Approval for ‘brilliant’ plans for new 200-pupil special school
“Brilliant” plans for a much-needed 200-pupil special school in Cheltenham has been given the go-ahead.
Gloucestershire County Council has granted itself permission for the new all-through special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school to be built on the former St Benedict’s School Playing Field in Arle Road.
The school will be for pupils with complex learning difficulties, with classes arranged primarily according to need rather than age.
It will be mainly for ambulant pupils, with facilities also designed for those with mobility difficulties.
On a typical day the school will accommodate around 70 on‑site staff, which would be around 25 teachers, 40 teaching assistants and five administrative staff, with around 35 part‑day catering staff, lunchtime assistants, caretaker.
The just under five acre site will have a loop road with drop‑off/pick‑up circulation and on‑site waiting capacity for around 80 vehicles. This should help keep queuing off the public highway.
The school would also have 80 car spaces for staff/visitors, including five accessible bays and eight electric vehicle charging bays, three minibus spaces, eight motorcycle spaces and eight cycle spaces.
Gloucestershire Parent Forum director Helen Bond, spoke on behalf of the parent-led organisation, which seeks to ensure the voices of parent carers, children and young people with SEND is heard, at the planning committee meeting on March 19.
“Within Gloucestershire there are currently 6,500 children with education, health and care plans,” she said.
“Those children represent the highest level of support needs to access education and include some of the most vulnerable children in our society.”
She said the figure continues to rise year on year and there is a need for specialist places as children and young people are waiting a long time for a place to become available
“It places a huge strain on them and their families,” she said.
Andrew Buckton, who spoke on behalf of Enable Trust, also spoke at the meeting and said their core purpose is to provide a specialist curriculum to meet the needs of children with complex disabilities.
“For us, we aim to bring value, not only to the children that we will serve in the new school, but to the wider local community,” he said.
Councillor David Willingham (LD, St Mark’s and St Peter’s), who represents the area at Shire Hall, read out a comment on behalf of his Cheltenham Borough Council colleague Victoria Atherstone (LD, St Peter’s) which he fully endorsed.
“I know first hand, talking to local families, the demand we have in Cheltenham for another special school on our doorstep,” he said.
“The fact it will cater for 200 children across both junior and senior years is brilliant.”
During the debate, Cllr Mark Harris (LD, Cirencester North with Ermin) said the proposals were a “slam-dunk” and proposed granting permission in line with the officer’s recommendation.
“It looks like a great opportunity,” he said.
This was seconded by Cllr Christ McFarling (G, Sedbury).
And Cllr Daryl Corps (C, Moreton, Stow and the Rissingtons) said it was an “incredibly important application”.
“I hope this school will also provide a lot of support for the parents and family,” and added that he supported the plans with “no hesitation whatsoever”.
Chairman Sarah Sawyer (LD, Longlevens) also supported the plans and praised the County Council for building more special schools in the area.
The committee voted unanimously to approve the proposal.