It will open in December 2027, the school that will be based on the parking site of Portcullis Lodge in PortCullis in the city of Enfield and support students with autism and communication and interaction needs.
The construction of the school is being financed by the Department of Education (DFE), after the Council won a subsidy last year for a total of around 12.9 million.
Once the school is expected to save the council £ 1.2 million annually, which will provide special education needs (shipping) and transport costs.
An unidentified academy trustee has been designated to operate the school, and a lease with the Council and DFE was approved at a meeting of the Cabinet of the Civic Center on Wednesday, April 23.
CLLR Susan Erbil, member of the Cabinet for Planning and Regulatory Services, asked how the Council would ensure that the academy trustee provides “high quality education and care.
CLLR ABDUL ABDULLAHI, member of the Children’s Services Cabinet, said the trust had an “excellent reputation” and a “follow -up history” to deliver the shipping provision.
Cllr George Savva, associate member of the cabinet, asked why the parking lot was chosen for the project.
Katie Smith, the Chief of Management of Operational Statics of the Council, said: “We have been working very closely with the DFE and provided them with information on several different sites and also saw those who made us.”
“There have been other sites owned by the Council that have been considered and reviewed as part of this process and the parking lot of PortCullis Lodge was the site that was considered the most appropriate for this particular development.
“This is partly due to the large number of students who can be accommodated and their location.”
Cllr Abdullahi added that the site was “underutilized”, since it had previously been a parking lot for the Enfield Civic Center before being vacant in 2024. He added that it was “well connected” to the public, which made the option a “without brain.”
