More children and young people with SEND will be able to access specialist support closer to home following the opening of new resource bases at schools across Wiltshire this September.
Among the new provisions are bases at Kingsbury Green Academy in Calne and Noremarsh Junior School in Royal Wootton Bassett, part of Wiltshire Council’s continuing investment in specialist support within mainstream schools. The resource bases provide tailored support for pupils with additional needs while allowing them to remain part of mainstream school life, learning alongside their peers and building connections within their local school communities.
Wiltshire Council has invested more than £10m in creating and expanding resource bases across the county in recent years as part of its wider SEND programme. From September 2026, Wiltshire will have 27 primary resource bases and six secondary resource bases, supporting needs including speech, language and communication needs, autism spectrum condition and complex learning needs.
Councillor Jon Hubbard, Cabinet Member for SEND, said, “We want children and young people with SEND to have the right support, in the right place and at the right time.
“The opening of these new resource bases is part of a much larger programme to significantly increase the number of resource bases across Wiltshire and further strengthen our inclusive education offer, ensuring more children can access the specialist support they need closer to home.
“Over the last few years we have worked closely with schools to develop a network of resource bases that enables more children to access specialist support while remaining part of their local school community.”
He added that the new bases would provide tailored learning environments and expertise to help children academically, socially and emotionally.
Nicola Bull, Headteacher at Kingsbury Green Academy, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be developing a new secondary resource base at KGA. This provision will enable us to better support students with additional needs, ensuring they feel included, valued and able to succeed alongside their peers. It reflects our ongoing commitment to inclusive education and to meeting the diverse needs of our community.”
Noremarsh Junior School is opening a Speech, Language and Communication Specialist Base.
Headteacher Hilary MacMeekin said, “We are incredibly excited and proud to announce the opening of our new Speech, Language and Communication Specialist Base this September. This is a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to inclusion and ensuring every child can thrive.”
She said the new provision builds on the school’s work as a Dyslexia Friendly School and its involvement in the Partnerships for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools programme.
The new bases form part of Wiltshire Council’s wider plans to increase specialist education capacity, with the aim of giving families greater choice and enabling more pupils to receive the support they need within their local communities.
