Gloucestershire County Council is preparing an application to the Department for Education to establish two new special schools in the county.

The application is through the recently launched 'wave bid' process.

The new schools would be in addition to Brook Academy, which opened in September 2022, and the new primary special school in Stroud expected to open in September 2023.

Forecasting analysis identifies the need for two 200-place schools providing for children with Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD), while also being able to meet the needs of children with other additional and significant secondary needs.

The schools proposed schools will be all-through provision, up to and including year 11.

If the bid is successful, the schools would be centrally located within the county, close to Gloucester and Cheltenham, with realistic travel from other parts of the county. Exact sites within Gloucestershire are yet to be fully confirmed.

The county council will be hosting an online open engagement event on Thursday (October 14) at 10am (via MS Teams), which will provide an opportunity for people to learn more about the proposal.

To attend the online event, email consultation@premieradvisory.co.uk with the subject line Gloucestershire new schools to be sent a link to join the meeting.