Plans pressing ahead for new free school serving Hartlepool young people with special needs

Last year The Secretary of State for Education approved Hartlepool Borough Council’s bid to establish a new special free school.

The school will be for children and young people with social and emotional mental health needs (SEMH) and land has been allocated for the site off Brenda Road to the south of Golden Flatts Primary school.

An update on the progress of the planned scheme is due to be presented to Hartlepool Borough Council Finance and Policy Committee on Monday.

It comes as an anticipated timetable for the site has now been drawn up, which is expected to culminate with the school opening in September 2022.

The next step is for a feasibility study for the site to be completed by September 2020, and for contracts to be exchanged in October this year before a planning application is submitted in November.

It is hoped planning permission will be granted in May next year, and work then start on the site in July 2021, before being completed in July 2022.

Councillors will be asked to agree to lease the land to the Department for Education at the meeting on Monday, who will then construct the building and assign the lease to the selected academy trust on completion of the work.

A preferred provider for the new school is already in place, after two bids from academy trusts were received and interviews held.

A report from council officers also noted consultants at the Department for Education are currently carrying out a full feasibility study on site, to determine whether the project can proceed as planned and estimate any abnormal costs in construction.

Although the Department for Education is funding the work, the council will be asked to make a capped cash contribution for the project in the event of any ‘significant abnormal costs’.

The council will also be responsible for the provision of access to the site, which will involve the construction of 100 metres of adopted road immediately to the North of the site to form a junction with Brenda Road.

It is intended the council will design and construct the road, rather than simply fund the cost, and funding for this was approved earlier this year.

A joint report from council directors for regeneration and neighbourhoods, and children and joint commissioning services, said the new school would provide several benefits to the area.

It said: “The provision of the school will facilitate a major improvement in the provision of SEMH education in Hartlepool and enable children to access education in their community.

“While costs will be incurred by the council in the project the main expenditure of building the school will be met by the DfE and there will be a significant long term saving in the High Needs Block.”

The council children’s services committee heard last year the school will cater for around 50 pupils from key stage two to key stage five, although it will gradually build to that number over a five year process and start smaller.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.