A CITY school has unveiled plans for a new space to support pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Claines CE Primary School wants to transform an underused part of the school into a dedicated SEND area.

In order to do so, it plans to move the school office. The current lobby and visitor entrance would become part of the new SEND area, which would feature two classrooms and a sensory room.

Proposals submitted to Wychavon District Council say the part of the school earmarked for SEND provision is “ideal”.

“This area is near the existing accessible WC and is occupied by the administration office, various stores and photocopy room,” the school says.

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“Newly assigned SEND rooms will be redecorated and interconnecting solid doors will be replaced with new doors to include vision panels for monitoring and safety.

“The stair in this area leading to First Floor store rooms will be secured with a safety gate at the bottom ight to discourage use of the stair by students. Store room doors will be locked.”

Funding for the scheme will come from Section 106 developer money, as a result of a housing development built near the school.

A lack of SEND school places across the county was one of the issues picked out by Ofsted when it identified “widespread systemic failings” in Worcestershire’s special educational needs services earlier this year.

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Improving SEND provision at mainstream schools such as Claines would help to address the lack of places.

The council has already backed plans for a new autism school to be built in Malvern, on the site of the Sunshine Children’s Centre in Poolbrook, and plans have been revealed to reopen the former Malvern Hills College as a SEND school.

Our Place Group, which runs a special educational needs school in Bransford, has recently put forward fresh expansion plans after previously being turned down at appeal.

Both Malvern Hills District Council and a planning inspector took issue with access to and from the school from the busy A4103, with the inspector saying the plans would “jeopardise highway safety”.