A major investment of £15 million will see 204 extra places for pupils with special educational needs in Bristol.
Bristol City Council will use new funding from the Department for Education to expand special needs schools across the city, with the new specialist places created in two years. The money will be spent on constructing new school buildings and refurbishing current ones.
Demand for special needs places in Bristol is rapidly rising, and the city has faced several problems with its special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision. Mayor Marvin Rees said the new investment will help meet this growing demand.
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In his blog, Mr Rees said: “We all want children to have the best opportunities in life, no matter their background. That’s why we’re supporting the opening of new schools and expanding existing ones, to make sure we meet the growing demand for school places.”
The council’s cabinet is expected to approve the investment on Tuesday, September 6, which forms the second phase of a major upgrade of SEND provision in Bristol. The first phase is creating 142 specialist places by February next year, including a new £8.5-million building for the Elmfield School for Deaf Children, due to open by Easter.
Elsewhere, two new high schools will open next year, as demand is also rising for mainstream places. Both will be run by the Oasis Academy, and initially be in temporary accommodation, before moving to newly constructed buildings. Parents can apply for places from Monday, September 12.
The new Daventry Road school will open in temporary accommodation in Hengrove next September, next to the existing Oasis Academy John Williams. It will then move to a planned new building on Daventry Road in Knowle from September 2024. The new Temple Quarter school will open on Spring Street in Bedminster, before moving to Silverthorne Lane in 2025.
