Plans for Wiltshire special school to be submitted
A planning application for a specialist school, which will replace three schools in Chippenham, Trowbridge and Rowde, will be submitted next year.
The £33m scheme in Rowde is planned to open in September 2023 and deliver up to 400 school places. The Silverwood School will be specially designed to cater for children with disabilities and special needs. Wiltshire Council said if the plans are approved it hopes construction work will start next summer. Campaigners had previously rejected the idea of the three special schools merging, saying no-one would be able to walk to the new location. The new facilities will feature a community of small teaching clusters that will provide a range of specialist teaching spaces, therapeutic support, and quiet dining. Each cluster will offer plenty of space to move around while maximising natural daylight and ventilation. There will also be a hydrotherapy pool and spaces for outdoor learning. Parents, governors, staff and pupils were involved in choosing the new name for the school, which will provide places for pupils from early years to post-16. Wiltshire Council's Laura Mayes, cabinet member for children, education and skills, said: "I am so proud of how the school communities from across the three campuses have come together to decide this new name and I'm sure this is a demonstration of how we will move forward with learning and striving to provide the very best education for all our pupils."