Trust Appointed to Run New Specialist School in Calderdale

Nexus Multi Academy Trust has been chosen to run a new specialist free school in Ovenden, Halifax, which is expected to open in the 2028/29 school year.

Plans for a new specialist free school in Calderdale have moved a step closer after Nexus Multi Academy Trust was appointed to run the school.

The new school will be built on the former Threeways Community Centre site in Ovenden, north Halifax, and is expected to open during the 2028/29 school year.

Calderdale Council says the school is being developed in response to a shortage of local places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

At present, some pupils have to travel outside Calderdale or attend independent specialist schools, which can mean longer journeys for families and higher costs for the council.

The new school will provide places for up to 200 pupils aged between four and 16.

It will allow children to continue both their primary and secondary education at the same school and will offer a mix of academic and vocational learning, therapeutic support and other activities designed around pupils' individual needs.

The council and the Department for Education carried out a selection process to choose a multi-academy trust to establish and operate the school.

Nexus Multi Academy Trust was selected because of its experience in supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The council says all of the trust's existing schools were rated either good or outstanding under the previous Ofsted inspection framework.

Calderdale Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People's Services, Councillor Tim Holden, said the new school would help more young people receive high-quality education closer to home while also supporting them as they prepare for adulthood.

Warren Carratt, chief executive of Nexus Multi Academy Trust, said the organisation was proud to have been appointed and that the school would be the fifth new special school the trust has opened in the last decade.

The next stage will see the council and Nexus work together on the design of the school's learning and outdoor spaces.

Consultation with schools, families and the wider community is expected to take place during 2027.

The construction project will also aim to support local employment and skills opportunities.

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