Disused residential facilities at a special school in Stevenage are to formally close – enabling plans to increase the number of pupils from September.

Currently the Lonsdale School – for pupils aged three to 18 with physical and neurological impairment – can take up to 112 pupils and includes residential facilities for up to 26 of those pupils.

But, according to a report presented to the cabinet meeting on Monday, (May 13) those residential facilities have not been used since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

At the meeting councillors agreed that the residential facility at the school, on Brittain Way, will formally close from September.

As a result they also agreed that the number of places available at the school will increase to 132.

The former residential accommodation will be remodelled to create teaching spaces for older pupils – alongside space dedicated for ‘preparing for adulthood’.

In backing the plans the county council’s cabinet also agreed to the capital costs associated with the changes – but those costs were not disclosed publicly.

The proposals were presented to the meeting by executive member for education, libraries and lifelong learning Cllr Caroline Clapper.

“The proposal before you is to increase the amount of places at Lonsdale special school by 20 additional spots,” se said.

“These places are for children with physical and neurological impairments.

“The way in which we would like to do this is to close the residential element of Lonsdale, which has not been used since pre-Covid.”

At the meeting Cllr Clapper said the 20 additional places were part of a “hugely ambitious strategy” to increase the number of special school places in the county by 1,000 by 2027.

She told councillors that more than 600 of those additional places had already been opened, which she described as “an absolutely huge achievement”.

Backing the plans for Lonsdale School, executive member for the environment Cllr Eric Buckmaster highlighted the proposed use of ‘mock living accommodation’ to prepare students for adulthood.

“The accommodation will include mock living accommodation,” he said.

“So pupils can prepare food, practise making beds, folding laundry, putting it away and other daily activities; a really important element for them preparing to be as independent as they can be under the circumstances – a really good initiative.”

Leader of the council Cllr Richard Roberts said: “This is about making the best possible use of the spare space in Lonsdale.

“Its not currently used – hasn’t been for four years. And actually creating 20 new places in the way you have described is just what we should be doing – and adds to the 600-odd places that we’ve got.

“This is part of that continuing increase in places and for those with specialist need.”

As part of the public consultation on the plans it was reported to the cabinet that there had been four ‘representations’.

Included in those representations were concerns about the removal of the residential provision.

There were also concerns that the increased number of pupils would increase pressures on staff and of the wider impact on the site, including lifts, temperature control, storage and parking.

But the report from council officers pointed to steps being taken to recruit staff  and the plans to ‘enhance the preparing for adulthood offer’.

It said the council would continue to work with the school through the design process. And it said there was sufficient parking at the site for the additional staff required.