Specialist places for up to 100 students aged from 11 to 16 who have been out of school will be created by Esteem Multi-Academy Trust in Chesterfield.
Members of our Cabinet have agreed to allocate £1.8 million to Esteem to refurbish and change the use of a disused council building in Birdholme.
Funding of £400,000 had already been approved by the authority to carry out a feasibility study, with a further £400,000 contribution from the academy which will run the new unit.
It is hoped the new teaching facility will be open from September 2026, offering high-quality education and providing specialist support for pupils to resume their learning after a period of exclusion.
This project is part of our commitment to increase provision in areas that need it most for young people with special educational needs and disabilities, particularly those with complex needs, using £28 million of capital SEND budget.
This funding is being used to provide Enhanced Resource Units, out of school provision, create additional places at the county’s 10 special schools as well as increasing the number of SEND places available in mainstream schools.
Councillor Simon Mabbott, Cabinet Member for SEND and Education, said:
“We know how important it is for children with additional needs to get the right support so they can thrive alongside their peers.
“With increasing demand for SEND provision, we are working in partnership with our schools and local communities to ensure we are creating the right learning environments for pupils in areas where it is needed most.
“We recognise that there’s always more to do but we are committed to ensuring all our pupils have access to the very best education.”
Under the capital programme, we are already investing £11 million in new classroom buildings at Brackenfield Special School, Alfreton Park School, Ashgate Croft School in Chesterfield and Bennerley Fields School in Cotmanhay.
Work is also being carried out to allow extra spaces at the existing buildings at Stanton Vale School in Long Eaton and Swanwick School and Sports College.
Earlier this year, Cabinet also agreed to allocate £7 million from the SEND high needs capital budget to support increasing demand for alternative specialist provision in mainstream schools and work is being progressed in 20 schools.