Plans are in place to identify the location of a new school in Nottinghamshire for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
A £150,000 feasibility study to identify a site to build a new 75-place special school, which will include specialist provision for those with disabilities, got the go-ahead at a recent Nottinghamshire County Council Policy Committee.
The new school would either be built in Hucknall or Ollerton, the county council confirmed.
It comes as, since 2010, the number of young people with special educational needs has almost doubled across the county – which is nearly twice as much as the national 55 per cent increase.
In 2010, there were 1,360 cases of special educational need; in 2016, there were 1,844 and by 2018 there were 2,499.
If the current trend continues, by January 2023 there is estimated to be more than 4,000 young people with special educational needs in Nottinghamshire.
These increases are mainly due to a change in the national criteria for special educational needs assessments, including an increase to the upper age limit from 18 to include those aged up to 25.
Nottinghamshire County Council has invested £2.9m at Ash Lea Special School in Cotgrave and is currently spending £16.4m to help rebuild and expand the Newark Orchard Special School which will create an initial 40 new specialist placements.
Councillor Kay Cutts, leader of the county council, said: “The new school planned in either Hucknall or Ollerton aims to help further address the growing demand to provide more specialist school places in the county.
"Data has identified that these two areas have the greatest need for this investment.
“Being able to fully meet the educational needs of all young people is clearly a priority for the county council, so it is vital to move these plans on to the next stage and avoid any unnecessary delays to the creation of a new specialist school.”
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