Funding for a new 30 place Special Educational Needs (SEND) unit at the Royal Liberty School, Romford, has been approved by Cabinet.
The new unit, which is set to cost £2.7m, will cater for children aged 11 to 16 with communication and interaction needs such as autism, and speech, language and communication needs.
Councillor Oscar Ford, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:
“The new facility will help to meet the rising demand for SEND places in the borough and will allow pupils to have specialist support, while still having access to a mainstream secondary curriculum.
“In addition, it will help to reduce the need to place secondary school pupils outside the borough, ultimately reducing the cost of out-of-borough placements.”
The Department for Education has approved plans to make changes to the school, with funding coming from the SEND Capital Grant.
The new unit is expected to open for the September 2027 school year.