By Matt Jarram, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham City Council is spending an extra £225,000 to ensure brand new facilities can be built at two primary schools to improve the education for children who are deaf and autistic.
Under a delegated decision on February 28 – made outside of a council meeting – the council approved extra funding for two separate projects already underway.
This includes the construction of ‘specialist deaf provision’ at Mellors Primary School in Radford.
The project will consist of a brand-new extension with classrooms.
Planning approval has been obtained for the project, but it is anticipated that the initial funding of £400,000 is short of the required amount of around £190,000.
This is because there has been “a substantial increase” of more than six per cent in construction costs.
The report states: “Budget costs were based on a stand-alone single storey building in the grounds of the school.
“Following work by the architects, discussions with planning and views of the school based on need, an extension to the existing two storey school building was found to be the most suitable.
“The revised solution is more fit for purpose and has the least impact on green space.
“Due to the confines and layout of the new extension, more circulation space needs to be included to provide access to the rooms, which has added to the construction costs.
“The fitting out of the new classrooms is to match the existing classrooms to ensure the deaf children feel inclusive in the school. This has added to the cost.
“The new classrooms need to ensure that acoustic insulation meets the standards for teaching of the deaf children, which again adds to the construction costs.”
The council is also investing an additional £35,000 of funding into Fernwood Primary School in Wollaton.
This is to create ‘specialist provision’ for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
It is anticipated that the initial funding totalling £447,000 is short of the required amount by approximately £35,000.
This is due to increased costs, which includes relocating a badger sett, the type of foundation required for the building and the significant increase in material costs that the construction industry is facing.
The council says if the additional funding is not approved for both projects, they will not be able to progress as proposed.
The money will come from the Disability Access Grant, which is a fund provided to support schools and other providers to improve accessibility for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
