A SPECIAL needs school in Taunton will be expanded in the coming months to accommodate 40 more pupils.

Sky College on Pickeridge Close provides education for 80 boys aged 10 and over with “social, emotional and mental health difficulties” (SEMH).

Somerset County Council has now appointed a contractor to deliver 40 new places in six bespoke classrooms in time for the September 2021 intake.

The council has said this project will save taxpayers’ money by reducing both travel costs and spending on independent school placements.

A report on the project has been published on the council’s website – though its cost has not been revealed, due to commercial sensitivity.

Lewis Andrews, the council’s commissioning and performance officer, said: “Sky College is a community special school, and is currently Somerset’s only maintained school for boys with SEMH – who, without effective interventions, communicate through challenging behaviour in response to their unmet needs.

“The expansion will allow the school to broaden its designation to cater for children with speech, language and communication needs, and expand its age range to accommodate children from five years of age.

“The expansion plans represent the most appropriate method to now increase pupil capacity, as opposed to a ‘demolish and rebuild’ project.”

The council had previously been awarded a £4M grant in 2013 from the Department for Education (DfE) to demolish and replace the school.

But this money will now be returned to central government, and the new project will be funded entirely by external borrowing.

Mr Andrews said: “External funding options are limited. The DfE basic need grant has already been allocated to projects and external contributions from developers are restricted to the areas or projects within the individual agreements.

“Through this expansion, Sky College will continue to deliver high quality education for children with complex needs, providing opportunities for them to realise their learning potential and transition to adulthood while remaining part of their local community.”