New special school 'will make a massive difference to pupils with SEND'

The site was closed way back in 2001 and has sat as a missed opportunity for investment for decades.

I wanted to persuade the council to invest in this piece of land, so residents of Ravensdale and the wider areas of Mansfield and Ashfield could benefit from something potentially life-changing.

In Nottinghamshire as a whole, 41 per cent of children with special education needs and/or disabilities live in Mansfield and Ashfield and there exists an obvious demand to increase capacity of SEND places, to ensure we’re meeting the needs of these children in the best way.

Having lobbied the council on this opportunity for investment, along with colleagues Coun Rob Corden, Coun Nigel Moxon and Coun Steve Garner, I’m pleased to say the Conservative-led council – run by our MP, Coun Ben Bradley, of course – is continuing to get things done.

And we’ll now be seeing a new SEND school opening its doors on this site in 2025.

I’m incredibly grateful to my colleagues and the council for making this happen.

The proposed SEND school was confirmed this week, and is to provide a very specific and specialist learning environment for 160 pupils with autism and social, emotional and mental health needs, to help meet the growing demand.

Joined-up thinking is key to this, and the funding comes largely thanks to more than £25 million of government funding to boost SEND places across the country, as well as the work of my council colleagues, who have a long term plan for more than 300 new places countywide.

It’s great to see Mansfield continue to receive even more investment into our local services and become the best choice for the council and government to invest in for new, cutting edge, infrastructure that will support children with SEND.

The classrooms at the new school will feature the very best and latest innovation embedded in its design, including acoustic performance space and sensory zones to support the specialist needs of the children.

After years of uncertainty and delays with similar sites being proposed at Ollerton and Hucknall, that couldn’t get off the ground due to issues such as the land being contaminated, it must surely be reassuring to residents that we can now get on and build this amazing new school.

Even better that my idea a year ago to bring this to the Ravensdale site has come to fruition. I love getting things done!

It really is brilliant that we’re in a place where we can say the old Ravensdale School site will finally be revitalised and put to use in a way that will make a massive difference to pupils with SEND across the town and the wider areas.

Our town has so many great opportunities to invest and do big things, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of this positive and forward-thinking Conservative team.

Coun Camilleri is Nottinghamshire Council’s Conservative member for Mansfield South.