More children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) will benefit from increased local specialist school places.

Hampshire County Council has expanded provision at two schools in Fareham and the New Forest, and a nursery in Gosport.

Most of the 31 new places at Heathfield Special School, Pennington Church of England Junior School, and Haven Nursery School will be available immediately.

Cllr Steve Forster, the council's cabinet member for education, said: "With national projections showing that by the end of this decade, the number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans in Hampshire may increase by more than 11,000 to around 28,000, every new specialist school place we can create counts.

READ MORE: Headteacher says 'outstanding' Ofsted report is 'simply superb recognition'

"We are therefore taking action now to ensure we can support as many children as possible with specialist places at schools local to them which is both good for children, as well as for their parents and carers. This in turn reduces dependence on expensive and often distant independent specialist school placements, as well as the associated transport costs.”

The total annual cost of the new places will be £482,464, compared to an estimated £1.96m for the same number of day places in independent special schools.

The council is also supporting schools in integrating pupils with specific learning difficulties into mainstream lessons.