Plans to increase the number of places available for children with learning difficulties at The Collett School, in Hemel Hempstead, have been backed by councillors.
The school, on Lockers Park Lane, currently has places for 128 children with learning difficulties, aged between four and 16.
However, the county council has drawn up plans for the school to offer an additional 50 places from a satellite site – 250 metres away – from January 2026.
The plans involve the remodelling of a building formerly used by the Laureate Academy for its sixth form, on a site adjoining Gade Valley Primary School.
These plans are part of the county council’s drive to expand the number of special school places available across the county.
On Wednesday (September 18), the plans were backed by a meeting of the council’s cabinet – which approved funding and authorised officers to publish a statutory notice.
The costs of the remodelling of the building were presented to councillors in unpublished ‘Part II’ papers and were not disclosed in the meeting.
Presenting the proposal, executive member for education, libraries, and lifelong learning, Cllr Caroline Clapper, stressed the plans were part of a larger special school expansion programme.
She said no planning permission would be required, as it would involve the remodelling of an existing school building.
She added that 75 per cent of those who responded to a public consultation had been “in favour”.
According to the officers’ report presented to the meeting, demand for special school places has grown “sharply” in recent years – with the majority of special schools in the county now said to be “at capacity”.
Without the additional places, the report suggested the county council would face higher costs.
This is because, according to the report, the additional 50 places at The Collett School would require £900k of funding.
However, it suggests the cost of funding provision for those pupils in the independent sector could bring an additional pressure of £2.55m.
Speaking in favour of the expansion of The Collett School at the meeting, the leader of the county council, Cllr Richard Roberts, said this was “really really welcome news”.
Referring to the financial information included in the confidential ‘Part II’ papers, he said: “We will accept that there is a relatively confidential financial aspect to that expansion.
“But that has been agreed elsewhere and we are happy for it to progress without going into Part II.”
According to the officers’ report, The Collett School has been earmarked for expansion due to the increase in demand for places for children with learning difficulties in the Hemel Hempstead area.
Deborah is a Local Democracy Reporter covering news across Hertfordshire, with a strong focus on councils, local government and public policy. Her reporting includes county council decisions, council tax, spending pressures, legal and regulatory issues, healthcare stories including junior doctors, and community projects affecting local residents.
