£4m Plan To Expand Chichester Special School

West Sussex County Council has approved plans to invest more than £4m to expand St Anthony’s Special School in Chichester.

The school, in Woodlands Lane, is set to take over the former Jessie Younghusband Primary buildings, which became vacant when the primary moved to Drovers Lane.

If the scheme goes ahead, pupil numbers at St Anthony’s would rise from 248 to 298, with £4.138m from the council’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) capital budget funding the project.

Remodelling work would be needed to adapt the old primary school site so it meets the needs of St Anthony’s pupils.

The council says the expansion is essential due to a sharp rise in demand.

West Sussex now maintains 10,000 Education Health & Care Plans – above the national average – and special schools across the county are already operating above their approved capacity.

Without additional local provision, more children with SEND are being placed in costly independent schools, sometimes outside the county.

Cabinet member for children, young people & learning, Jacquie Russell, approved the publication of a statutory notice on Friday (26 September), the next step in the process.

If the project is finalised, the remodelling work is scheduled to take place during the 2026/27 academic year.