This consultation closed on 2 October 2026. Read the outcome and next steps.

About this consultation

We have identified the need to increase local specialist education provision for children with complex special educational needs. Statutory guidance says the council must consult on whether a new school should be established before it can move to any later process for seeking proposals about who might run the school.

This document explains the proposal, sets out the key information required by the Department for Education guidance, and asks for your views on whether the school should be opened. The council will consider consultation feedback before deciding whether to establish the school.

Why a new school is being considered

We have identified a pressing need for more special school places in the county. Existing special schools are working with the council to support pupils above their commissioned numbers, and there is continuing demand for provision that can meet complex learning profiles locally.

The proposal is intended to help children have their needs met closer to home, reduce the need for out-of-area placements, reduce long journey times where possible, and strengthen the range of specialist provision available to families in Herefordshire.

• High demand for special school places across Herefordshire.
• A lack of available special school places within the county.
• Increasing transport costs and longer journey times linked to a lack of local provision.
• Some mainstream settings do not have the specialist facilities and resources needed for this group of learners.
• A need for provision that can support learning difficulties alongside communication and interaction needs, autism spectrum conditions, speech, language and communication needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs.

The proposed school

Feature	Proposed details
Type of school	Special school. The school would not be an alternative provision school.
Proposed designation	Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD). This is not simply an MLD school. The school would meet complex profiles of need where learning difficulties sit alongside other significant needs.
Age range	4 to 11 years
Capacity	40 places when fully open and operational
Residential status	Non-residential day provision
Admissions	All pupils will have Education, Health and Care Plans. Admissions would be determined by the council’s SEN Team following the statutory process.
Proposed opening date	September 2027
Commissioning authority	Herefordshire Council will commission all places

Children the school would support

The school would provide long-term special education for children aged 4 to 11 with significant, complex and pervasive special educational needs. Children would have cognitive abilities within the Moderate Learning Difficulties range, including some children functioning below this range, and would also have other additional needs that together create a complex profile.

• Cognition and learning difficulties, at least within the moderate range and sometimes below
• Complex speech, language and communication needs
• Autism spectrum conditions and other communication and interaction needs
• Behaviour that adults find challenging, arising from unmet social, emotional and mental health needs or conditions affecting emotional regulation
• Physical, sensory and medical needs that are commonly and routinely met within a mainstream school
• Attachment needs, trauma, adverse childhood experiences, or periods of abuse and neglect

It is not currently envisaged that children classified as having profound and multiple learning difficulties, or children who are non-ambulant with significant physical difficulties, would be referred for places at this school.

Proposed location and site

The council has identified the former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD. The building is already in Herefordshire Council ownership. The site is in a mature residential area on the edge of the town and is within reasonable distance of Hereford city, with access to major transport routes such as the A49 and M50.

The appointed organisation would be involved in the design and specification of the interior of the building. The council expects close and careful liaison with local residents, the ward councillor and other stakeholders from an early stage because of the school’s residential setting.

Feature	Proposed details
Proposed site	Former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7QD
Land/building ownership	Herefordshire Council ownership. The draft specification anticipates a 125-year lease to the successful academy trust if the successful proposal is for an academy
Planning	It is understood planning will not be required
Community use	Due to limited access arrangements, the facilities will not be available for community use

Proposed ethos and provision

The council expects the school to be inclusive, ambitious, relationship-based and trauma-informed. It should work closely with families, mainstream schools, health, social care and other services to support children to learn, attend regularly, belong and progress.

• Welcoming to pupils of all world views, faiths and no faith
• High aspirations for every child, with personalised pathways where needed
• Strong relational practice, informed by an understanding of trauma and barriers to learning
• A broad and balanced curriculum that prepares pupils for future learning and, where appropriate, transition back into mainstream settings
• A learning environment where physical intervention and exclusion are rarely used, and restorative approaches are embedded
• Active partnership with parents and carers, including thoughtful support for families who may have had difficult previous experiences of education

Travel and access

Many children attending the school are expected to travel via local authority-arranged multi-occupancy taxis or minibuses. Some children may travel by other means where they do not qualify for transport assistance. The successful proposer would need to work closely with Herefordshire Council’s home-to-school transport teams and contribute to a detailed travel plan as part of the planning process.

