Ambitious plans that pave the way for the creation of hundreds of new special school places in Lancashire, including at primary schools in Colne and Barrowford, are expected to be approved this week.

At its next meeting on Thursday (December 6), Lancashire County Council’s cabinet will be asked to approve the completion of feasibility studies and initiation of informal consultations needed to create the 205 additional special school places for September 2024.

These will comprise of 104 places for children entering reception and/or of primary age, 73 for children transitioning into secondary school and 25 post-16 placements.

They are part of a series of proposals that will go before cabinet, which are a continuation of the wider strategy to further develop special school places in the areas that need them most.

Councillors will be asked to approve the budget for the completion of the second phase of the expansion of West Lancashire Community High School in Skelmersdale, a special school for pupils aged between 11 and 19 years with significant learning difficulties and/or autism.

The expansion will see an additional 20 places created as from September 2024, which are in addition to the 20 places already created in September 2023.

It is hoped that eventually a total of 50 places will be created increasing the number of school places available to 176.

Cabinet will also be asked to approve the individual school project costings for the refurbishment or other building works required to create additional capacity at The Loyne Specialist School in Lancaster, Kirkham Pear Tree School, Mayfield Specialist School in Chorley, and Kingsbury Primary School in Skelmersdale, due to be completed by early 2024.

Additionally, councillors will be asked to approve the initiation of feasibility studies and informal consultation process to create Special Educational Needs (SEN) units at West Street Primary School, Colne and Barrowford Primary School, Barrowford.

Cabinet is expected to give the go-ahead for a public consultation over proposals to close Pinfold Primary School, Ormskirk, as a mainstream school and repurpose it as a special school satellite provision attached to a nearby maintained special school.

In September 2023, Pinfold Primary School's governing body took the decision to close the school as it is no longer financially viable as a mainstream school and there are sufficient mainstream school places in the neighbouring schools to accommodate pupils in the local area. 

All the proposals going before cabinet this week link in with the implementation of the council's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Sufficiency Strategy, which was approved by cabinet in October 2020.

County Councillor Jayne Rear, cabinet member for education and skills, said: “Over the last three years, a huge amount of work has gone into identifying the areas that need special school places the most, and then delivering against that.

“Some of the demand for places reflects the work that we are undertaking to support the early identification of pre-school children with the most complex needs.

“These latest proposals continue this important work and will help to ensure that every child and young person in Lancashire gets the support they need to enable them to reach their potential in education and future employment.”