Skip to content

A new 200 place special school in Gloucester

A new special school for primary and secondary aged children with Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD).

On Wednesday 19 July 2023, Cabinet approved £16.5 million to set up a new special school for children with moderate and additional learning difficulties.

It will be an ‘all-through’ school for up to 200 primary and secondary pupils, opening in January 2027. It will be built on land owned by the county council, which is intended for education purposes, at Wheatridge East in Abbeydale in Gloucester.

There continues to be an increasing need for special school places in the county, with the highest number of places needed in Gloucester and Cheltenham. The shortage of places locally means some children currently travel to schools out of county or to independent schools to have their educational needs met. This new school would be centrally located and within reasonable travelling distance of other parts of the county.

The need to increase the number of special school places is underpinned by Gloucestershire’s Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Strategy 2022-25 and the SEND Commissioning Strategy 2019-2024.

In line with Gloucestershire County Council’s Climate Change Strategy to reduce the Council’s emissions to net zero by 2030 the building will strive for net zero emissions associated with the running of the building.

This new school will be a ‘free school’ and Reach South Academy Trust have been appointed by the DfE as the Trust to operate the new school. This was following a competitive process co ordinated by the Local Authority in 2023.

View the full specification document, which was issued as part of that process.

Following planning permission being granted, construction of the new school began in June 2025.

Community events

February 2024: Reach South Academy Trust held a public engagement event which was well attended by parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as people who live locally to the proposed site in Abbeydale, Gloucester. View a copy of their presentation slides.

May 2024: Representatives from the council, academy trust, and architect were at a community drop-in event to share detailed plans for the new school and to answer any questions. The plans, along with others, are available to view below:

May 2025 - drop in event

Those properties closest to the site received a leaflet through their door during w/c 12th May 2025 with details of a drop in event, organised by EG Carter and Co Ltd, held at the Abbeydale Community Centre on 22nd May (4-6pm). The drop in event provided an opportunity for people who live nearby to learn about what happens next i.e. when construction work will start, what to expect next, how Carters will manage things during the construction phase etc and how long that might take.

We have always been committed to keeping people updated on things and the drop in event is part of that and intended to help ensure that there are no unexpected surprises for people.

Construction work began in June 2025.  

For a hard copy of any of these letters, please get in touch using the contact details below.

Statutory processes and approvals 

The scheme was given planning approval in November 2024. The details of the approved scheme and the planning decision notice, along with all of the detailed plans that were submitted for planning approval can be viewed here: 24/0033/GLR3MJ | Provision of a new 200 pupil place SEN school (MALD), including outdoor informal play, car parking and infrastructure. | Land Adjacent To The Wheatridge East Gloucester Gloucestershire

In February 2025 the Department for Transport made an Order to stop up and divert an area of unrecorded footpath on the site, in order to allow the approved development to take place. A copy of the notice is available to view here . There was a six-week period, commencing on 5th March 2025, for any person who wished to challenge the validity of the Secretary of State's decision to make the Order to apply to the High Court. No representations were received.

Construction begins

Construction of the new school began on 16 June 2025. Below are some progress photos showing the site development.

 

 

Statement from contractor, EG Carter

'We understand that having construction nearby can raise questions from time to time. To make things simple, we’ve set up a dedicated email address for our neighbours: WHEATRIDGECOMMUNITY@EGCARTER.CO.UK.

Whether you have a question, concern, enquiry or suggestion, please feel free to get in touch. This inbox is checked every day, and our team will make sure your message is picked up quickly and passed to the right person.

We’re committed to keeping communication open and making sure your voice is heard throughout the project.'

How can I find out more?

We have prepared answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

If you are seeking a place at the school for your child, please contact your named SEND Casework Officer in the EHCP Team or ring 01452 426922, or email sengenenq@gloucestershire.gov.uk 📧

Any other comments or enquiries can be raised by emailing universalcommissioning@gloucestershire.gov.uk or by calling Nathan Roe, Education Planning Manager, on 01452 427262.