New SEND school approved for Walton-on-Thames

The school is to be built in Waterside Drive

A new Special Educational Needs School for up to 200 children has been approved by Surrey County Council.

Hopescourt School in Waterside Drive, Walton-on-Thames, was granted planning permission on Tuesday.

The new school will include sport courts and is hoping to welcome its first cohort of 80 pupils in September 2024.

Permission was granted after councillors considered that the very special circumstances - including a lack of SEND provision in the county - outweighed the loss of greenbelt.

There will be a new primary and secondary school on the site for youngsters aged between four and 19.

Alex Burrows, who was recruited to become the school’s headteacher in May, said: “Our community is in desperate need of a local school that can meet the needs of local children with additional needs and disabilities."

Residents' Association councillor Ernest Mallet said: “We need this school and there is nowhere else for it to go.”