SEND children could be taught in empty Hampshire council buildings

Empty council buildings could be used to bolster the number of school places for children with special educational needs.

Hampshire County Council has found that it will need 1,800 extra specialist school places for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) by 2030/31.

In a decision-day meeting (December 5), Hampshire County Council approved a strategic approach to using suitable empty buildings within its estate to tackle the shortfall.

This initiative aims to improve the SEND provision, after thorough options appraisals and solid business cases.

With the decision, Stuart Ashley, the director of children’s services and the director of operations, is authorised to identify surplus assets suitable for re-use under the strategy.

The council said that confirmed SEND projects will be developed through the appropriate children’s services capital programme processes, including necessary consultation and relevant executive member approvals.

Where surplus assets are identified in either the schools or non-schools estate, an options appraisal will be undertaken to evaluate a range of options for the future of the sites, considering both financial and non-financial impacts and outcomes.

Over the past decade, the number of children receiving an education health and care plan (EHCP) detailing their extra needs has increased. The figure rose from 5,000 in 2015 to 10,000 in 2020, and it continues to grow each year.

As of October 2024, the local authority manages more than 17,000 EHCPs.

Around 40 per cent of students with an EHCP also need a spot in a specialist school.

Currently, Hampshire has 3,434 special school places and 659 spots available in specialist ‘resourced provision’ areas within mainstream schools, both in the maintained and academy sectors.

The average annual revenue cost for a Hampshire-maintained special school is £19,776, while for an independent school, it is £70,489.

The council suggested that increasing the resources at mainstream schools, special schools, and satellite programs run and staffed by current special schools could reduce reliance on the private sector and help cut costs.

Cllr Adrian Collet said the plan is “desperately needed” for the children of Hampshire who are currently transported “very long distances” to receive appropriate education.

“If the child can be provided for less than 20,000 pounds a year compared with 70,000 pounds in the private sector, then we’d be mad not to be doing that.”