New special educational needs facilities are being developed at three separate Nottingham schools to meet growing demand.
Nottingham City Council has approved three new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) schemes across Rise Park Primary School, Milford Primary School, and the Fernwood School.
The Labour-led council will be spending £1.2m on new facilities at Rise Park Primary School, including a large classroom, sensory areas, and an outdoor space.
These facilities will be designed to provide specialist support to eight children already on the school roll, who are living with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or moderate learning difficulties.
The planned completion date is October 2025.
Another £800,000 is being spent redeveloping an existing nursery building at Milford Primary in Clifton, to convert it into a specialist SEND area with two large classrooms and sensory spaces.
This facility will be designed to accommodate 16 children living with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) or complex moderate learning difficulties, who find it hard to learn in mainstream education.
The planned completion date is September 2025.
Separate plans have also been approved for the development of a new-build, free-standing SEND teaching building at Fernwood School on Goodwood Road, Wollaton.
Cllr Cheryl Barnard (Lab), Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We are experiencing considerable growth in the number of pupils with additional needs, a trend that reflects the national picture.
“The increased provision at Rise Park Primary and Milford Primary will offer access to high-quality, specialist provision for local pupils.
“I’ve said many times the ability for children to attend local schools with children from their community is better for them and their families, and reduces the reliance on transport and the additional costs that brings.”
Funding and procurement of a construction contractor for the first two schemes were approved at an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, 17 December, with money coming from developer contributions and capital funding.
A separate planning application for the third scheme was approved by the authority on 18 December.
The changes are being brought in as demand soars for specialist education places in the city.
Council figures show there are more than 2,000 children and young people receiving support in Nottingham.
Between 2021 and 2022, the number of children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) rose by more than 100 per cent, from 317 children to 642.
Similarly, the number of children needing support for Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN) increased by 146 per cent, from 70 children to 172, in the same period.
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