(UK) Glos: Independent school for children with complex needs opens; local special school 'oversubscribed'

Sept 24, 2025, So Glos: 'A place where education is shaped around the individual' – top Gloucestershire care provider on building a new independent special school

https://www.soglos.com/interview/family/top-gloucestershire-care-provider-on-building-a-new-independent-special-school/25697

Leading Gloucestershire care provider, First Thought Care Services, is launching a new independent special education school designed for children with complex needs – alongside a dedicated training centre to strengthen the local social care workforce.

First Thought Care Services, a leading Gloucestershire care provider, is opening a new independent special school to offer tailored support for children with complex needs,

alongside a training centre to boost skills across the social care sector.

SoGlos chats with its CEO and founder, Jack Cook, to find out all about the new school, opening on Hucclecote Road in Gloucester in March 2026. . . .

Over the past few years, through First Thought Care Services, we’ve seen too many children falling through the cracks because mainstream schools cannot always adapt to complex needs – and specialist provision locally is oversubscribed. 

The independent special school is our response to that gap; a place where education is shaped around the individual rather than the other way round.  . . .

Every learner will have a bespoke plan tied directly to their Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) outcomes, supported by teaching assistants and specialist practitioners who understand both education and care. . . .