Hampshire County Council has confirmed support for children with special education needs (SEN) in Eastleigh will continue despite its only SEN nursery closing.

The council said that support for nursery-aged children will be delivered in a "different way" after it was confirmed that the authority plan to close Aviary Nursery at the end of the academic year.

The planned closure of The Aviary Nursery would mean that children would need to travel as far as Gosport and Winchester to access nurseries that provide the same services.

But the county authority has now confirmed why the decision to close the nursery was made and what services will be on offer to support SEN children in Eastleigh.

READ MORE: Plan for 82 homes near hospice rejected after 350 objections

A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “We are aware of community concerns relating to the closure of the nursery at the end of August and would like to reassure local residents that while the building may be closing, the support for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in the Eastleigh area will continue, albeit delivered in a different way, resulting in more children benefitting from the specialist assistance provided by our SEN service.

"From September, children with SEN will benefit from a mobile SEN support service, known as a Peripatetic Early Years SEN Hub.

"With this service, specialist staff travel to see individual children in the setting their parents/ carers have chosen for them.

"This type of support mirrors the way services are provided in other parts of the county, enabling staff to support more children who require specialist help."

The spokesperson confirmed that the Eastleigh-based hub will be able to assist up to 20 children, which the council says is "significantly more" than the Aviary Nursery.

READ MORE: Eastleigh's only SEND nursery Aviary Nursery could close

The spokesperson continued: “The decision to close the nursery was taken following a significant fall in the number of children seeking a place, reflecting the growing choice of good quality nurseries available for parents and carers in the local area. 

"The Static Early Years SEN Hub for children with special educational needs is a separate service located in the nursery building, sharing facilities with the nursery, providing specialist support for a small group of children travelling from across the district and surrounding areas. 

"With the nursery closing, we have taken the decision to change the way support is provided for children with SEN from September. 

"It is important to note that the 12 children currently supported in this SEN setting will start school in September and will therefore not be impacted by the changes to how support is provided."