests of local communities and the County Council
Set and review the Education Asset Management Plan in conjunction with the Director of Culture Communities and Business Services in line with local and national requirements to maximise funding from the Department for Education
For new schools, undertake the statutory processes required, catchment area changes, and ensure that ”sponsors” are secured at the earliest stage
Undertake the statutory processes and catchment area changes. For new schools, ensure that ‘sponsors’ are secured at the earliest possible stage
Secure on behalf of Children’s Services the maximum funding from developers to support the delivery of new school places through the Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy process
Manage the modular building programme
Be the departmental lead for CSD accommodation requirement

The Strategic Development Team are also the people to contact if you have an enquiry about:

School sites and Children's Services estate matters
Net Capacity Assessments
School closures
Consultation processes and documents linked to school organisation