New special school places approved in Houghton Regis
Thursday, 6 June 2024
We have approved 115 additional places at Chiltern School.
This is to ensure that more children and young people with complex special educational needs including autism have access to specialist education closer to home.
The expansion is part of a £50million package set aside to help children in Central Bedfordshire with complex needs get the support they need to learn and grow where, previously, growth in demand for special school provision had resulted in increased placements within the independent sector and outside of the area.
From September, Chiltern School will expand onto the former Universal Technical College (UTC) on the Kingsland Campus, which is less than a one-minute walk from the current main school site. Chiltern will also no longer operate from the Beech Road site in Dunstable.
The relocation of pupils from the former primary school site through the refurbishment of the UTC building, will allow for all pupils at the school to benefit from enhanced SEND provision, currently not available or not accessed by all pupils due to the school being on a split site.
A Central Bedfordshire Council spokesperson said:
This decision means that from September, more children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Central Bedfordshire will have access to a high-quality education near their home and community.