PLANNING permission for a new specialist school in Newton Abbot has been granted by Teignbridge District Council’s planning officers.

Glendinning House Academy will be a special free school for children aged seven to 19 years, with social communication and interaction needs including autism.

Subject to Government funding, the new school will open in September 2020, on the site of the former Haytor View Primary School and Children’s Centre in Sandringham Road. Building work is set to begin later this month.

The academy will provide 120 new places for children who need a special school environment because of barriers to learning, including sensory processing needs and anxiety.

Devon County Council SEN will be responsible for admissions to the new Government-funded school when it’s named on a child’s education health and care plan.

The school will have smaller class sizes than a traditional school and a curriculum that supports more than academic progress. The aim is to support pupils to develop independence, gain relevant qualifications and achieve their ambitions.

Academy will provide 120 new places for children with barriers to learning

The grounds have been designed for an outdoor and nature-based curriculum with areas for horticulture; wildlife including a woodland ‘Forest School’ and pond; and spaces for keeping animals.

The project was started by South Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust and the Wave Multi Academy Trust has become the new sponsor of the school.

Wave chief executive Rob Gasson said: ‘We’ll be working with families, partners and multi-professional teams to ensure we’re supporting pupil’s’ needs and establishing an ethos where they feel secure, are encouraged to talk, are listened to and feel safe.

‘We’re confident we can meet the needs of this group of students and engage them in a variety of core and non-core curriculum activities. We are committed to progressing the social, emotional and academic outcomes for all pupils to enable them to achieve their true potential.’

The Teignbridge Council planning officer’s report stated that the provision of a new school on the site would deliver benefits to the community through raising educational attainment.

It added: ‘The proposed school would provide specialist provision for which there is a local need. Good quality education has a positive impact on health, behaviour, engagement, learning and growth in achievement.

‘The proposal would deliver a new school which would meet a need for specialist education provision within the community and there would be clear public benefits from providing good quality education provision within Newton Abbot. The proposal is therefore acceptable for conditional approval.’