A former secondary school site in Rugeley is set to be transformed into an all-age educational facility for children with special educational needs and disabilities

The county council is also planning to establish a new pupil referral unit in Stafford for children who have been permanently excluded from primary school, to provide specialist provision to meet their needs and support their reintegration back into mainstream education.

On Wednesday (July 15), county council cabinet members approved the allocation of £28.5m to deliver the new facilities.

The funding will come from the High Needs Provision Capital Allocations (HNPCA).

A report to the cabinet said that the former Hart School Upper Site, previously Hagley Park Academy in Rugeley, has been earmarked for the all-age special school.

It will provide primary and secondary education.

The report added: "There are currently, 10,652 children and young people with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) supported by Staffordshire, as of May 2026.

"The most prevalent primary needs of children and young people with an EHCP are Speech, Language, Communication (SLCN) needs, followed by Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs.

"There are currently 23 special schools in Staffordshire, providing a total of 3,076 school places.

"As of May 2026, 3,238 children and young people are on roll in these settings; this is 5% above the number of places and the special schools have reached their capacity for intake.

"The majority of permanent exclusions relate to secondary-aged pupils; however, there has been a notable increase among primary-aged children.

"Over recent years, permanent exclusions at primary level have risen by 205%, increasing from 19 in the 2019–20 academic year to 58 in 2024–25.

"Staffordshire has six Pupil Referral Units; only one of these provides for primary-aged pupils, offering 15 places, and it is located in the south of the county.

"For permanently excluded primary aged children in the central and north area of Staffordshire, many have to access alternative provision until a suitable school placement is identified."

Cllr Janet Higgins, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND, said at Wednesday's meeting: "These proposals form part of our wider strategy to increase local capacity for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities and for those who require alternative provision.

"As I have shared on many occasions, demand for special school places and alternative provision continues to rise, both locally and nationally.

"In Staffordshire, the number of children and young people with education, health and care plans has continued to increase, and our existing special schools are full.

"At the same time, permanent exclusions amongst primary-age children are rising.

"Without further local provision, more children are likely to require placements further from home, including independent or out of county settings.

"The proposals in this report will help address these pressures by creating high quality local provision where it is most needed.

"The new all-age special school will support children and young people with social, emotional and mental health needs and autism, while the new primary pupil referral unit will provide dedicated support for younger pupils who need specialist intervention before returning to mainstream education where appropriate.

"Both of these schemes have been included within our SEND reform plan approved in June, as they will improve outcomes for children and their families in Staffordshire."

The proposed new all-age special school is set to provide an extra 180 places for pupils.

Cabinet members were told that benefits would include helping to reduce the time children and young people spent travelling to and from school each day.

Cllr Higgins added: "All-age schools provide continuity for children, so instead of having to transition from reception to primary to secondary, they can stay in one setting. A lot of parents have brought up the transition period, going from primary to secondary, can be quite traumatic for some young people, so this will take that away.

"It will also mean that the journey for young people will be less, transport budget will be less, so it will have long-term financial implication because long term we will be saving money.

"It is something that is needed, it will provide consistency and stability for a lot of young people and their families.

"We have been listening to the voices of parents and young people and they want provision locally.

"That is what this will do."