103 of 108 people backed a 40-place special school at the Ryefield Centre, Ross-on-Wye. The council will now look for an academy trust to run it.
A new special school for 40 primary-age children in Ross-on-Wye has cleared its first hurdle. Herefordshire Council says 95% of people who answered its consultation backed the plan, and it will now move to the next stage.
The school would open in the former Children’s Centre at the Ryefield Centre, Grammar School Close. The council published the consultation outcome on Tuesday 27 October, alongside a press release.
What people said
The consultation closed on 2 October and drew 108 responses. The council’s outcome report gives the figures for its two main questions.
On whether the school should be established, out of 108 who answered:
- 103 agreed (95%)
- 4 were not sure (4%)
- 1 disagreed (1%)
On the proposed designation, Moderate and Additional Learning Difficulties (MALD), out of 107 who answered:
- 99 agreed (93%)
- 6 were not sure (6%)
- 2 disagreed (2%)
What the school would be
The council’s consultation document sets out the proposal:
| Proposed | |
|---|---|
| Places | 40 when full |
| Ages | 4 to 11 |
| Type | Special day school, not residential |
| Admissions | All pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan, placed by the council’s SEN team |
| Building | Former Children’s Centre at the Ryefield Centre, already council owned |
| Refurbishment cost | £1.2m, from the council’s high needs capital grant |
| Proposed opening | September 2027 |
The council says MALD “is not simply an MLD school”. It is meant for children whose learning difficulties come with other significant needs. Those include autism, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health needs.
Children with profound and multiple learning difficulties are not expected to be referred there. Nor are children who are non-ambulant with significant physical difficulties.
What happens next
The council says it “continues to consider” that the school should be established. It will now run the statutory process to invite proposals from organisations to run it. The consultation document expects a 125-year lease if the successful bidder is an academy trust.
The outcome report does not repeat the September 2027 date. It says the opening programme “will be kept under review” as the design and building works are worked out.
The concerns raised
Support was not unconditional. The outcome report lists the issues people raised:
- who the school is for, and how places are allocated
- whether 40 places is enough
- what happens to children after Year 6
- staffing, therapies and specialist support
- pupil transport, traffic, parking and safe access to the site
- the effect on neighbours
On numbers, the council concedes the point. It says the school “will not, on its own, address all current and future demand for specialist places”. On secondary places, it says the need will be considered through its wider planning, with no new provision named.
Most pupils are expected to arrive by council-arranged taxis or minibuses. The council says the provider will have to draw up a travel plan with its transport team. The consultation document says the facilities will not be open for community use because of limited access.
Why it matters
Herefordshire is short of specialist places. The council says its existing special schools are already taking pupils above the numbers they are commissioned for.
The Ryefield plan follows a setback. In September we reported that the Department for Education had dropped an approved 80-place special free school for Herefordshire because no trust had been appointed. The council’s own report put the cost of a new standalone special school at circa £25m or more. Refitting an existing council building for £1.2m is a much smaller scheme.
What it means for you
- If your child has an EHCP and needs this kind of school, places will not be offered by application. They will go through the EHCP process, based on each child’s needs.
- If you live near Grammar School Close, the council says the future provider will be expected to work with neighbours. Traffic and drop-off arrangements are still to be designed.
- No date for admissions has been set. The council has not said when the provider will be chosen.
Sources
- Herefordshire Council, proposal to establish a new special school in Ross-on-Wye, consultation document and outcome, read 31 October 2026.
- Herefordshire Council, consultation outcome published for proposed Ryefield Centre special school, 27 October 2026.
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