Councils seek sponsors for new wave of special schools in region
FURTHER DETAILS have been released on three new special schools that are set to be built in three Yorkshire towns and cities following the largest wave of free school approvals last Parliament.
Sponsors are now being sought for the schools in Bradford, Doncaster and Sheffield after the Government gave the go-ahead to create more than 4,000 new school places in the region earlier this year.
Doncaster Council is taking applications to sponsor a 100-place school with post-16 provision to provide an all-through education for pupils aged five to 19. The sponsor will be required to provide facilities for pupils with complex communication and interaction needs, autism spectrum conditions and other social and mental health needs.
Sheffield Council is inviting sponsors to come forward for a school with between 40 and 60 places for pupils aged seven to 16 with social, emotional and mental health difficulties and autism spectrum conditions.
Bradford Council is looking to appoint a sponsor for a 72-place school with post-16 provision that will provide places for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties and will feature a 12-bed residential facility.
Coun Imran Khan, portfolio holder for education, employment and skills at Bradford Council, said: “We welcome this investment in Bradford.
“We need more school spaces for our children and young people, especially children who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
“This will help us to meet the need for more SEND places across our district.”
In April the Department for Education announced it would build 131 new schools – including seven in Yorkshire – to create more than 69,000 new school places nationally as part of its commitment to open 500 more new free schools by 2020.
In addition, a total of 20 local authority areas were approved to create a new special school.