£2.5m for 35 more places at school for youngsters with special educational needs

School bosses hope to expand the current facilities, and will submit a planning application to construct a new secondary block on the main Whiston site, and refurbish a Grade II listed building.

It is expected that the application will be submitted towards the end of 2025, with a proposed start date for works to begin around September 2026.

Due to the ‘poor condition’ of the current Newman Additional Resource Building, the proposal includes its demolition to make way for new facilities.

The cash has come from the Department for Education’s “Safety Valve” funding, which helps councils ensure there are enough school places and resources for children with SEND.

The council say that by not investing in SEND provision, more young people with SEND would have to use schools out of the borough, at a high cost to RMBC.

During a meeting of RMBC’s cabinet on December 16, Councillor Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people

“There is always more to do, our parents and carers tell us that, and this is part of that continued improvement. We don’t rest on our laurels on Rotherham, we’re continuously striving to make things better.”

Councillor Chris Read, leader of the council, added: “The building provision there has been not what we might hope for, for a long long period of time – for decades, really.

“There’s already been a substantial amount of money that has gone into improving part of the facility there, but there is more work that needs to be done.

“Ensuring that children are educated in the right kind of environment, a high-quality environment, is just absolutely essential to get them off on the right start in life.”