Plans for new Mansfield construction vocational training unit for pupils with special or additional needs get the go-ahead

The plans were submitted by REAL Education, which provides full-time school placements for children and young people with special or addtional needs.

The group will now change the use of an existing building on King’s Mill Way from an industrial unit to a vocational learning base to be used to deliver construction-based skills.

The success of similar training at the site already offered by the group has now led to it wanting to expand its output to include more vocational training based on the needs of the construction.

And getting the green light from the council to create the new site in Mansfield will help it do that.

In it’s planning statement, REAL Education said: “Currently within Nottinghamshire, there is an increasing requirement for additional educational places for children and young people with identified additional needs.

“This expansion is driven by the need of the local authority to expand upon our proven delivery model, focused upon much-needed and requested vocational training places for young people with identified personal and education needs.

“In addition the numbers of children and young people with additional needs being identified from the surrounding areas have been increasing annually, and this proposed growth is in response to this.

“This expansion is designed to provide more local placements and, in turn, increase the options available to local learners, reducing the need for these vulnerable learners to be educated outside their geographical comfort zone.

“This also reduces the additional burden upon the LA budgets by reducing transport/travel costs and the improve the associated carbon reduction targets by these unnecessary journeys.

“The additional proposed student places will also increase the numbers of staff required to provide both educational and pastoral support for these learners, increasing both the number of direct and indirect posts required to service this additional venue.

"These jobs will include both specialist skills positions and additional apprenticeship vacancies, these will, in accordance with our existing recruitment policy, be initially advertised locally, in-order to ensure that where possible ‘home to work’ journeys will be as short as practicable.”