Funding and costs

The expected cost to refurbish the former Children's Centre at the Ryefield Centre is £1.2m. The council will fund the delivery and design of the school through high needs capital allocation grant. Revenue arrangements would include nationally agreed base place funding and top-up funding in line with Herefordshire’s funding arrangements for special schools funded from the high needs block of the designated schools grant (DSG). 

Potential impacts

The council will use consultation feedback to inform equalities and impact assessments before deciding whether the school should be established. The council particularly wants to understand any potential positive or negative impact on children and families, existing schools, neighbouring authorities and local residents.

The draft assessment is that the new school is unlikely to adversely affect mainstream schools or existing special schools because demand for this type of specialist provision is high. The school is expected to have a positive impact for children who need this provision by helping them access suitable education closer to home.

Who we are consulting

The council welcomes responses from anyone with an interest in the proposal. The Department for Education guidance says consultation should be broad, open and transparent. The council will therefore invite views from:

• Parents, carers, children and young people, including the local parent carer forum
• Schools, academies, special schools, alternative provision, governors, teachers and school staff
• Academy trusts and other organisations that run schools locally or regionally
• Neighbouring local authorities where pupils may cross local authority boundaries
• Relevant dioceses and religious authorities
• Ross-on-Wye Town Council, relevant parish councils and the ward councillor
• Local residents and community organisations near the proposed site
• Relevant health services, including the integrated care board and therapy services
• Trade unions representing staff in schools that may be affected
• Members of Parliament whose constituencies include the proposed location or whose constituents may be affected

Consultation outcome and next steps

Herefordshire Council consulted on a proposal to establish a new special school at the Ryefield Centre, Ross-on-Wye, providing up to 40 places for boys and girls aged 4 to 11 with Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD).

The consultation demonstrated strong support for the proposal. Of the 108 respondents who answered the question about establishing the school:

• 103 respondents (95%) agreed that the new special school should be established;
• 1 respondent (1%) disagreed; and
• 4 respondents (4%) were not sure

There was also strong support for the proposed MALD designation. Of the 107 respondents who answered this question:

• 99 respondents (93%) agreed;
• 2 respondents (2%) disagreed; and
• 6 respondents (6%) were not sure

Respondents highlighted the need for additional specialist provision in Herefordshire and the potential benefits of enabling more children to access appropriate education closer to home.
A number of issues and questions were also raised, particularly in relation to eligibility and admissions, the availability of secondary provision, staffing and specialist support, transport and access, and the impact of the school on the local community.

Having considered the consultation responses alongside the identified need for additional specialist provision, the Council continues to consider that a new special school should be established at the Ryefield Centre and will now proceed to the statutory section 7 invitation process.

Why the Council is proposing a new school

Herefordshire continues to experience significant demand for specialist education places for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The proposed school would form part of the Council's wider work to increase the availability of appropriate specialist provision within the county. It is intended to:

• Increase the number of specialist school places available locally;
• Enable more children to access suitable education closer to home;
• Reduce reliance on placements outside Herefordshire where appropriate;
• Reduce the amount of time some children spend travelling to school;
• Support improved educational and wider outcomes for children with complex learning and additional needs; and
• Contribute to the Council's wider SEND sufficiency planning

The consultation responses reinforced the need for additional specialist provision, while also highlighting areas that will need careful consideration as the proposal is developed.

What we heard and how the Council will respond

School designation and admissions

Respondents generally supported the proposed MALD designation, but a number asked for greater clarity about which children the school would be intended to support and how places would be allocated.

