MORE than £6 million is expected to be invested into a Bradford district school to build new facilities for children with special educational needs.

Bradford Council is poised to pump £6.1m into Bingley Grammar School to boost its facilities for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and increase the overall capacity of the school.

A specialist provision for up to 24 SEND pupils and an additional 150 school places will be created if proposals are approved by the council’s Executive Committee members when it meets next week.

The popular Keighley Road school is heavily oversubscribed at the moment, with more parents wanting to send their children there than it has places for.

Expanding the school could mean fewer children and young people will be forced to travel outside of the Bradford district for their secondary education.

If rubber-stamped by council chiefs, the new SEND provision would also ease pressure on specialist facilities in other areas of the district.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's executive member for education, employment and skills, has backed plans to expand Bingley Grammar SchoolCouncillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's executive member for education, employment and skills, has backed plans to expand Bingley Grammar School

Councillor Imran Khan, Bradford Council's executive member for education, employment and skills, has backed the scheme, adding specialist teaching such as that proposed by the Bingley Grammar scheme makes a 'huge difference' to pupils who need the extra support in school.

He said: “We want all children in Bradford district to thrive at school and this proposed investment in Bingley Grammar shows our commitment to quality education across the district.

"Children and their families benefit greatly from having schools which meet their needs close to home.

“The new specialist SEND provision is a great opportunity to provide modern facilities for pupils with special educational needs in a well-established location.

"Specialist teaching and learning environments make a huge difference to pupils who need additional support.”

Councillor Marcus Dearden (Lab, Bingley) added: "The financial support made available from Bradford District Council to Bingley grammar school is most welcome and shows the council recognises investment is needed in Bingley. 

"As a former pupil and recent visitor at the school I can testify the investment is required to update the facilities and improve the learning environment at the school."

At the meeting on Tuesday, October 5, the council's Executive will be asked to allow £6.1m of funding to be allocated to the project.

The cash will come from the council’s Basic Needs funding, which is money given to the the local authority each year to help ensure there are enough mainstream school places for children in the district.

The council will carry out consultation on the expansion work to ensure the local community and those potentially affected are considered.

Bingley Grammar School has provision for girls and boys students aged between 11 and 18.

The Bingley Grammar School proposal is the latest scheme to boost places for pupils with special education needs in the Bradford district.

More than 90 new school places for pupils with special educational needs were approved by the council in February 2020.

The Council's Executive agreed to an increase the number of maintained special school places provided by Beechcliffe School in Keighley by 80 and Fagley Primary School was set to have 12 new Resourced Provision places under the plans.