New special school proposed for Daventry

A school for 150 children with special educational needs could be built in Northamptonshire.

The county council is proposing setting up the school in Daventry for pupils aged from 4 to 16.

The plan will be discussed on Tuesday by the cabinet but it is not yet known how much it would cost to build.

The proposal has been made as part of a council review of its special needs provision for under-25s.

The council is to also consider closing special education need (SEN) places in some schools across the county due to unsustainable costs and funding more spaces at other sites.

In 2012/13 there were 512 funded places across Northamptonshire, but the council is proposing the number of spaces will rise to 682 in 2017.

The report to the cabinet says the council's SEN provisions do not always "match the needs of current cohorts, are not always in the right location, and may not be a priority for individual schools".

It added that "some relatively high costs for a very small number of children" have been generated over time.

In Northamptonshire, there are about 3,900 young people with statements of special education, which are being replaced by education, health and care (EHC) plans from September.