Unity Schools Partnership is delighted to announce that our plans for a new special school in Saxmundham have been given the go-ahead.
The Trust, which runs 40 schools – including five special schools – across Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire – has today received news that the new school has been approved for opening by Suffolk County Council.
The 126-place school, in Seaman Avenue and on the site of the former Saxmundham SET Free School, will provide facilities for pupils aged between three and 16 years old who have severe learning difficulties.
Georgina Ellis, Executive Director of SEND at Unity Schools Partnership, said: “Creating the right SEND provision has long been a key priority for Unity Schools Partnership.
“We are proud of the reputation we have built across Suffolk and beyond for providing these dedicated facilities and supporting SEND children – whether in bespoke schools or across our mainstream settings.
“We are acutely aware of the specific need for a specialist SEND school in North Suffolk and we are looking forward to working with partners to deliver a setting that the whole community can be proud of.”
The new school, which will be funded by the Department for Education, has been agreed by Suffolk County Council in line with its SEND sufficiency plans, which outlines how specialist provision should be delivered across the county.
Andrew Reid, Cabinet member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said: “This new school is great news for SEND families in east Suffolk and is testament to our commitment to create additional specialist school places in response to the growing needs of our community.
“The council has spent time carefully mapping the needs and disabilities of children and young people across Suffolk and evidencing where provision is most needed. This new provision is one of other announcements to follow about extra places.”
Unity Schools Partnership currently runs five special schools in Suffolk and Essex – Churchill School in Haverhill, Ipswich-based The Bridge School and Sir Bobby Robson School, Sir Peter Hall School in Bury St Edmunds and The Compass School in Romford.