A £2.7m extension and remodelling of Kirkleatham Hall School, near Redcar, to provide improved facilities and increased capacity for children with Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) will be considered by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council's Cabinet next week.
If approved on Tuesday, 26 January, the work to extend and remodel the school would provide:
- two additional classrooms
- extension to the main hall
- large rebound/trampoline therapy space
- smaller therapy and sensory spaces
- extension to the main entrance
- additional changing facilities and toilets.
To alleviate the limited space for staff and visitor parking on site a direct pedestrian footpath to the Kirkleatham Car Park would also be created and the school provided with 50 parking permits for staff and visitors.
If the scheme gets the go-ahead work would start in October 2021 for a planned completion in time for a September 2022 intake of students.
Cabinet Member for Children, Cllr Alison Barnes, said:
“Kirkleatham Hall School has seen an increase in pupil numbers and demand for places over recent years and due to its excellent reputation and good outcomes for children it will be unable to meet the growing demand for places without this expansion and remodelling scheme.
“There is a clear identified need to increase student capacity and if approved this investment would provide space for an additional 12 SEND student places with all of the pupils and staff benefiting from the improved layout and facilities on offer."
Headteacher of Kirkleatham Hall School, Paul McLean added:
“The potential extension and remodelling of the school will have a huge impact on young people with Special Educational Needs within Redcar and Cleveland. The extension will allow us to increase our school population considerably, allowing us to meet the increasing demand for specialist provision within the authority.
“The remodelling of the current school site will allow us to specifically plan classrooms and infrastructure to meet the needs of our ever-changing population. The opportunities provided by this investment will considerably improve on the current provision and provide greater opportunities for all students currently in school and for generations of students to come.
“Ultimately, this investment, although a substantial one, will allow the authority to save money by creating the capacity to meet the needs of a far greater number of students who may otherwise have needed to be educated outside of the authority.
“The investment will make Kirkleatham Hall a school that the students, the staff and the people of Redcar and Cleveland can truly be proud of."