Calderdale schools: New SEND school in Halifax for children aged five to 16 approved as demand for places soars
A new Halifax school for SEND children has been given the green light.
Calderdale Council’s cabinet members have approved building the new special school, which will have places for pupils aged five to 16, where Threeways community centre was in Ovenden.
The approach would be “transformational” for Calderdale, said cabinet member for Children and Young People’s Services, Coun Adam Wilkinson.
The site, which has previously had an educational past as Ovenden Secondary and later The Ridings schools, is aimed at helping Calderdale meet the rising demand for special school places.
It will also help reduce costs for places, currently often provided by private companies, and associated travel costs.
Coun Wilkinson (Lab, Sowerby Bridge) said the proposal would be an invest-to-save project.
It will involve the council establishing a free school and identifying a partner to provide the service.
Getting the best for the borough’s children was key and it was disruptive for children having to travel outside the borough to attend school, he added.
The council is paying out £1.5m a year for taxis to take children with special educational needs to school and £12m a year on independent schools supplying the places, said Coun Wilkinson.
Some of the young students require special travel arrangements including chaperones, scrutiny councillors have heard previously.
“Establishing a new free school is the best way to address this and ensure we have places within the borough,” said Coun Wilkinson.
“It is a transformational approach.”
Scrutiny councillors have also recently heard from senior staff and parents of the borough’s existing special schools that demand for places is rising rapidly.
Cabinet members also agreed to approve a notional budget allocation of up to £3m to allow Ravenscliffe to expand at its Spring Hall site, removing temporary classrooms in the process.
Threeways Centre provided community space and a well-used sports centre but two years ago the council said it had no choice but to demolish the building due to “serious health and safety concerns", and the centre was torn down earlier this year.
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