Solent Academies TrustAnnouncements
New Complex SEND School - Omega Centre, Southsea
Plans have been agreed, in principle, for the Omega Centre in Southsea to become a new special school for children with severe and complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) - to be run by the Solent Academies Trust (SAT) as part of the Mary Rose Academy.
The proposed redevelopment of the Omega Centre will return the building to a school use as was its original designation when it first opened its doors as the Omega Street School in 1882. The new provision is due to open to students in September 2027 and will be able to support approximately 90 secondary and post 16 young people in the city. Plans for the new school, which will retain most of the existing buildings, are currently being drawn up and the work will be funded, and the project managed by the council.
Sharon Burt, Chief Executive of Solent Academies Trust said: “We are delighted to have this exciting opportunity to work closely with Portsmouth City Council to expand further our specialist provision at Mary Rose Academy. The increased demand for specialist places is high for pupils across the age ranges and this new opportunity will not only provide places for secondary and post 16, it will also release spaces for younger pupils at both Mary Rose Academy and Cliffdale Primary Academy that are currently required to accommodate secondary pupils at the Mary Rose Compass Campus.
Faye Watton- Lawrence, Executive Principal Mary Rose Academy said: “We are delighted to be expanding the outstanding education available at Mary Rose Academy to an additional campus. Our vision “It’s got to be possible!” underpins our dedication to ensuring that young people with SEND receive the very best opportunities to thrive and to achieve great things, at home, school and in their community. The addition of Omega to our family of schools will futureproof our aspirational offer for our incredible pupils - we can’t wait to get started!
New SLD Free School - Windmill Academy
Solent Academies Trust are delighted to announce they will be welcoming a second new Free School to its wider network of schools, which will open in Summer 2027.
Windmill Academy, is intended to provide accommodation for up to 135 children aged four to nineteen with severe learning difficulties.
Councillor Steve Forster, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “The County Council has a statutory duty to ensure all children can access high-quality education, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This is an area that has seen immense pressure over several years, with an increasing number of children requiring SEND provision. We remain committed to further developing this across the county to respond to growing demand, creating much needed additional SEND school places.
We are delighted that our application for a new special school in Hampshire has been provisionally approved by the DfE and we will be working closely with the department to progress this through the next steps in the process, including determining a suitable location and timeframes.”
Commenting on its appointment as the academy sponsor for the planned new special school in Whiteley, Sharon Burt, Chief Executive Officer said “We are incredibly excited to have approval to lead the new special free school for pupils with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). There is an increasingly high demand on specialist places locally and we want to continue our close working with families, schools, and local authorities in surrounding communities to ensure that children remain educated locally, with access to high quality specialist education. .
Andrew Hill, Chair of Trustees said “We are absolutely delighted to have been selected to run what I know will be a wonderful new school for children with additional needs. This opportunity sits squarely within our long-term plans to expand our footprint in SEND education and build on the learning and experience, developed over many years, from our existing schools. We are also looking forward to working alongside the other excellent schools in the locality to play our part in providing an excellent educational offer for the area”.
New Special SEMH Free School - Luminous Oak Academy
Why is this important to children, young people, parents and carers?
- There has been a significant increase in EHCP's locally and nationally.
- They relate to their community and where they live.
- They can build friendships with people who live close to them that they can enjoy outside of school as well as within it.
- They spend less time travelling – so have more time to do the things they enjoy.
- There is more choice for families
A free school is a type of academy that is funded by the Government but not run by the Local Authority. Free schools are not-for-profit institutions and can be established by various groups including charities, universities, independent schools etc.
More Information
The new £17.9 million school is intended to provide accommodation for up to 125 children aged eight to sixteen with social, emotional and mental health needs and, subject to planning consent, is due to open in summer 2026.
The Government’s current expectation is that every new school will be a free school, known as an academy. This means that once built, the relevant Local Authority transfers the school site and buildings on a lease to an academy sponsor, which will then be responsible for managing the school.
Councillor Steve Forster, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, said: “Like all Local Authorities, we continue to see significant demand for special school places in Hampshire and as result, a growing use of expensive, independent non-maintained settings. It is vital that we continue to expand special school places across the county not only to help contain these financial pressures but most importantly, to enable more children with special educational needs and disabilities to learn in their local communities and alongside their peers”.
“The plans for a new special free school in Eastleigh are an important part of our wider ongoing investment in specialist education provision and we welcome the appointment of Solent Academies Trust to manage the school. With extensive experience of managing special schools, they are an ideal sponsor and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming months and years as we continue to progress these much-needed plans.”
Commenting on its appointment as the academy sponsor for the planned new special school in Eastleigh, Sharon Burt, Chief Executive Officer of Solent Academies Trust, said: “We are delighted to have approval to lead the new special free school which is greatly needed for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs to remain educated in local provision. The strong track record and specialist expertise across our trust will enable us to ensure that pupils, families and the wider community benefit from this school providing a centre of excellence in SEMH, and most importantly ensuring that pupils well prepared for life beyond school.
We have already started working closely with the local authority and members of the local community and look forward to providing further updates about our exciting plans through this web page.
Location & Estimated Timeline
Location Map
Approximate Completion Timeline
Littlegreen Academy school rebuilding programme planned for 2028
Further updates to follow.