Schools in Fareham and Waterlooville to expand special needs provision with £600,000 of Hampshire County Council funding

A total of £600,000 would be allocated to create places, extensions and internal works in schools where children with autism, loss of hearing or speech needs are already placed.

The schools that could benefit from the proposals Morelands Primary School in Waterlooville, and St Jude’s Catholic Primary School in Fareham.

There are two options outlined for Morelands Primary School, which now has two established resource provisions. The first option could see the number of the Assessment Resource Provision (ARP) places reduced from 10 to eight and an alteration of the provision.

Currently, ARP places are offered to children with a range of needs where an assessment can give accurate information on a child’s need and SEN provision required. The proposal intends to provide those places to pupils with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (ASP).

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The second proposal is to increase existing specialist provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs by two places, from 14 to 16 pupils

The works will have a value of £230,000 and allow the school to refurbish and configure an underutilised area to create a sensory room and therapy space. Works could start in summer.

Relocating the ARP for pupils with hearing loss from Wallisdean Junior School to St Jude’s Catholic Primary School, both in Fareham, will allow the school to reconfigure and refurbish an existing underutilised space to create a teaching base together with acoustic works in other key areas of the school.

This type of specialist provision is needed to provide specialist teaching and support for children with permanent, severe-to-profound hearing loss or moderate-to-profound hearing loss with additional language and communication needs.

The proposed cost of the works is £270,000 and will take place in the summer of 2023.

The feedback from the consultations on the proposals will be considered by Hampshire County Council at a future date.

A total of £940,000 of children’s services capital funding was also approved by the county council for the Guillemont Junior School in Farnborough, to add eight places for children with autism. The proposal will allow the construction of a new classroom, sensory room, group room and secure outdoor space.