Redevelopment for special school after turning itself around

A SPECIAL school which turned itself around following a damning watchdog inspection is now in line for redevelopment.

Birmingham City Council has revealed plans for a new two-storey facility to be built at Lindsworth School in Kings Norton.

It comes four years after failings were laid bare by Ofsted which gave the Monyhull Hall Road school the lowest rating of ‘inadequate’.

Inspectors criticised teaching, pupil progress and behaviour as they declared it was in a financial crisis. They also exposed a lack of trust between the school and council.

But following a period of special measures and a change in leadership, Lindsworth has made rapid improvement and jumped up two levels in two years to be rated ‘good’ in 2016.

The proposed development would mean a number of existing buildings will be demolished including a single-storey teaching block and former caretaker’s house near the main entrance along with other blocks closer to the centre of the site. They feature a mix of classrooms, support rooms, offices, a library, kitchen and diner.

Planning documents state the new building will be more suitable for catering for the special education needs of pupils to create a ‘calm and supportive environment’.

A design and access statement said: “The design builds upon the specialist requirements of the school, while providing the pupils with a calm and supportive environment within a new building that will be more efficient to run, comprising rooms that will be more comfortable with good natural daylight and ventilation, using robust, longlasting materials. Overall, the proposed redevelopment will provide a high quality setting that will ensure a high quality education environment that will accommodate the existing quota of pupils.”

The Education and Skills Funding Agency is paying for the development.

Lindsworth currently caters for 138 pupils between the ages of nine and 16, and employs around 90 staff. The proposals will not affect the capacity.