become an extension to a nearby school for children with special educational needs. The Progression 2Work school serves young people with disabilities and disadvantage, including autism.
The school’s main site is the Old Beauvale School in Newthorpe, in the neighbouring district of Broxtowe. Here, they successfully train youngsters with construction industry skills, including brick laying, joinery, plastering and decoration. “The construction site at their current and permanent location is of quite limited capacity”, the school’s consultants, Zenith Planning and Design, said in a letter to Ashfield’s planners. “The Cordy Lane building provides an ideal setting for the training . . . and the location is ideal, being five minutes from their existing registered school.”
If planning permission is granted, the Underwood site would be act as a satellite extension to the retained Newthorpe site.
Zenith say that the Willow Court building provides the floorspace required as offices and a classroom for teaching theory, as well as a large open space where a workshop and practical area will be installed with minimum internal modifications.
Zenith say that all the students have special educational needs, autistic or disadvantaged backgrounds “and need the specialist high staff ratio to students which the school are able to provide. Mainstream college / training establishment do not provide the learning environment required by these students who need the specialist care that the School provides, to allow them to gain employment once they leave school within the construction industry.
“There are currently many students within this group who are not accessing any training at the moment and this building will support the school to increase student numbers helping even more of these young people into apprenticeships, who would otherwise be lost to education / training and potential jobs.”
The proposed development would create jobs for 10 additional staff members and provide training for around 15 students aged up to 16. The site would operate between 8.00 am and 4.00 pm, with students on site from 9.30 am to 2.00 pm.
Progression 2work is a small independent special school which caters for up to 40 students and is rated “Good” by Ofsted. Ashfield’s planners are expected to make a decision on the application by 13 June.
