New special school

We have been successful in our bid to establish a new special school. Its focus will be on some of our most complex children and young people, in particular those with Autism Spectrum Conditions and social, emotional, and mental health needs. 

We are now inviting proposals, in partnership with the Department for Education (DfE), from prospective sponsors to open the new school. If a strong proposal is received that both the local authority and the Secretary of State wish to take forward, the DfE will provide capital funding and start-up grants subject to value for money assessments. 

The specification document available to download on this page gives further information about the new school.

The deadline for trust applications is 30 September 2019, after which applications will be assessed and strong applicant trusts will be interviewed, with a view for the school to be established in time for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Guidance and application forms for proposer groups can be found on the DfE’s website. Proposers are asked to register their interest first using the pre-application registration form.

Stakeholder engagement event

The event held on Tuesday 11 June 2019 provided key information and support to prospective sponsors on the application process and went through the service specification for the proposed school.

You can download presentations shared by us and The New Schools Network as well as Frequently Asked Questions which will be updated on a regular basis.