Plans approved to provide new school places for children with additional needs in Sutton

Sutton Council’s Planning Committee met on 7 February to consider two planning applications that would provide an increase in the number of places and dedicated spaces for children and young people in Sutton with complex special needs. Both of the applications were granted. 

A central part of the Council’s ambition for the borough is to make it more inclusive for all, ensuring that young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are well supported and receive a high-quality education.  

As a result of the Committee’s decision, the new Angel Hill Free School will open in September 2025. Part of the Department for Education’s Free School programme, Angel Hill will see 96 new special school places created for children with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school will be operated by the Greenshaw Learning Trust, a Trust that is already well established in Sutton with a strong record of operating good and outstanding schools across the borough.

The second planning application granted approval was improvement works to Sherwood Park School Hill Campus, a locally maintained special school that meets the needs of the borough's most complex learners with autism. The school will gain a new kitchen to replace the existing servery, to support the school to accommodate complex dietary needs. Works will also include additional break-out spaces and teaching and sensory spaces.

These additional special school places, and enhancement of existing spaces, are  integral to the borough’s SEND sufficiency strategy, designed to meet the increasing requirement for more high quality specialist school places.

Councillor Marian James, Chair of Sutton Council’s People Committee, said: “These Planning Committee approvals are a very welcome development to create much needed additional capacity for Sutton’s most complex learners. The dedicated learning spaces at Angel Hill will help students there to receive the very best education and support to help them thrive. I look forward to seeing these developments as they come to fruition."

Read the Planning Committee papers.