Special educational needs school to get £7m revamp

Councillors have approved a renovation plan worth nearly £7m for a special educational needs school near Spalding.

The proposals would see Gosberton House Academy, a school specialising in autism, converted into one that could cater for all children with special educational needs.

The plans include a new four-classroom block, a sensory room and a soft-play area.

Lincolnshire County Council (LCC) approved the scheme at a meeting on Friday.

Dave Pennington, the head of property development at LCC, said two of the classrooms would be used for children with “profound and multiple” learning difficulties.

A report said the new facilities would enable pupils to have their health and therapeutic needs met primarily in a school setting.

An original budget of £4.72m had risen to £6.8m due to multiple site constraints, including being in a flood-risk area, councillors were told.

Councillor Phil Dilks asked if the authority had looked at any alternative sites that could have offered better value.

However, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, programme manager Eileen McMorrow said building a new school would have been more costly.

Final approval for the project would need to be given by council leader Martin Hill, with work due to commence in July.

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