About this consultation

We have identified the need to increase local specialist education provision for children with complex special educational needs. Statutory guidance says the council must consult on whether a new school should be established before it can move to any later process for seeking proposals about who might run the school.

This document explains the proposal, sets out the key information required by the Department for Education guidance, and asks for your views on whether the school should be opened. The council will consider consultation feedback before deciding whether to establish the school.

Why a new school is being considered

We have identified a pressing need for more special school places in the county. Existing special schools are working with the council to support pupils above their commissioned numbers, and there is continuing demand for provision that can meet complex learning profiles locally.

The proposal is intended to help children have their needs met closer to home, reduce the need for out-of-area placements, reduce long journey times where possible, and strengthen the range of specialist provision available to families in Herefordshire.

• High demand for special school places across Herefordshire.
• A lack of available special school places within the county.
• Increasing transport costs and longer journey times linked to a lack of local provision.
• Some mainstream settings do not have the specialist facilities and resources needed for this group of learners.
• A need for provision that can support learning difficulties alongside communication and interaction needs, autism spectrum conditions, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs.

The proposed school

Type of school	Special school. The school would not be an alternative provision school.
Proposed designation	Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD). This is not simply an MLD school. The school would meet complex profiles of need where learning difficulties sit alongside other significant needs.
Age range	4 to 11 years
Capacity	40 places when fully open and operational
Residential status	Non-residential day provision
Admissions	All pupils will have Education, Health and Care Plans. Admissions would be determined by the council’s SEN Team following the statutory process.
Proposed opening date	September 2027
Commissioning authority	Herefordshire Council will commission all places

Children the school would support

The school would provide long-term special education for children aged 4 to 11 with significant, complex and pervasive special educational needs. Children would have cognitive abilities within the Moderate Learning Difficulties range, including some children functioning below this range, and would also have other additional needs that together create a complex profile.

• Cognition and learning difficulties, at least within the moderate range and sometimes below
• Complex speech, language and communication needs
• Autism spectrum conditions and other communication and interaction needs
• Behaviour that adults find challenging, arising from unmet social, emotional and mental health needs or conditions affecting emotional regulation
• Physical, sensory and medical needs that are commonly and routinely met within a mainstream school
• Attachment needs, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, or periods of abuse and neglect

It is not currently envisaged that children classified as having profound and multiple learning difficulties, or children who are non-ambulant with significant physical difficulties, would be referred for places at this school.

Proposed location and site

The council has identified the former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD. The building is already in Herefordshire Council ownership. The site is in a mature residential area on the edge of the town and is within reasonable distance of Hereford city, with access to major transport routes such as the A49 and M50.

The appointed organisation would be involved in the design and specification of the interior of the building. The council expects close and careful liaison with local residents, the ward councillor and other stakeholders from an early stage because of the school’s residential setting.

Proposed site	Former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD
Land/building ownership	Herefordshire Council ownership. The draft specification anticipates a 125-year lease to the successful academy trust if the successful proposal is for an academy
Planning	It is understood planning will not be required
Community use	Due to limited access arrangements, the facilities will not be available for community use

Proposed ethos and provision

The council expects the school to be inclusive, ambitious, relationship-based and trauma-informed. It should work closely with families, mainstream schools, health, social care and other services to support children to learn, attend regularly, belong and progress.

• Welcoming to pupils of all world views, faiths and no faith
• High aspirations for every child, with personalised pathways where needed
• Strong relational practice, informed by an understanding of trauma and barriers to learning
• A broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils for future learning and, where appropriate, transition back into mainstream settings
• A learning environment where physical intervention and exclusion are rarely used, and restorative approaches are embedded
• Active partnership with parents and carers, including thoughtful support for families who may have had difficult previous experiences of education

Travel and access

Many children attending the school are expected to travel via local authority-arranged multi-occupancy taxis or minibuses. Some children may travel by other means where they do not qualify for transport assistance. The successful proposer would need to work closely with Herefordshire Council’s home-to-school transport teams and contribute to a detailed travel plan as part of the planning process.

Funding and costs

The expected cost to refurbish the former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre is £1.2m. The council will fund the delivery and design of the school through high needs capital allocation grant. Revenue arrangements would include nationally agreed base place funding and top-up funding in line with Herefordshire’s funding arrangements for special schools funded from the high needs block of the designated schools grant (DSG). 

Potential impacts

The council will use consultation feedback to inform equalities and impact assessments before deciding whether the school should be established. The council particularly wants to understand any potential positive or negative impact on children and families, existing schools, neighbouring authorities and local residents.

The draft assessment is that the new school is unlikely to adversely affect mainstream schools or existing special schools because demand for this type of specialist provision is high. The school is expected to have a positive impact for children who need this provision by helping them access suitable education closer to home.

Who we are consulting

The council welcomes responses from anyone with an interest in the proposal. The Department for Education guidance says consultation should be broad, open and transparent. The council will therefore invite views from:

• Parents, carers, children and young people, including the local parent carer forum
• Schools, academies, special schools, alternative provision, governors, teachers and school staff
• Academy trusts and other organisations that run schools locally or regionally
• Neighbouring local authorities where pupils may cross local authority boundaries
• Relevant dioceses and religious authorities
• Ross-on-Wye Town Council, relevant parish councils and the ward councillor
• Local residents and community organisations near the proposed site
• Relevant health services, including the integrated care board and therapy services
• Trade unions representing staff in schools that may be affected
• Members of Parliament whose constituencies include the proposed location or whose constituents may be affected

Have your say

Please send your views on whether the proposed school should be opened by noon on 2 October 2026. You can respond by completing the online survey:

Fill in the consultation online

Or by:

• Post: Hilary Jones, Head of Additional Needs, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, Hereford, HR4 0LE
• Email: educationaldevelopment@herefordshire.gov.uk

If you need this document in another format, or need help to respond, please contact the council using the details above.

What happens after this consultation

The council will consider responses to this consultation before deciding whether a new school should be established. Subject to the consultation responses, an invitation notice under section 7, inviting proposals for the new school, will be published by 23 October 2026. That later process is not part of this consultation.