Academy for special needs kids proposed

A SENSORY garden, animal enclosure and football pitch are all part of plans to build a new free school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Widnes.

Halton Raise Academy would receive pupils from Halton and St Helens and would be run by the Congleton-based Youth Engagement School Trust on behalf of the Department for Education. As a free school, it would be run outside of council control.

Plans have now been submitted to Halton Borough Council’s planning department for the site on Naylor Road, and if given the go ahead it would provide places for 64 pupils aged 11-16, with around eight pupils per class and 20 staff.

The building would be split into zones and designed to meet the needs of students with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs and challenging behaviours.

It would include:

● An animal enclosure for animal therapy

● Sensory garden

● Multi use games area (MUGA)

● Seven-a-side sports pitch

● Sports hall.

The facilities would also be made available to other schools across Halton and St Helens, as well as for community use when the schools is closed on evenings and weekends.

There would also be an enlarged public car parking area on Naylor Road, increasing from 32 to 59 spaces.

If given the green light, the school – which is already recruiting for staff and has a website – would open its doors in 2023 and there would initially be 50 pupils, half from St Helens and half from Halton.

A design and access statement submitted in support of the plans, said:

“The layout of the building has been organised to allow specific areas to be used by the wider community out of hours, if the school so wishes.

“By closing specific doorways within corridors, only designated areas are able to be accessed and will provide all facilities needed for independent use such as sports hall, WCs, hygiene room, changing faculties as well as the MUGA in the school ground.”

The site was formerly used by Warrington Road Primary School which closed in 1996 and was later demolished to make way for residential development between Castle Street and Naylor Road.

No date has yet been set for a decision.