Former HQ to be turned into Send school

A former council headquarters is to be turned into a school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

The former Cheshire East Council office site at Westfields in Sandbach, Cheshire, will be transformed into an all-through school offering 140 places.

Not everyone was happy with the decision as plans for a 60-place Send school at Cledford House in Middlewich were paused due to a lack of funding.

Councillor Laura Crane, chair of the authority's children and families committee, said the priority was to give every child "the best possible start in life".

"Our goal is to strengthen an inclusive education system where every child can access the support and opportunities they need to thrive," she said.

The decision to pause the Middlewich site came after confirmation that the government would not fund the Westfields scheme.

Crane, a Labour councillor, said the authority could not pursue both projects as it would use up all of its available Send capital.

During Monday's meeting of the children and families committee, councillors were told the Westfields project was being prioritised due to its central location and the number of spaces it could offer.

But Middlewich councillor Garnet Marshall, Independent, said the scheme was "not certain" and would not open until 2028/29.

"Cledford is oven-ready and, once baked, it will bring 60 Send places by September 2026," he added. "It doesn't make sense to put it back in the freezer."

Councillor Jos Saunders, Conservative, said she believed both schools were needed, adding that the government's "dither and delay" had increased the authority's costs.

In response, Crane said the government was "all about inclusivity", referring to its plan to increase Send provision in mainstream schools.

"We're not cancelling Cledford, we're pausing it to make sure that we can deliver on the majority of the things that we need to do," she said.

The council said the decision on the Westfields scheme was subject to further planning and statutory processes.

The Department for Education previously told the BBC it was investing at least £9.4m to deliver 190 specialist or alternative provision places in Cheshire East, which would help families to "get more support more quickly".

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.