Maidenhead & Windsor

The Maidenhead Royal Borough's proposal to build a brand new school for children with disabilities has been given major government backing with a £23.6 million grant from the Building Schools for the Future: One School Pathfinder initiative.

The grant means Maidenhead council's submission to provide the new special school at Cox Green has been given the green light by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Cllr Cynthia Pitteway, lead member for Maidenhead education and adult learning, said she was thrilled by the prospect of having the money to give borough children the opportunity to be educated in a state-of-the-art, purpose-built school.

She said: "This is the stuff dreams are made of. With this funding we can give children with special needs the educational chances they so richly deserve. We have a wonderful school already in Holyport Manor but both pupils and staff are hampered by the old and outdated premises. We now have an unrivalled opportunity to put that right."

Cllr Kathy Newbound, lead member for children's and young people's services, said she was overjoyed: "This is a new start – a clean slate to design a purpose-built school with respite facilities that will give the children every possible advantage for achieving their very best."

The Maidenhead borough's proposal is to build the new special school as a centre of excellence on the same education campus as Cox Green Secondary and Lowbrook Primary schools. It would have its own access, yet be part of the existing education community, not only benefiting pupils with special educational needs but also bringing additional value for young people attending mainstream schools.

An informal public consultation on the proposal took place earlier this year and, at its February meeting, cabinet approved the publication of formal statutory notices, which allow two months for comments and objections

If there were no objections cabinet could take the decision to proceed but if there were objections the matter would, under current legislation, be decided by the local independent school organisation committee (SOC), which must give unanimous support . If the SOC could not agree, the final decision would be taken by the government's schools adjudicator.

The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead