Rotherham Mayor opens new £3m school at former Dinnington College

Elements Academy, at the former Dinnington College, is the only school of its kind in the borough and will meet the growing need for specialist provision.

The school officially opned to 135 students on January 16 by Rotherham’s mayor, councillor Tajamal Khan.

The students, aged 7-16 years old, all have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) and previously attended other educational settings across the borough.

Rotherham Council invested around £3m to create Elements Academy for pupils to access bespoke provision which meets their needs.

Councillor Victoria Cusworth, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said: “We are extremely proud of the fantastic new specialist education that Elements Academy isproviding to local children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.

“Rotherham Council has invested around £3m to create Elements Academy, which means local children can access bespoke provision which meets their needs here in Rotherham for the first time.

"It also means that we’ve been able to keep a really important community asset in Dinnington open – and that the former college could continue as an educational establishment, which it has been for nearly 100 years.”

Jayne Foster, CEO of Ethos Academy Trust, added: “We specialise in the development of high quality, nurturing provisions to enable a broad range of pupils with SEMH needs to thrive and succeed.

"The staff team at Elements Academy are extremely skilled at supporting the needs of the pupils.

"They have created a welcoming and nurturing learning community, in which pupils feel safe and empowered.”