MORE children with Special Education Needs will be catered for in their own borough if a local school undergoes a £1.6million expansion.
Manor School, a special school in Chamberlayne Road, Kensal Green, that accommodates pupils with learning difficulties, has 132 spaces but could add an extra 44 within a year by building an extension and re-modelling part of the existing school to create extra classrooms, offices and covered external all-weather play areas.
Labour-run Brent Council's cabinet committee agreed to support the plans on Tuesday last week and to launch next month the statutory consultation on expanding the school, which teaches pupils aged between 4 and 11 and is rated 'Good' by Ofsted.
The school's own informal consultation document said: " It will enable 44 children with significant special educational needs to access a local special school who would otherwise have to be placed in independent special schools at some distance from their home addresses.
"This will reduce the amount of time they have to spend on daily transport and will enable them to mix with other children closer to their home addresses, maximising the chances of developing local friendships.
"Manor School is popular with parents and pupils, and its expansion would also help meet parental demand. "
Councillors were told in a report the building work would take nine months and the new accommodation would be ready in time for September next year.
The entire cost of the project is £2.2million, of which £1.5m would be met by a grant from the Education Funding Agency and the remainder coming from council funds.
In April 2014 a bulge class of eight places was created and these would form part of the 44 permanent places.
The school's informal consultation document said: "A recent feasibility study shows Manor School has the capacity to provide much needed additional school places at the current school site.
"This can be achieved by adapting the existing accommodation through internal remodelling and the building of a part single, part two-storey extension.
"The proposed expansion will represent a significant investment in the school to ensure that the premises are adapted according to the feasibility to fully meet the needs of the new intake of pupils."
Brent Council's cabinet committee will receive the feedback from the statutory consultation in December before deciding whether to approve the legal expansion of Manor School.
Councillor Ruth Moher (Labour), the council’s cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Manor School is very popular with parents and pupils, and its expansion will not only help to meet the demand for places, it will also make a huge difference to the lives of children with special educational needs and their families.
“In not having to travel outside of the borough for their schooling, children with special educational needs will be able to mix with other children from the local area and make lasting friendships, which will overall give them a better quality of life.
“The cabinet’s backing in principle to these very exciting plans demonstrates our commitment to providing the best start possible for every young person in Brent.”
