Wiltshire Council has confirmed plans to increase specialist education places for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), helping more families access the right support closer to home.
The council will move ahead with a new 130-place Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) free school at Bitham Park in Westbury. The new provision will be delivered in partnership with Brunel Academies Trust.
The decision follows an announcement from the Department for Education last year, giving councils with special or alternative provision free schools in the pipeline the choice to continue with those schools or receive capital funding to create the equivalent number of places through local provision.
After detailed consideration, Wiltshire Council confirmed it will proceed with the SEMH free school in Westbury. However, it will not move forward with previously proposed Alternative Provision free schools in the north and south of the county.
Instead, the funding will be invested directly into expanding specialist places across Wiltshire. The council says this approach will enable high-quality local support to be delivered more quickly and benefit more children and young people overall.
Councillor Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, SEND, Education and Skills, said, “We are excited to be moving ahead with a new special school in Westbury and expanding specialist places right across Wiltshire. This balanced and forward-looking approach will give children and young people with SEND even greater access to the support they need to thrive in their education, closer to the communities they call home.
“Our commitment to creating high quality, local SEND places has never been stronger. Together these decisions reflect our long-term ambition to give every child the best possible start in life. We are incredibly grateful to our partners, families and education providers for working alongside us to shape a brighter future for SEND education in Wiltshire.”
Wiltshire Council will now work closely with Brunel Academies Trust, which will provide education at the new SEMH school at Bitham Park.
Jackie Fieldwick, CEO of Brunel Academies Trust, said, “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wiltshire to deliver the Bitham Park SEMH Free School. Brunel are committed to working in collaboration with Wiltshire to increase much needed local SEND places. Local provision for local children and families is vital in an effective and inclusive school system.
“We want our children to belong to their school and wider community and know that Wiltshire also share this vision. Brunel is proud to part of a progressive local authority putting children first.”
The announcement also follows the council’s purchase in December of the former Calder House Independent school site near Colerne. Now known as The Northwood Centre, the site will operate as a satellite campus of an existing Wiltshire maintained special school.
The development will create additional specialist places within a council-owned facility, helping to reduce reliance on costly Independent Non-Maintained Specialist school placements, many of which are currently outside the county.
For families across Wiltshire navigating the SEND system, the expansion represents a significant step towards more accessible, local and consistent support.
