More than £10m set aside for Austen Academy

As previously reported in the Gazette Hampshire County Council is looking to use the former Chineham Park Primary School site for an all through special needs school.

The county council, will deliver the school on behalf of the Department for Education (DfE), and will cater for 125 children aged between five and 16 years old who have social and communication difficulties.

Now, the county council has revealed that a grant totalling £10,030,000 to deliver the new school.

Executive member for education and skills at the county council, Cllr Stephen Reid, made the decision to allocate the money for the school at his decision day meeting which was held yesterday (July 10).

In a report published ahead of the meeting it said: “The school is required to meet the future demand for places for pupils with a social communication need or autistic spectrum disorder in this area of Hampshire.

“This facility will reduce the need to place pupils in non-county establishments and avoid transport costs by providing the places close to the area of need.”

As previously reported in the Gazette, a formal planning application has been submitted by the county council.

In the application it reads that the vison for the school will one which is sensitive to the needs of the pupils as possible, with a library and therapy spaces in a central location to allow for pupils to easily and independently access these spaces.

The site has been leased to Catch 22 Academy Trust for 125 years.

According to the document, the part of the site where KIDS nursery is located will remain in use during the construction period and local management arrangements will be put in place to manage the health and safety impact for all nursery users.

The site had previously been used by Spotlight UK, which provides vital services to people in the area.

If given the green light the school is expected to open in spring 2021.

For more information visit planning.hants.gov.uk and search HCC/2019/0357.