(UK) Darlington: 48 place special school "to cope with rising demand"
- The end of childhood
- 12 hours ago
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Feb 6, 2026, Northern Echo: New SEND school for Darlington to cope with rising demand
A new special free school in Darlington will be created after receiving council backing.
Darlington Borough Council supported proposals to proceed with the development of a new 48-place Special Free School at West Park, for children and young people aged 11–19 with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The Garden Village Special Free School, first approved following a successful council bid in 2023, is intended to expand local specialist provision and reduce the need for pupils to travel outside the borough for their education.
The school will be sponsored by the Education Village Academy Trust (EVAT), which was appointed following a Department for Education (DfE) process in 2023.
Following extensive engagement with headteachers, multi-academy trusts, college leaders and the Local Area SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Partnership, as well as health colleagues and Darlington’s Parent Carer Forum, there was unanimous support for continuing with the new school.
Councillor Nick Wallis, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “Everyone is aware of what a mess the special educational needs system is in generally.
"The government has been doing due diligence on the various applications that have been made to see if they will make a difference for pupils and their families - and this has been recognised as a particularly strong application.”
Parents previously reported that they had to give up their jobs due to a lack of local support
Cllr Wallis added: “This will allow more children from Darlington to remain here rather than having to go elsewhere.
“Demand for specialist places continues to grow, and the Garden Village Special Free School represents a long-term, sustainable solution that will benefit young people and their families for generations.
"The strong backing from local education leaders shows just how important this investment is for Darlington.”
Darlington MP Lola McEvoy praised the impact the new school will have on pupils and families from the town.
The Labour MP said: “So many of you have contacted me to raise your cases about the broken SEND system. I shared your stories with ministers to show the need in the town for more support and am pleased that this Government has decided to fund these much-needed places."
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