Woodlands Meed College rebuild

Project updates on rebuilding the college.

Latest and background

Updated: 13 February 2025

Latest news:

A new contractor will soon start work on the next phase of works at Woodlands Meed College in Burgess Hill.

West Sussex County Council has appointed Sunninghill Construction after the previous contractor entered administration last year.

Sunninghill has already completed ground clearance and enabling works and will now start on a new all-weather pitch and additional car parking among other works in this phase.

Staff and pupils at Woodlands Meed College moved into the new main building last year after it was handed over to the school by the council.

The multi-million pound development is providing new facilities including a hydrotherapy pool, 12 new classrooms and a two-court sports hall for 100 children with special educational needs and disabilities.

These are in addition to the all-weather pitch and outside multi-use games area and amphitheatre where children can sit together and hold sporting and social events.

Cllr Jacquie Russell, Cabinet member for Children and Young People, Learning and Skills, said: “We’re pleased to appoint Sunninghill and are looking forward to working with them and the school to ensure the works are completed as soon as possible and to the highest standard that we, the staff, pupils and their families expect. We’re developing facilities at Woodlands Meed that will help young people at the school, both now and in the future, to fulfil their potential.”

Background

West Sussex County Council has allocated £21.6million to a major project to rebuild Woodlands Meed College.

The new facilities will significantly improve facilities for pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) at the Burgess Hill college.

Independent surveys carried out last year showed that the current buildings are safe, but the facilities need to be upgraded and more space is required for the college’s 100 pupils.

Planning permission has been granted to create the new building on the college playing field. The County Council has worked with an architect with extensive experience of designing SEND schools to design a new building which will:

  • include 12 new classrooms and specialist areas for design and technology, music, science and food technology
  • meet all the required school building regulations (known as BB104)
  • provide students with significantly more internal space
  • include high quality sporting facilities including all weather pitches, and a 2-court sports hall and accessible changing facilities
  • include a new dining hall and kitchen, a common room and a range of therapy spaces along with personal care facilities, staff offices and welfare areas
  • have a new hydrotherapy pool
  • have a host of new outside learning and play areas including classrooms, an outside gym, planting areas, and courtyard and amphitheatre space
  • be more suitable for pupils who have mobility issues
  • have optimum comfort levels for students and staff, the design carefully considered around ventilation, cooling and heating systems
  • have solar panels on the roof making the facilities energy efficient and reduce energy costs for the college.

You can see the exciting plans in our presentation and short video below:

News items

Videos

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Background

Claire Barton, architect and partner of Haverstock provides some background information about the project.

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