A SCHOOl in Saltash is set for a major boost after plans for a new classroom block were given the green light, paving the way for more specialist provision for pupils with special educational needs.

Cornwall Council has granted conditional permission for the development at Saltash.net Community School in Wearde Road.

The new building will provide two general teaching classrooms, breakout space, sanitary facilities and associated areas. However, the biggest benefit will be the extra room created for the school’s Special Educational Needs Area Resource Base (SEN ARB).

The project will allow the SEN ARB to expand into the space currently occupied by two mainstream classrooms. Those classrooms will move into the new building, freeing up existing accommodation and allowing the school to provide additional places for pupils with special educational needs.

Crucially, the development will not increase the school’s overall pupil capacity. Instead, it will allow Saltash.net to reorganise the space it already has and provide more specialist support for children who need it, while maintaining existing mainstream pupil numbers.

The new classroom block will be built on an existing grassed area to the east of the school’s Sixth Form Block. Plans show a building designed to fit comfortably alongside the school’s existing facilities, with a similar scale to neighbouring buildings.

The scheme has been developed over several months, following advice from Cornwall Council and consideration of how the school site could best accommodate the changes.

Council officers previously described the proposal as a “modest proposal” within the wider school complex and indicated it could be supported.

Access to the new building has also been considered, with a potential level pedestrian route planned along the southern side of the Sixth Form Block, while there will also be environmental measures attached to the development, including a requirement to deliver a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain.

The school site is close to a public right of way, which must remain open, safe and unobstructed during construction.

The plans require construction materials and equipment to be kept away from the route, while vehicles must not prevent members of the public from using it.

The site is also subject to a number of environmental considerations, including its proximity to the Tamar Valley National Landscape and the Plymouth Sound and Estuaries and Tamar Estuaries Special Area of Conservation.

However, the focus of the project is firmly on improving the school’s facilities and creating greater flexibility for its specialist provision.

The application states that the new accommodation will allow existing teaching spaces to be reorganised, giving the SEN ARB more room to grow.

It means the school can increase its specialist provision without taking places away from mainstream pupils or expanding the overall size of its roll.

Cornwall Council has now formally approved the scheme, subject to conditions attached to the permission. The decision represents a significant step forward for Saltash.net and its plans to improve accommodation for pupils with additional needs.

The new classrooms will provide modern teaching space while allowing the school to make better use of its existing buildings.