Villa Real School to get £26m new build

Cllr Cathy Hunt (centre left) and Jill Bowe (centre right) with pupils and staff from Villa Real School.

A school which serves pupils with severe, profound, medical and complex learning difficulties is to get a brand-new building.

Durham County Council’s Cabinet has today agreed proposals to award £26 million to Villa Real School to rebuild its current facility.

The school provides Special Educational Needs (SEN) support for over 120 pupils, aged from two to 19.

A new school building would allow pupils to learn in fresh, up-to-date facilities that are better designed to meet their needs.

It would also allow the school to increase its capacity and support more children and young people.

Cllr Cathy Hunt, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said: “As part of our declared Care Emergency, we made a commitment as a Cabinet to invest in the services that are vital to our communities.

“Currently, Villa Real School is operating from a building with outdated facilities which limits capacity for the number of pupils it can support. This school provides support for children and young people with some of the highest needs, so a new building would be invaluable.

“We’re thrilled to take the first step today by agreeing to proposals to invest in Villa Real School. I’m sure this will also be a welcome announcement for families, to know that their children can go to school in a brand-new facility that is tailored to meet their needs.”

Jill Bowe, head teacher at Villa Real School, said: “We have been seeking ways to secure funding for a new school for several years, so our pupils can have the best provision to meet their needs. We are absolutely delighted that a new state of the art building will now be in process. Our pupils, staff and families are so happy with the news.”

The investment in Villa Real School has been allocated within the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) which has been agreed by Cabinet today.

The MTFP will now go to full council for formal consideration on Wednesday 18 February which, if approved, will unlock the investment for Villa Real School.

Plans for a new building are in early stages, with a location yet to be determined.