Bath and North East Somerset Council is delighted to announce it has been successful in its bid to the Department for Education to open a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school. 

The new special school will provide spaces for 120 children and young people and currently, it is hoped it will open in 2025. Alongside the Department for Education, the council is now seeking proposals from organisations which are interested in establishing and running the new school that fits within B&NES’ strategies for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

The council is dedicated to addressing the social and educational needs of every member of our community. Currently there are three special schools, two generic special schools – Fosse Way in Radstock and Three Ways in Bath together with Aspire Special School which caters for young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

To complement the existing provision the council has identified the need for an additional special school catering for young people with a diagnosis of Autism (ASD), with Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD) or with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD).   

Councillor Dine Romero, cabinet member for Children, Young People and Communities, said: “The announcement from the department for Education that the Secretary of State has approved our application to establish a new special free school is very welcome and exciting. 

“In Bath and North East Somerset we endeavour to work closely with our families and recognise the need for an increase in provision for our young people with special educational needs. I am very pleased to have supported the bid for this school and will continue to support the work to see the completion of the project and the opening of this new special school.”

Further information and updates regarding the application process will be available on the Council's website and via the Department for Education. 

Organisations interested in running the new school or wanting to learn more about the application process, can get in touch with Create: Schools. Create: Schools is the DfE’s supplier of support to free school applicants, offering free support and guidance at all stages of the application process. 

For more information about Create: Schools, please visit: https://www.createschools.co.uk/  

For future updates, please refer to our website: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/