Thursday, 16 March 2023
A new Special School set to open September 2025 in Mansfield will provide a specialist learning environment for pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
The new school will be located on the former Ravensdale School site at Ravensdale Road, Mansfield and will have capacity for up to 160 pupils.
This project is part of a wider programme being delivered by the County Council to create 375 additional SEND school places by 2026 to address the growing demand for more specialist school places in the county.
Recent data has identified that Mansfield and Ashfield have the greatest need for investment, with 41% of children and young people waiting for specialist educational provision in Nottinghamshire living in these two areas.
Cllr Keith Girling, the County Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, said: “I am delighted an appropriate site has been secured for delivering a new state of the art facility in the north of the county. This is a major step forward to ensuring we have sufficient places for all our SEND children in the Mansfield and Ashfield area.
“Expanding our SEND provision is key to us delivering on our commitment to provide good schools with enough places to ensure all young people across the county have opportunities to achieve their potential and get the best possible start in life.”
The new school will provide a specific and specialist learning environment for pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.
Sensory zones and escape space are just some of the design elements included in the construction of the new facility to ensure it is tailored to the children’s needs and complement learning.
Councillor Tracey Taylor, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: “This is really great news. Our teams work incredibly hard to support SEND children and young people in Nottinghamshire, ensuring that they have access to first-class education.
“The new school will increase our SEND provision and provide a positive and engaging space in which the next generation can learn and develop.”
It is expected that the associated cost of delivering the new school will be funded from the Special Schools capital programme.
The County Council also recently approved more than £1.13M funding to the expansion of Bracken Hill Special School located in Kirkby-in-Ashfield.
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