A new school for children and young people with special needs could be coming to Swindon.

Compass Schools which runs specialist schools in Yorkshire and the Midlands has put in an application to Swindon Borough Council to use an office building, with an attached flat, in Rodbourne Cheney as a school for up to 24 youngsters.

The company wants to use the office building at 25-27 Moredon Road for its new facility.

Compass Schools say no external changes to the detached building will be needed, though it will be remodelled inside to turn the attached one-bedroom flat into classrooms, including a specialist science and technology room.

Swindon Advertiser:

The 18 to 24 pupils the school will be designed for will benefit from an almost one-to-one teaching and support ratio.

The Compass Schools application says: “To provide adequate support to the children, it is anticipated that 14 staff will be present onsite during the school day. Staff would include four teachers, up to eight support staff, an administration officer and a therapist.

“All staff will be recruited locally as far as possible.”

The school’s hours of operation would be between 9am and 3pm. With staff onsite between 8am and 4.30pm.

Two classrooms as well as a reception, an office and a kitchen and dining room will be constructed on the ground floor, with another seven class rooms on the upper floor

The application adds: “Compass Schools has been seeking appropriate accommodation in Swindon to meet local education needs. The application site has been identified as a suitable building, following adaptation, to meet the needs of the applicant and provide an appropriate education facility.”

Compass Schools runs four establishments, one in Kent, one in Yorkshire and two in the Midlands.

Its website says: “Compass currently have two Ofsted outstanding schools and two additional schools that meet the needs of children and young people requiring bespoke education packages to achieve and become the best they can be. Our schools work as part of therapeutic communities supporting children with various packages of education, therapy and care as required.”

The application is available to view on the borough council’s website at Swindon.gov.uk using S/22/1255. Comments should be made by Wednesday 28 September.