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31
May 2023
Council to consult on Harrogate school for autistic children
A proposed school for children with autism moved a small step closer to being created in Bilton yesterday (Tuesday, May 30), when North Yorkshire Council accepted a recommendation to consult on the plans.
The matter will now be thrown open for public discussion by stakeholders for a six-week period from Monday, June 12.
The school, at the site of the former Woodfield Community Primary School in Harrogate, would provide school places for children and young people with autism in North Yorkshire. A total of £3.5 million has been earmarked to upgrade the site to enable it to cater for up to 80 pupils with autism aged between 11 and 19.
The potential opening date for the new school is September 2024.
Welcoming the decision, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for education, learning and skills, Cllr Annabel Wilkinson, said:
She added:
North Yorkshire has already announced £20 million of investment in children and young people in North Yorkshire with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including the creation of new places in Special Schools and mainstream SEN Resource Bases.
Since 2016, the number of children and young people with identified SEND and an education, health and care plan (EHCP) has increased by over 110% in North Yorkshire. As this trend continues, it is estimated that the county will need an additional 350 SEND school places over the next three to five years.
North Yorkshire Council said the investment would enable it to find suitable placements for more young people closer to their local communities and deliver better value for children and families from the county, including improving existing provision to create "modern, fit-for-purpose spaces suited to a wider range of pupil needs".
Woodfield Community Primary School closed at the end of December after years of falling pupil numbers and a sustained “inadequate” rating by Ofsted.
Officers believe the site is suitable for a new special school due to its layout and location in a central part of the county. There are no planned changes to the community library and children’s centre on the same site.
Read more:
- Men in Oatlands live 13 years longer than in Bilton Woodfield, says report
- New school for autistic children planned in Harrogate
- Council to explore 'alternative educational uses' for Woodfield school
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