Woodlands Meed College rebuild

Project updates on rebuilding the college.

Latest and background

Updated: 10 October 2025

Latest news:

Pupils and staff have officially opened new facilities at Woodlands Meed College, which include an all-weather sports pitch, sports hall and a hydrotherapy pool.

Also included in West Sussex County Council’s £23.6million scheme to rebuild the school are 12 new classrooms, an outdoor multi-use games area and an amphitheatre where children can sit together and hold sporting and social events.

They were all unveiled at an opening ceremony at the Woodlands Meed College, in Burgess Hill, which welcomes pupils aged between 2 and 19 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The completed works unveiled during the event on Friday 26 September also include a new dining hall and kitchen, a common room and a range of therapy spaces.

Outside there are new learning, play and planting areas which have all been designed to be suitable for pupils with mobility issues.

Pupils and staff previously moved into the new main building in September 2024 after it was handed over to the school by the county council.

Councillor Jacquie Russell, the county council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Learning, joined pupils, staff and trustees, along with other dignitaries, at the official opening of the new facilities at the school in Burgess Hill.

She said: “I was delighted to meet some of the children, young people, staff, families and carers who will benefit from the fantastic new facilities at Woodlands Meed College.

“The demand for specialist education in West Sussex is increasing and is much higher than the national average.

“Amazing facilities such as those at Woodlands Meed College demonstrate our commitment to meeting those challenges and helping children and young people with SEND fulfil their potential, now and into the future.”

Background

West Sussex County Council allocated £23.6million 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 showed that the current buildings were safe, but the facilities needed to be upgraded and more space was required for the college’s pupils.

Planning permission was 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.

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Background

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

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