(UK) Enfield: 54 place special school for 'children with autism, complex needs' proposed

June 23, 2025, Enfield Dispatch: New special needs school proposed in Clay Hill

https://enfielddispatch.co.uk/new-special-needs-school-proposed-in-clay-hill/  

N. London

A new special needs school is being proposed on the site of a former horse-riding stables in Clay Hill. . . .

If approved it would provide 54 school places for children with special educational needs (Send), plus a replacement dwelling likely to be used as a caretaker’s residence. . . .

The site is situated within the Green Belt and also Clay Hill Conservation Area but the new school would make use of the existing stable building’s footprint.

Planning documents submitted by applicant The Kedleston Group, which currently operates 17 schools and homes across England, state the new school would support pupils between the ages of seven and 16 years as well as around 27 members of staff. . . .

Initial proposals for an 80-pupil school were discussed with the council in 2024 but Kedleston said the council deemed the scale too big, despite a demand for additional Send places for “children with autism and complex needs”.

Instead a smaller school is now proposed which will also offer a “connection with nature” and an “enhanced level of creative and physical education”. . . .

Asked how the Kedleston proposal fits in with the wider expansion of Send provision in Enfield, a council spokesperson said: “This is an independent proposal and, if approved, Kedleston will be responsible for funding the development. Currently, there is a demand for additional affordable SEN places for children with autism and complex needs in the borough.

“Enfield Council is committed to prioritising inclusive education and ensuring all children with SEN can thrive academically in our borough.”