New £30 million flagship special school for Mansfield on track to open in 2026
Construction of the main structure and roof of a new special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school has been completed.
By Latifa Yedroudj, Junior Local Democracy Reporter
A new flagship Nottinghamshire special school being built in Mansfield is on track to open in January 2026.
The £30 million project will be known as Horizons Academy, located on the former Ravensdale School site at Ravensdale Road and will provide specialist education to pupils with autism, social, emotional and mental health needs.
Construction is under way for the 160-place school, which will teach pupils aged 7 to 19.
The school will have state-of-the-art facilities including sensory zones and escape spaces tailored to specialist children’s needs and development.
Construction of the main structure and roof have been complete and all works are due to finish in November this year.
The school is then expected to officially open its doors for intake in January 2026.
This project is part of a wider programme by Nottinghamshire County Council to meet growing demand for more specialist school places in the county.
The council plans to create 375 extra SEND school places by 2026.
Cllr Ben Bradley (Con), Nottinghamshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, says the authority faces a “huge challenge” in meeting the rise in demand for special educational needs across Nottinghamshire and the country.
He told Notts TV: “We’ve been working really hard to increase the number of specialist places available.
“We’ve rebuilt and expanded the Orchard school in Newark and other schools across the county.
“This is the flagship project, and it should be finished in November.
“It’s nearly there, and from January we will start to take in children from all over the county with a real specialist provision.
“There are a lot of things that we’re fitting into mainstream schools in terms of facilities and the quality of education of those children need, but this will be a bespoke specialist facility which is great.”
The cost os delivering the new school is being funded from the Special Schools capital programme, central Government funding and the county council, he said.
A total of 41 per cent of children and young people waiting for specialist educational provision in Nottinghamshire live in Mansfield and Ashfield, Nottinghamshire County Council says.
Cllr Bradley added: “We have children in taxis being transported all around the county to specialist provision schools.
“This new school gives us the opportunity to make that a little bit easier for people and cheaper for delivering specialist services, because that’s a huge cost pressure.”
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