Special needs school near former Somerset shopping centre to expand
Council approves expansion allowing Inaura School to support more pupils with specialist one-to-one care
A special needs school near a former Somerset shopping centre will be able to expand after plans were approved.
Inaura School has been operating one of its four sites at 12 Leigh Road in Street since late-2023, after securing permission from Mendip District Council in March the same year to convert the existing offices.
The school (which has its main site in Burrowbridge) applied in September for permission to expand into the neighbouring property at 12a Leigh Road – round the back of the Crispin Shopping Centre, which will shortly be demolished to make way for a retirement complex.
Somerset Council (which replaced the district council in April 2023) has now given these plans its blessing, with the new provision expected to come into play in the spring or summer of 2026.
Both 12 and 12a Leigh Road originally formed part of the Strode School, which was opened by Clarks in 1925 as part of a wider philanthropic programme to commemorate 100 years of trading.
The latter building lies near the access point on Vestry Road for Churchill Retirement Ltd.’s approved development of 45 extra care apartments and 11 retirement cottages, which will be built on the shopping centre site.
Each pupil attending the present-day school (which operates as a not-for-profit charity) is placed there as part of their education, health and care plan (EHCP), which is agreed jointly with their parents, the council and the school.
By bringing 12a into the fold, the school will have sufficient space for four more pupils and can employ a further four teachers, continuing its approach of intensive one-on-one support.
A spokesperson for the school said: “There are no adverse impacts that would stem from this proposal, let alone significant ones, and the benefits and need for such specialised educational facilities represent a significant benefit to society.
“Because of the special nature of the school and its large catchment area, it needs to be located where it is readily accessible to its students, and in suitable premises.
“We are proud to have found this additional building which will benefit the needs of the students in our care.”
The plans were approved by the council’s planning officers through their delegated powers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee east (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area).
The extension is expected to enter use in the first six months of 2026.