A NEW school is hoped to ease the strain on parents of children on the autism spectrum stuck on long waiting lists.
Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) has lodged a development application with Lake Macquarie City Council for a new school to cater to more than 70 students on the old Bupa nursing home site at Cardiff Heights.
It's the largest education provider for children on the autism spectrum, with close to 70 facilities in NSW and SA, chief executive officer Jacqui Borland said.
"Each of our schools are custom-built and incorporate autism-specific designed facilities," she said.
"As registered independent schools, we deliver the Australian curriculum while working to each student's autism-related learning needs, individual strengths, interests and aspirations.
"Unfortunately, there are long wait lists and a huge gap in autism-related services available to students on the autism spectrum, particularly in the Newcastle and Hunter region."
Aspect already has one campus at Thornton, but Ms Borland said demand has increased across the region.
It will offer smaller class sizes and education tailored to the individual needs of students.
The new two-storey school on Harrison's Lane would cater to students from Kindergarten to Year 6, with 12 classrooms, administration facilities and staff and student amenities.
It will offer distance education facilities alongside face-to-face learning, with outdoor play spaces and room for 43 car parks.
The play areas will include nature play alongside an artificial creek bed as well as slippery dips and tiered steps next to a COLA.
Aspect's own capital works masterplan will see it invest in an estimated $60 million across the next three to five years in an effort to create more enrolment opportunities for students on the autism-spectrum.
Its three key investment areas include building new schools where there is an immediate need for services, refurbishing existing schools and expanding their partnerships across government and non-government schools.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Newcastle Herald website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
