New Teesside special needs school planned

The school will be run by the River Tees Multi-Academy Trust

A new school for children with special educational needs is being planned for Teesside.

The school in Grangetown is one of 35 announced by the government and is expected to open in September 2022.

It will have 100 places for primary and secondary school children, as well as students over 16 who have social and emotional needs including autism.

The Department for Education has allocated £6.5m to the Grangetown project.

It will be run by the River Tees Multi-Academy Trust and take 25 pupils each from Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Darlington.

A planning application is due to be submitted to Redcar and Cleveland Council within the next few months, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A Department for Education spokeswoman said the project had recently entered into the pre-opening stage of the free school process.

Free schools are state-funded schools that are independent of local authority control. They have the freedom to decide the length of school day and term, their curriculum, teacher pay and how they spend their budgets. 

Alison Barnes, cabinet member for children at Redcar and Cleveland Council, said: "This school is a vital investment in children and young people right across the Tees Valley who deserve the best possible education."