River Tees Academy Grangetown opens on temporary site

River Tees Academy Grangetown was opened in a ceremony by the trust's chairman, Pat Cambage, on Friday

A school which is to offer 100 places for children with special educational needs will be "wonderful for the Tees Valley", its chairman has said.

It was hoped River Tees Academy Grangetown would open in Alexandra Road but due to developer issues it was delayed until March 2024.

Currently 32 pupils are at a temporary site in Charlbury Road, Middlesbrough, which opened on Friday.

The free school was one of 32 announced by the government in 2020.

The academy, which is state-funded and independent of local authority control, will cater for pupils aged five to 19 with social, emotional and mental health needs.

It was hoped the Grangetown site would be built this year in time for the start of the 2022/23 academic period, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

However the original developer left the project for commercial reasons and had to be replaced, so the estimated new opening date is March 2024.

The pupils being taught at the Alexandra Road site are under the guidance of the River Tees Multi-Academy Trust.

Pat Cambage, chairman of the River Tees Multi-Academy Trust, said the school's opening was "wonderful for the Tees Valley and most importantly for the impact it has on the learners who are attending".

Headteacher Leanne Chilton said: "Our vision is for a place that improves the lives of children and young people in both the long and short term, improving preparation for adulthood."