Support for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) in Nottingham is set to be significantly expanded by the City Council with two major schemes approved by its Executive Board this week.
The plans will create over 100 new specialist and alternative provision places across the city, helping more children access high-quality education locally while reducing reliance on expensive out-of-area placements.
The proposals are part of the Council’s continued commitment to delivering its SEND Sufficiency Strategy and Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) Recovery Plan, ensuring the right support is in place while improving long-term financial sustainability.
Specialist school expansion in Bulwell
The site of Snape Wood Primary School, due to close this summer due to falling school rolls, is to be redeveloped into a new specialist Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) provision, operated by Raleigh Education Trust as a satellite of Westbury Academy.
This scheme will:
- Deliver 80 new specialist places for children aged 5–16
- Provide dedicated support for pupils with complex SEMH needs
- Reduce the number of children placed in costly independent schools outside the city
The project includes investment of up to £2.31 million and is expected to contribute around £3.84 million in savings as part of the DSG Recovery Plan.
New alternative provision academy in Aspley
The former Aspley Community Training Centre is also being allocated to Raleigh Education Trust to open a new alternative provision (AP) academy as part of Denewood Academy.
The development will:
- Create additional places for children who have been permanently excluded
- Provide early support for primary-aged pupils at risk of exclusion
- Free up capacity for older pupils, including extending provision up to age 16
The scheme is supported by investment of up to £1.7 million, funded through High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.
The expansion responds directly to priorities identified in the SEND Sufficiency Strategy and DSG Recovery Plan to reduce exclusions and reliance on costly unregistered alternative provision.
Delivering better outcomes for children and families
Both projects respond to growing demand for SEND provision in Nottingham, where increasing complexity of need and rising pupil numbers have placed pressure on existing schools and services.
By expanding local provision, the Council aims to:
- Improve educational outcomes and stability for children
- Reduce exclusions and improve inclusion
- Enable more children to be educated closer to home
- Deliver better value for money for taxpayers
Councillor Sulcan Mahmood, Executive Member for Employment, Education and Skills, said: “Every child in Nottingham deserves access to the right support to succeed, regardless of the challenges they face. These proposals represent a major step forward in strengthening our local SEND system.
By investing in new specialist and alternative provision places, we are not only improving outcomes for children and families, but also delivering on our commitment through the SEND Sufficiency Strategy and DSG Recovery Plan to create a more sustainable, inclusive education system for the future.
This is about ensuring more children can learn, thrive and achieve in high-quality settings closer to home.”
The schemes form part of a wider programme to expand specialist provision across Nottingham between 2023 and 2028.
Funding is provided through the Department for Education’s High Needs Provision Capital Allocation.