Work begins on new special school in Abbeydale

The new ‘all through’ school will be built on Wheatridge East in Abbeydale is due to open in January 2027. It is designed to accommodate 200 children aged 4 to 16, when full.

The school will cater for children and young people with Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties, meaning it will skilfully meet a range of needs, including autism and speech, language and communication needs alongside learning difficulties.

Cllr Linda Cohen, Cabinet member for Education and Skills at Gloucestershire County Council, attended the official ground-breaking event on July 22 alongside the Council’s appointed contractor EG Carter and Co Ltd and representatives from Reach South Academy Trust, and the Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum.

There continues to be an increasing need for special school places in the county, with the highest number of places needed in Gloucester and Cheltenham. Where there is a shortage of state funded special school places locally, this can mean that pupils travel to schools out of county or are placed in the independent schools. This new school will be centrally located within the county and within reasonable travelling distance of from many of our towns. A further 200 place special school is set to open, subject to the necessary approvals, in Cheltenham later the same year.

In line with Gloucestershire County Council’s Climate Change Strategy to reduce its emissions to net zero by 2030, the building has been designed to achieve net zero emissions in operation with PV solar panels on the roof and with all heating and hot water generation by air source heat pumps

This new school will be a ‘free school’ academy and Reach South Academy Trust have been appointed by the Department for Education as the Trust to operate the new school. This was following a competitive process co-ordinated by the County Council in 2023. Reach South Academy Rust run 17 schools in the southwest, including Peak Academy, a special school in Dursley.

Cllr Cohen said: “I am delighted that we have been able to start work on this new school in Abbeydale.

“Our £19.5 million investment into this school will help to meet the increasing need for special school places in our county, while ensuring that children can access the education they deserve nearer to where they live.”

Cllr Andrew Gravells, Local Councillor for the Abbey ward at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “I have been reassured by how carefully and thoughtfully the design team have engaged with local residents throughout the planning process and I look forward to continuing to work closely with the team and the local community throughout the construction phase. I live very close to this site and will continue to listen very carefully when concerns are raised.

“This will significantly increase the opportunities for children and young people with some of the most complex needs in Gloucestershire, and I’m really proud and happy that Abbeydale is an important part in this and is helping to give young people the best start in their school life that we can.”

Tom Leverage, CEO designate of Reach South Academy Trust, said:
“We are incredibly proud to have been chosen to run this much-needed special school in Abbeydale. At Reach South, our vision is simple: every child, whatever their needs, deserves access to an excellent education close to home.

“We’re excited to begin working closely with families, professionals and Gloucestershire County Council to create a safe, ambitious and truly inclusive school of which the whole community can be proud.

“This latest development points to our deep commitment to inclusive education and follows the fantastic news from Peak Academy, which recently received its first ‘good’ judgements from Ofsted in over a decade - a milestone we’re determined to build on.”