Academy sponsor announced for new special school

Enable Trust is a well-established academy trust specialising in special educational needs and alternative provision, providing high quality education in a neighbouring local authority area. This will be their first school in Gloucestershire.

The new school will support primary and secondary pupils aged from 4 to 16 years and will be built on land off Arle Road in Cheltenham, which is already owned by the County Council.

The £20 million school will be established for children with Complex Learning Difficulties (CLD), including autism and associated communication and interaction difficulties.

The school in Cheltenham is planned to open, subject to the necessary approvals, during the academic year 2027/28.

Representatives from the academy trust, alongside council officers, met with local residents and parents and carers of children and young people with SEND last week in order to learn more about Enable Trust and the new special school. At the well-attended drop in event, members of the design team shared the proposed plans and site layouts ahead of the detailed submission for planning approval that will be made later this autumn.

There continues to be an increasing need for special school places in the county, in line with the picture in other parts of the country, and the highest level of demand for places needed is centred around Gloucester and Cheltenham. Construction work started in June on the new special school to open in Gloucester in 2027, which follows the establishment of new special schools in Brockworth (September 2022) and Stroud (September 2023).

Cllr Linda Cohen, Cabinet member responsible for Education at Gloucestershire County Council, said: “We are committed to making sure all children in Gloucestershire can access high quality education that meets their needs.

“I am delighted that the Enable Trust will be sponsoring this new school in Cheltenham, and I look forward to working with them to achieve the best outcomes for our children and young people.”

Andrew Buckton, CEO of Enable, Trust said: “Enable Trust is thrilled to be collaborating with local schools, trusts, and the Local Authority to support children with complex special educational needs in the area”

For more information on the new should, visit https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/chelt-special-school