(UK) Somerset: Special school to add 4 more students/4 more teachers
- The end of childhood
- Dec 9
- 1 min read
Dec 8, 2025, Somerset Co Gazette: Special needs school near former shopping centre to expand
A special needs school near a former Somerset shopping centre will be able to expand after plans were approved.
Inaura School has been operating one of its four sites at 12 Leigh Road in Street since late-2023, after securing permission from Mendip District Council in March the same year to convert the existing offices.
The school (which has its main site in Burrowbridge) applied in September for permission to expand into the neighbouring property at 12a Leigh Road - round the back of the Crispin Shopping Centre, which will shortly be demolished to make way for a retirement complex.
Somerset Council (which replaced the district council in April 2023) has now given these plans its blessing, with the new provision expected to come into play in the spring or summer of 2026. . . .
Each pupil attending the present-day school (which operates as a not-for-profit charity) is placed there as part of their education, health and care plan (EHCP), which is agreed jointly with their parents, the council and the school.
By bringing 12a into the fold, the school will have sufficient space for four more pupils and can employ a further four teachers, continuing its approach of intensive one-on-one support. . . .
The plans were approved by the council's planning officers through their delegated powers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee east (which handles major applications within the former Mendip area).
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