Jan 9, 2023, Knutsford Guardian: Building costs double for new special school at Wilmslow https://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/23238939.building-costs-double-new-special-school-wilmslow/
Central England
THE cost of transforming a vacant council building at Wilmslow into a satellite special school has doubled to more than £6m [$7.3M] because of soaring inflation and delays in the planning process.
Cheshire East is desperately short of SEN (special educational needs) places, which means many youngsters have to travel miles out of the borough to specialist schools.
In July 2021 the children and families committee agreed the Dean Row Centre could be remodelled and refurbished as a satellite site for the highly-rated Springfield School at Crewe.
It was expected the new site in the north of the borough would be open by September 2022 and the estimated refurbishment cost was £3m [$3.6M].
Eighteen months later, and a report due to go before the same committee on Monday (January 16) states the cost of the required works has spiralled to £6.1m and every effort will be made to ‘attempt to achieve the completion deadline of autumn term 2023’.
The report states: “Given the urgent need to provide additional placements from this site from September 2023, and because the programme is already expected to run beyond this date for delivery as a result of planning challenges, it is recommended that the budget be reflected to meet a build cost of £6,079,770.”…
Its new satellite site, which received planning permission just two months ago, will provide up to 80 places for children and young people with autism spectrum disorder….
In the long term, the new school will also save the council money.
According to the report, the average cost per pupil in a Cheshire East Council SEND school is £13,800 [$16.7K]a year, while the average cost per pupil to the council for buying placements at independent non-maintained schools is £55,500 {$67.2K]….
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