First look at proposed new 160-space SEND school for Mansfield

The 160-place school would be built on the site of a former middle school on Ravensdale Street which closed more than 20 years ago.

The initial announcement in March was greeted with excitement by local councillors, who said it would benefit both Mansfield students and economy.

Artists’ impressions which Nottinghamshire Council has submitted to its own planning department show what the facility would look like.

Ravensdale Special School would be open to Nottinghamshire students at key stage two level and above with a variety of social, emotional, and mental health difficulties.

The planning documents say it will offer a ‘more tailored and inclusive educational system that caters to the diverse learning needs of all students’.

The site is already owned by the county council, having previously been the Sherwood Hall and Sixth Form College Annexe until 2001.

It has since remained derelict for several years.

Coun Andre Camilleri (Con), who represents Mansfield South at County Hall and Berry Hill at Mansfield Council, has been a supporter of using the site.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service when plans were initially announced: “It’s an empty, former school that was sitting there vacant so it will be the perfect site for it.

“A big SEND school coming to Mansfield will be fantastic for the town and for the children.

“We’ve got a lot of SEND children who come from a lot of different schools so it will also help other schools and the children too.

“Our district, along with Ashfield, has the greatest need for this type of school.

“It’s where more than 40 per cent of children with special needs live, so it really is terrific and life-changing news for local children and parents.”

Ollerton was previously earmarked as a potential SEND school location, but the chosen site was found to be contaminated.

Plans also show that classrooms at the new school would have an ‘escape space’ and sensory zones to make it more accessible for children.