A DECISION was made on a new special school in Stroud. 

Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet met yesterday to approve the funding for a new 60-place primary special school in Stroud. 

The cabinet approved the extra £1.5m in funding to improve schools in the county.

Some £650,000 of this will go towards a new primary special school in Stroud and £350,000 will be allocated to a 35-place expansion of Twyning Primary School near Tewkesbury.

The new special school in Stroud will support 60 children aged four to 11 with moderate and additional learning difficulties in the school building formerly occupied by Severn View Primary Academy. 

Stroud News and Journal:

The planned opening date is the start of the next academic year in September 2023.

What other plans have been approved? 

  • £74,000 towards additional Sixth Form provision at The Cotswold School.
  • £150,000 for additional facilities at Bettridge Special School in Cheltenham
  • £98,000 for improvements at Oak Hill Primary School in Tewkesbury
  • £172,000 for improvements at Dene Magna School in the Forest of Dean 

Council leaders say there is an increasing demand in Gloucestershire for special school places, which means children sometimes go to schools out of the county or to independent schools when there aren’t places available. 

The council wants to expand provision in Gloucestershire to make sure more children can go to school close to where they live and that specialist places are available where there is the most demand.

Twyning Primary School will be expanded to increase its overall capacity by 35 places to meet the increased demand for places within the village from September 2024. 

While Bettridge Special School requires some remodelling and refurbishment of some of its classrooms to meet the needs of children attending the school.

And contributions from developers will be used for general improvements and to increase the capacity at Oak Hill Primary School and Dene Magna School.  

The Cotswold School will receive funding to go towards the ongoing work to increase Sixth Form provision.

Speaking at yesterday's meeting, education, skills and bus transport cabinet member Philip Robinson (C, Mitcheldean) said the funding further illustrates the council’s ongoing commitment to improving schools across the county.

“We are doing that so that all children and young people benefit from high quality provision in education.”