The proposed designation will remain Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD). The detailed specification for the new school will provide greater clarity about the intended pupil cohort and the needs the provision will be expected to meet.

Admission to a special school is normally through the statutory Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. Placements will therefore be determined by children's individual needs and whether the school is suitable to meet those needs, rather than simply on a first-come or postcode basis.

The new provision is intended to complement existing mainstream and specialist provision rather than replace the responsibility of mainstream schools to provide inclusive education for children whose needs can appropriately be met within those settings.

Capacity and wider SEND provision

Some respondents questioned whether 40 places would be sufficient given the level of demand for specialist provision.

The Council recognises that the proposed Ryefield school will not, on its own, address all current and future demand for specialist places. It forms part of the Council's wider SEND sufficiency work to develop a broader range of appropriate local provision.

Demand for specialist provision will continue to be monitored and further opportunities to increase capacity will be considered where evidence demonstrates that additional places are required.

Secondary provision and transition

A number of respondents highlighted the importance of what happens when pupils reach the end of primary education and the need for sufficient specialist provision for secondary-aged children.
The Ryefield proposal is specifically for children aged 4 to 11. However, the Council recognises the importance of ensuring appropriate pathways beyond Year 6 and will continue to consider the need for additional secondary specialist provision through its wider SEND sufficiency planning.

The future provider of the school will also be expected to work with families, schools and the Council to support effective transition planning for pupils moving on from Ryefield.

Staffing, specialist support and resources

Respondents emphasised the importance of ensuring that the school is appropriately staffed and has access to the expertise, therapies and resources required to meet children's needs.
These will be important considerations in the next stage of the process. Prospective providers will be expected to demonstrate how they would:

• Recruit and retain appropriately qualified and experienced staff;
• Provide appropriate staffing levels to meet the needs of pupils;
• Ensure high-quality staff training and continuing professional development;
• Secure access to relevant specialist therapies and professional services;
• Provide an appropriate curriculum and therapeutic offer;
• Provide effective safeguarding arrangements; and
• Work collaboratively with families, health and care services, local schools and other partners.

Transport, traffic and access

Respondents raised questions about pupil transport, traffic, parking and safe access to the Ryefield site.

These issues will be considered in more detail as the design and operational arrangements for the school are developed.

Many pupils attending the school are expected to use local authority-arranged home-to-school transport. The successful provider will therefore be expected to work closely with the Council's transport service to develop appropriate arrangements for pupil arrival and departure and to support the development of a detailed travel plan.

The detailed development of the site will also need to consider safe pedestrian and vehicle access, drop-off and collection arrangements and the relationship with neighbouring uses.

Site suitability and the learning environment

The Council recognises that the physical environment will be particularly important for children with complex additional needs.

As the scheme progresses, the design and refurbishment of the Ryefield Centre will need to ensure that the premises provide a safe, accessible and appropriate specialist learning environment. This will include consideration of safeguarding, accessibility, sensory needs and appropriate indoor and outdoor learning and recreational space.

The programme for opening the school will be kept under review as the detailed design and required building works are developed.

Local community

Respondents also raised the importance of the school developing positive relationships with neighbouring residents and community organisations.

The Council will expect the successful provider to engage constructively with the local community as the school develops and once it is operational.

Opportunities for appropriate community engagement and use of facilities can also be explored where these are compatible with the needs of pupils, safeguarding requirements, the operation of the school and the constraints of the site.

Council decision following consultation

The Council has considered the consultation responses alongside the evidence of need for additional specialist school places.

The consultation demonstrated strong support both for establishing a new special school at Ryefield and for its proposed MALD designation. Although respondents identified a number of matters requiring further consideration, the Council considers that these can appropriately be addressed through the detailed specification, design, commissioning and subsequent operation of the school.

The Council has therefore decided that it continues to consider that a new special school should be established at the Ryefield Centre and will proceed to the next stage of the statutory process.