A £779,000 education facility for children who have complex needs is set to be built at Djanogly Strelley Academy after receiving the go-ahead from Nottingham City Council.

Djanogly Strelley Academy, which is Ofsted graded ‘good’, offers consistently good teaching to all pupils and has expertise in high quality provision for vulnerable pupils and those who have special educational needs and disabilities.

Now, additional specialist provision is due to open at the school next year to support children who have autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.

A new single storey building for 16 pupils will be built within the school grounds on Helston Drive, Strelley, with two classrooms, a break-out room and a sensory room as well as a kitchen, dining area and toilets.

The facility is due to open in September 2022 and a construction contract for tender will be published by Djanogly Learning Trust in the New Year.

Ceri Hathaway, Executive Headteacher, Djanogly Strelley Academy, said: “We are committed to providing inclusive, specialist provision to support our local community as every child has a right to an education that gives them the best opportunity to succeed.”

She added: “Early intervention can have a significant positive impact on children who have complex needs and we are delighted that our new facility can progress to the next milestone having been given the go-ahead by Nottingham City Council.”

Djanogly Strelley Academy has around 400 pupils aged 4 to 11. The school has been previously praised by Ofsted for enabling disadvantaged children and those who have special educational needs and disabilities to make good progress.

Plans for the new specialist facility were given the go-ahead by Nottingham City Council on October 26th, 2021, following a public consultation.

Places will be allocated to children who have high level complex needs including communication difficulties or who have suffered early trauma.

The Nottingham City Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy 2019 to 2023 prioritises developing additional specialist or enhanced provision within mainstream schools to support the growing number of young people who have autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.

Councillor Eunice Campbell-Clark, Portfolio Holder for Schools at Nottingham City Council, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to help develop this fantastic resource at Djanogly Strelley. It’s one of a range of measures developed by the Council in partnership with schools and academies to ensure that our special educational needs strategy is delivered for young people in Nottingham.

“This new, purpose-built facility is being funded by S106 capital funding received by the Council as a planning requirement for the nearby housing development at Nottingham Business Park, which is located in the academy’s catchment area. It will make such a difference to so many local children.”