PLANS to open a special school and provide residential accommodation in Keynsham for children with complex needs are out for consultation.
Bath & North East Somerset Council is proposing to transform the currently vacant Charlton House into a new 30-place special school and two children’s homes for young people special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Growing demand for specialist education and residential provision means many children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) are placed outside the district, which is costly and often means they cannot be supported close to home. There is also no local residential provision for the most vulnerable children with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
The council is asking for people’s views on proposals which would see the former residential care home in Hawthorns Lane turned into two children’s homes, each accommodating four children, with living spaces, staff provision, and gardens.
Modern teaching and social spaces, sensory areas, and landscaped outdoor environments are also proposed.
Councillor Paul May, cabinet member for children’s services, said: “The number of children and young people needing support with SEND has been steadily rising and supporting these children, young people and families is at the heart of everything we do.
“Providing our own specialist provision, as part of wider work to transform SEND provision in Bath & North East Somerset, not only avoids long distances for children and their families to have to travel but also in the longer term reduces costs to the authority.
“Children attending the school will receive close care, and as part of the consultation we are talking with residents in Hawthorn Court about these details. I hope people living nearby will come along to look at the plans to understand what we are proposing for the vacant Charlton House and have their say.”
The pre-planning consultation will run until Friday December 19. People can take part online on the council website or go along to view the plans and speak to officers at Charlton House Community Room on Friday December 12, from 12pm–7pm.
Feedback gathered during the consultation will help shape the final proposals before submission for planning approval.
The council took over the former Charlton House care home in 2020, but in 2022 a damning Care Quality Commission report rated it as “inadequate”. Despite improvements, the care home was subsequently closed.
Consultation on Keynsham special school plan
