By Alexander Brock

Copyright expressandstar

Permission has been granted for a new, two-storey building at Baskerville School in Harborne, which provides specialist education for pupils with autism.

Existing buildings on the site are now set to be demolished after proposals were approved by council planners.

A report said the school site was currently “heavily affected” by the presence of RAAC, the lightweight concrete used in the construction of many buildings between the 1950s and 1990s.

It said it had “significantly compromised” the functionality of the school.

“In order to address the most pressing aspects of RAAC, a phased approach to the development is being sought,” it added.

The report confirmed there would be no increase in pupil or staff numbers as a result of the redevelopment.

Speaking at the planning meeting, Coun Gareth Moore said: “Obviously there’s always a need for school places, particularly around SEN.

“The fact this building is riddled with RAAC, something clearly needs to be done so the application to have a purpose-built school to support SEN children can only be a good thing.”

Councillor Jane Jones added: “I’m going to support this because there’s such a desperate need for places for children with special educational needs.

“I’m just wondering whether we’ve missed a chance here to actually increase places.”

Councillor Lee Marsham, chair of the planning committee, responded by saying “increasing SEND provision and places is really important”.

“Obviously we treat this application as it is,” he said.

“We had another school with increased allocations with SEND provision at a recent meeting and I think the city as a whole is building one or two more as well so it’s a welcome direction.

“But obviously we always need to push for more.”

Regarding the possibility of additional places, a council officer also told the meeting that cost and an “increase in pressures from other angles” had to be taken into consideration.

The council report said the proposals would help address the level of congestion on a nearby road through a revised parking layout and had “no harmful impact” on the amenity of adjoining residential properties.

‘No complacency’

Birmingham City Council has plans to open new schools as the number of children with special educational needs and requiring support continues to grow.

Recent figures revealed dozens of children faced waits of several weeks for a special school placement in the city.

A council report showed the authority had missed a target for giving youngsters with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) a specialist placement in the first quarter of 2025-26.

The Labour-run city council said the numbers of new assessments and EHCPs “continue to rise year-on-year”.

“This inevitably impacts on those children and young people assessed as needing a special school placement,” a report said.

Amid this backdrop, the council said it was continuing to expand its special school provision where possible.

“Plans remain in place to open two special free schools from September 2027,” it said. “These are projected to deliver a combined 520 additional places.”

“We continue to implement the SEND sufficiency strategy for 2024-2030 and we have increased special school places by 106 to a total of 5,095 from September 2025,” the council added.

It also recently welcomed the outcome of a SEND inspection, which highlighted improvements in several areas of Birmingham’s services for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities.

Councillor Mick Brown said: “When I became cabinet member for children, young people and families, improving SEND services was a key priority and today’s inspection report shows that we are moving in the right direction.

“The report recognises the improvements we’ve made in leadership, partnership working, and early support, and that’s a testament to the dedication of everyone involved.

“But there is more to do, and I promise you there will be no complacency.”