One of our main priorities is to deliver new local SLD places. To make sure that we can meet the future demand in Hertfordshire, we will be creating 300 new places, with first delivery in 2024.
While those 300 new places are being created, a small number of extra places have been made at certain schools, along with a full replacement of the hydrotherapy pool at Watling View. From September 2022 we created 7 extra places at Greenside School, 9 at Watling View and 14 at Amwell View. These places have now been filled.
Public consultations on proposals to enlarge Amwell View School, Stanstead Abbotts, by up to 32 places from September 2025 and 100 places from January 2028, via satellite provision, were also recently approved by Jo Fisher, Hertfordshire County Council’s Executive Director of Children’s Services. The public consultations went live on 9th September and will run until 6th October 2024.
We are committing a large amount of capital investment to relocate and enlarge Breakspeare School to a brand new purpose-built location in Croxley Green, which will fully meet the needs of both existing and new children in the west of the county. This proposal has now been approved by Cabinet and will increase the capacity of the school by 113 places. The planning application for the school has now been submitted, and subject to approval, the new accommodation is planned to be available in the 2025/26 academic year. In the interim, councillors approved plans to enlarge Breakspeare School by 48 places from February 2024. These places are based at Holywell Primary School in Watford whilst the new accommodation in Croxley Green is being built.
A smaller number of severe learning difficulties places have also been created from September 2023, at a satellite of Breakspeare School at nearby Meadow Wood Special School in Bushey.
In addition, plans are under way for a new 100 place SLD special school in Buntingford to meet the needs of pupils in the east of the county. The earliest this school would open would be in the 2027 academic year. In the longer term, another new SLD school could be delivered in the north of the county if needed.
Find out more about how these places are allocated.