Special needs school applies for consent to expand

A specialist school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs has applied for permission to expand.

The Meridian Trust, which runs NeneGate school in Peterborough, has submitted plans for a five-classroom teaching block, saying it is currently operating "at capacity".

The proposed development would create an extra 40 pupil spaces, which the trust says would help with "current overcrowding pressure".

Peterborough City Council said the plans would save the authority a considerable amount of money in providing school places.

The special school in Park Lane is the only one of its kind in Peterborough, and currently has 16 primary-age pupils and 48 secondary-age pupils.

The council says an additional 24 pupils in the city need an SEMH placement.

It has a legal obligation to give a school place to every child but in some cases this means children have to go to school outside Peterborough.

The council estimates it will cost £28m over the next decade, not including travel costs, to fund out-of-area placements.

As well as the new classroom block, Meridian has applied for internal remodelling to Key Stage One areas, a new multi-use games area on an existing playing field, and an extra 14 car parking spaces.

More than 2,700 children and young people in Peterborough are on education, health and care plans, which outline a child's needs, of which 14% have SEMH as their main need.

The council says this demand is set to increase.

If approved, the extension at NeneGate is expected to take on the new pupils in September 2026.

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