New special education needs school could open in Wandsworth

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A new school for kids with special educational needs could open under new council plans.

The specialist day school would open in the building of an empty former nursery, in Putney Vale, if planning permission is granted by Wandsworth council.

The plans from Aspris Children’s Services, which runs specialist schools across the UK, would see the former site of Welcome Day Nursery, in Norstead Place, transformed.

No external changes to the current two-storey building are proposed in the application, while only small internal alterations would be made for the new day school.

The school would have two classrooms, sensory rooms, activity areas, a library, a dining room, staff areas and toilets.

It would have capacity for up to 24 students between 14 and 19 years old, who have social, emotional and mental health needs or autism.

The students would be taught in small groups by specialist teachers, depending on their specific needs. Around nine staff would be working on the site at any given time when fully operational, if the plans are approved.

A statement with the application said the nursery had “closed some time ago and the building is currently vacant”.

It said: “The site itself provides ideal space both internally and externally for pupils and is easily accessible to local children who require access to such specialist education. The intention is that the school will provide a focus for education of pupils primarily post-GCSE age, offering a higher level of support for those pupils unable to access college, apprenticeship or mainstream provision.”

The catchment area for the school would be Wandsworth and surrounding boroughs. The statement added: “The proposed school will assist in meeting both current and futures needs of local pupils, where there is notable lack of opportunities for specialist education and training, particularly for those 16 years old and over.

“The applicant has had numerous discussions with local authorities who have been unable to place post-16 pupils in an appropriate setting. This has often resulted in pupils being ‘kept on’ for a year or two in other educational settings to ensure that they have some continuity of education to meet their specialist needs.

“Without provision of additional specialist education facilities, such as that proposed here, there is a risk that a greater number of local children will need to travel further, and out of area, to receive the specialist education and training that they require. To send children further afield would be inherently unsustainable and has the potential to reduce the learning opportunities for these vulnerable young people.”

Wandsworth council will make a decision on the application in due course.

Pictured top: Welcome Day Nursery, Norstead Place (Picture: Google Maps)