Plans to rebuild a multi-million-pound special school are progressing, with the project now out to tender for a contractor to make the exciting design a reality.
Dudley Council is investing £15 million in the Pens Meadow School to be built on the site of the former Pensnett High School and is currently in the detailed design stage.
Once built, the school will provide education for 155 children and young people aged 3 to 19 together with a nursery assessment unit for the borough.
The purpose-built building will deliver better facilities for pupils with complex needs, severe learning difficulties, including autism and those with profound and multiple learning difficulties.
It will have state-of-the-art art equipment, therapy rooms, a hydrotherapy pool, changing facilities, outdoor teaching and play areas, and 14 bespoke classrooms specifically designed to cater to children with additional needs.
There is a focus on sustainability within the design, with plans for EV panels to turn sunlight into electricity and air source heat pumps to help heat the school.
The new school is being designed by the council’s project design and delivery team in corporate landlord services. The project is now out to tender for a contractor, with work expected to start on site in December 2023.
Construction is programmed to be complete in the summer of 2025. The school is set to be fully operational in January 2026, with a phased transition for some of the pupils to the new site starting in the autumn of 2025.
Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council said:
"Pens Meadow is a fantastic special school and this rebuild will offer the very best facilities.
It is being designed to significantly improve the education for the children and young people and I’m delighted we have put the build out to tender and begun the process of making this a reality."