Hull City Council has secured funding to build a brand new free school for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD).
The successful bid, made to the Department of Education, means that Hull will have sufficient places for all SLD pupils who require specialist provision within the city.
The school will offer 125 places to children ranging from 4 to 19 years old.
Councillor Peter Clark, portfolio holder for learning, skills and safeguarding children, said: “This school will provide much-needed support and provision to some of the most vulnerable children in our city.
“Over the past few years, the council has adapted and expanded our two existing schools for children with severe learning difficulties at Tweendykes and Ganton Academies. As a result, to expand further in these schools would result in a lack of teaching space that would jeopardise the quality of education for current and future pupils.
“That is why we submitted an application for a new free school, and that’s why it’s so important that we’ve been successful.”
The free school will provide an extra 125 places for children with severe learning difficulties to study in a specialist educational environment.
This will mean that Hull will have sufficient places for all SLD pupils who require specialist provision within the city.
The additional facility will allow class sizes at other SLD schools in the city to reduce.
With population growth there has been an increase in demand for SLD places. In January 2018 there was a shortfall of 37 school places, projections indicate that an additional 54 pupils will require a SLD school place by 2024.
Without these additional special school places, children might have to attend a mainstream setting where they would not receive the same level of specialist teaching, or study at schools outside of the local authority which increases costs as well as travel time for pupils and their families.
