Cabinet to consider plans for new specialist primary school places

Cabinet Members will discuss plans to create 40 specialist primary school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). 

The proposal, which will be considered by Cabinet on Wednesday 7 October, would see the existing council-owned building at The Mill, Worsbrough Bridge, refurbished and adapted. 

The scheme is part of Barnsley Council’s approach to create more specialist places locally, so children and young people can get the support they need closer to home.  

In February 2026, Cabinet agreed to accept £9.4 million from the Government to help create and improve local SEND and alternative provision in Barnsley. The new provision would help meet the growing need for specialist primary school places in Barnsley.

The £7.37 million investment would transform the existing council-owned building into a specialist primary school for Barnsley children with complex SEND needs. This includes refurbishing and adapting the site, as well as essential works such as a new roof and accessibility improvements.  

Waterton Academy Trust has been chosen as the council’s preferred partner to run the new specialist primary school, following a selection process. The trust already has experience of running specialist education locally.

If approved, children would be expected to start learning at The Mill from September 2028.  The work would be paid for through the Government’s ring-fenced High Needs Provision Capital Allocation Grant. This funding must be used to create or improve specialist education places for children and young people with SEND.

Councillor Gary Hall, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services, said:

“We want every child and young person in Barnsley to have the right support, in the right place, at the right time. These proposals would help us create more specialist primary school places locally, so more children with SEND can learn closer to home.

“The Mill would make good use of an existing council-owned site and help us provide more specialist education places here in Barnsley, reducing the need for children to travel outside the borough for their education.” 

Read the full cabinet report on the Barnsley Council website.