Plans for SEND school to have second site

Woodlands has room for 83 pupils, though it has been accommodating in 16 more, thanks to temporary classrooms

A school could open a new satellite site creating more space for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Surrey County Council (SCC) has revealed plans to expand Woodlands School, in Leatherhead, which is a top-rated school for children with learning difficulties, by giving it a second location at Cranmere Primary and Nursery School in Esher, just under eight miles (12.8km) away.

The move would create up to 28 extra places for children with learning difficulties and autism, all of whom have Education, Health Care and Plans (EHCPs).

Currently Woodlands has room for 83 pupils, though it has been accommodating 16 more, thanks to temporary classrooms.

Cranmere Primary and Nursery School is running under capacity due to falling birth rates

Cranmere Primary, rated Good by Ofsted, has been running under capacity for several years because of falling birth rates, council documents seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service say.

By providing places within the state system, the council's education bill drops and saves money for the taxpayer, SCC says.

Should pupils be required to attend an education provision in the independent sector, costs would equate to about £1.484m per year every year, compared to the average cost for state-maintained specialist places of £644k.

Staff at the new site will be employed directly by Woodlands School and numbers will grow slowly over time, depending on demand, the council says.

SCC says the move is part of its wider ambition to increase high-quality specialist school places across Surrey as the number of children with EHCPs continues to rise, with a 10% increase expected over the next five years.

The current stage of the consultation on the plans closes on Friday.