More special education places planned for college

Designs for the planned transformation of Brooklands Technical College in Weybridge

More places will be created for students with autism at a Surrey college after £5.3m of council funding was agreed.

Surrey County Council has green-lit the money to help build a dedicated specialist educational needs unit for young people aged 16 to 19 at Brooklands Technical College in Weybridge.

The college currently caters for 30 students with autism, but the new block will provide 30 additional places and 30 places for pupils currently in temporary accommodation arrangements.

The plans form part of Surrey's mission to expand the state sector for special education to around 5,760 places by 2032.

Clare Curran, cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning, said: "Expansion of good or outstanding specialist educational provision ensures Surrey-resident students with additional needs and disabilities who require specialist provision can be educated closer to home and included in their local communities."

By creating more school and college places in the state system, the county council hopes to save significant amounts of money compared to the private sector, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Around £30,000 per student per year could be saved, according to council documents, meaning the investment scheme could be paid back to the council in three years.

Brooklands will be responsible for building and creating the new block, with any overspending on the budget also covered by the college.

The college, previously known as The Weybridge College, started a £45m transformation in September focusing on a central quad with upgraded teaching spaces and industry-level facilities that will be built over the coming years.

Planning permission has already been agreed for the block with construction expected to start in November and hopes for it to be open by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

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