Rebuild of Taunton special needs school begins
It's three years after RAAC was found inside
Work to rebuild and expand a special needs school in Taunton is under way – nearly three years after faulty concrete was discovered within the building.
The Selworthy School provides education for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) across two Taunton sites – with 104 secondary and sixth form pupils at its Hazelbrook campus on Lyngford Road, and 88 primary pupils at the Oakhill site on Selworthy Road.
The Oak Partnership Trust (which runs the school) discovered in August 2022 that the Oakhill campus contained “a significant amount” of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) – a material which is deemed unsafe due to a “susceptibility towards structural failure”, putting staff and pupils at risk.
Nearly three years later, work has finally begun to remove the RAAC and upgrade the building – with Somerset Council contributing £1.7m towards the cost of this project.
In addition to repairing the existing classrooms, the project will also see an additional 24 places created on site, allowing more pupils to be taught locally rather than sent miles away or even outside of Somerset.
Lewis Andrews, the council’s SEND sufficiency manager, said this would ease pressure on the council’s budget in light of rising numbers of children needing more intensive support in the form of education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
He said: “The rise in pupils in all age ranges diagnosed with autism, social and emotional needs, or physical and neurological needs has seen increasing numbers of parents requesting EHCPs and naming special school placements for their children, reporting that local mainstream schools are not equipped to meet their needs.
“As a result of this demand, Somerset’s special schools are full to capacity, and
some have exceeded their number of commissioned places in order to help meet the needs of children assessed as requiring specialist provision, or to accommodate children whose parents have successfully acquired places through tribunals.
“Although the council is responsible for ensuring there is sufficient provision for SEND provision, it has not had the regulatory power to open new schools.
“In addition, the Department for Education (DfE) has been unable to deliver new special schools that keep pace with the level of demand.
“This increase in demand and lack of available places has had a negative effect on the council’s preferred ‘local first’ approach to school placements, leading to long commutes for children, some of whom travel past special schools where their needs could have been met if spare places were available.”
The DfE identified the Oakhill campus as “a high priority for replacement” in early-2024, and was included in the government’s school rebuilding programme.
The DfE will construct a replacement school adjacent to the current site, which will provide both primary and secondary education within a single facility.
While the cost of the building has not been made public (with the DfE citing commercial sensitivity), the council has confirmed it has contributed £1.7m from its capital budget, which will allow three additional classrooms to be delivered.
These changes will deliver an additional 24 places on the Oakhill site – bringing its pupil numbers up to 112 and the total Selworthy School intake to 231.
Mr Andrews said: “These additional learners would likely otherwise have to attend specialist places within the independent and non-maintained sector, or be agreed ‘education otherwise than at school’ (EOTAS) packages.
“The average cost of both of these alternative options is significantly more expensive than the cost of learners attending local state-maintained special schools.”
The new school is expected to open to pupils in September 2026.
Spending on SEND education is one of the key factors in the council’s financial position, with its dedicated school grant (DSG) deficit expected to top £100m following the additional funding granted to Hill View School in Ash back in early-June.
The DfE extended the statutory override – meaning this debt does not appear on the council’s balance sheet – until March 2028, with proposals for national SEND reform expected to come forward as part of a white paper in the autumn.
The council’s executive committee will meet in Taunton on Wednesday morning (August 6) to discuss its own plan to reduce the DSG deficit ahead of any new funding system being announced.