An unopened Nottingham primary school could provide up to 60 additional specialist school places after the city council approved entering into a 125-year lease for the building.
Waterside Primary School would become an additional site for Rosehill School, which supports children and young people aged four to 19 with autism and moderate learning difficulties.
It remains subject to the council’s call-in process, which allows decisions to be referred for scrutiny, until 18 November.
The approval covers taking a lease from the Department for Education (DfE). It does not authorise the building work needed to adapt the school, which will require a separate decision and depends on feasibility findings, planning permission and DfE approval.
Waterside, in the Dales ward, was built by the DfE with the intention that an academy trust would operate it. However, it did not open because too few pupils registered.
The council now intends to use the building to expand Rosehill’s specialist provision, admitting pupils from across Nottingham.
According to the report, Rosehill is operating at full capacity, while other specialist provision across the city is at or near capacity. Demand is increasing, particularly among children with autism, communication and interaction needs, and associated complex needs.
The proposed additional site would allow more children to be educated within Nottingham and reduce reliance on independent and out-of-area placements.
The report says spending on those placements exceeded its budget by £783,409 in 2025/26 and is forecast to be over budget again in 2026/27.
It lists an average annual cost of £60,000 per pupil at independent non-maintained schools, compared with an average top-up payment of £18,000 for a child attending Rosehill. The Rosehill figure is described as top-up funding rather than the full cost of a place.
Expansion of Rosehill was identified as a priority in the council’s SEND Sufficiency Strategy for 2023–2028, which sets out how it intends to meet demand for special educational needs and disabilities provision.
An earlier decision in December 2025 approved up to £565,000 from the High Needs Capital Fund for surveys, design work and professional fees at Waterside.
The council had previously explored expanding Rosehill at the former Glenbrook Management Centre, where £298,000 had been spent on feasibility work. Finance officers say a review is needed to establish whether any of that work can be used for the Waterside project. Costs specific to Glenbrook cannot simply be transferred to the new scheme.
The report says adapting Waterside is likely to be quicker and less expensive than constructing a new building at Glenbrook. Expanding only at Rosehill’s existing site was also rejected because of limited space and constraints involving access, safeguarding, outdoor areas and specialist facilities.
Taking possession of Waterside will bring additional costs before any conversion work begins.
The council estimates that round-the-clock security guards and three CCTV towers will cost £370,000 during an anticipated 12-month period for surveys and permissions before contractors take over. That spending will require a separate decision, and funding must be identified within education budgets.
Officers have also highlighted restrictions and financial risks within the proposed lease.
The building’s permitted use is tied specifically to Rosehill’s specialist educational provision and associated activities. The council would not be able to transfer the lease or sublet the property to another organisation under the proposed terms.
Legal advice warns that if Rosehill became an academy or ceased to exist, the council could no longer comply with the permitted-use clause, allowing the DfE to serve notice ending the lease.
The council would also take on responsibility for repairs and insurance, with ongoing maintenance costs falling to the school and education department.
The report identifies lease milestones requiring work to start by January 2027 and finish by October 2028, with a risk of losing the lease if delivery slips. It does not explain how the start deadline aligns with the anticipated 12-month period for surveys and permissions.
No confirmed opening date is given.
Despite these risks, education officers support securing the site, describing it as the most viable available opportunity to increase specialist provision. They warn that failing to proceed would increase reliance on more expensive external placements and add pressure to the council’s high-needs education budget.
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