Groundbreaking ceremony marks the start of construction for relocated Fred Nicholson School

A major milestone has been reached in the construction of a new Norfolk special school, after the official groundbreaking took place to celebrate the beginning of construction for the relocated Fred Nicholson School. The school will move from its current home, in Dereham, to a new site in Lynn Road, Swaffham, to ensure it can better meet the needs of its growing number of pupils.

Fred Nicholson provides a nurturing and inclusive environment for children and young people, aged five to 16 with special educational needs and disabilities. The school's relocation, part of Norfolk County Council's multi million pound Local First Inclusion (LFI) programme, means the number of pupils will grow from 197 to 224.

The ceremony was attended by Norfolk County Council, which is funding and commissioning the new school, pupils and staff from Fred Nicholson School, R G Carter who are constructing the building, designers NPS and Roy Sykes Consulting.

Councillor Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for Children's Services at Norfolk County Council said: "Relocating Fred Nicholson School allows us to address the growing demand for specialised education and support services, ensuring that every child in Norfolk can flourish.

"This project is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved, from the planning stages to today's groundbreaking. A big thank you to the staff, parents, and community members who have supported this initiative. Together, we are building a brighter future for our children, and I am excited to see the positive impact this new school will have on their lives."

Heidi Philpott, Headteacher of Fred Nicholson School, said: "Plans and ideas for our new school have been discussed for some time, however today the vision and excitement became the reality. Today starts our journey to our new school, which will offer us many more learning opportunities along with appropriate specialist rooms and facilities to truly meet the needs of our young people.

"While only a few of us have been able to attend the event today, back in school everyone is awaiting news and photos. We will all be following the progress of the build closely and look forward to helping our young people transition successfully."

Mario Rackham, General Manager and Director at R G Carter said; "We are delighted to have been appointed to deliver this much-needed SEN school for the local community and to host this celebration to mark its construction. We are proud to be continuing our partnership with Norfolk County Council Children Services, with whom we have created many high-quality educational projects and specialist SEN provisions across the region and are looking forward to delivering this exciting new facility in Swaffham."

The new site spans approximately 3.2 hectares and features a three-storey building with 17 main classrooms, providing comprehensive special school education and dedicated areas for sixth form and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) provision. The school also includes specialized classrooms for creative arts, music and drama, food technology and life skills.

The County Council's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) improvement programme Local First Inclusion (LFI) is bringing more than £100m of new investment by the Department for Education (DfE) and Norfolk County Council.

LFI builds on the council's £120m capital investment to build more special schools and specialist resource bases in mainstream schools, with three special schools delivered to date as well as hundreds of specialist places at mainstream school delivered and planned.

Plans for two further schools, in Great Yarmouth and Downham Market, are also well underway with sponsors and funding agreed with the DfE.

Cllr William Nunn, local member for Swaffham, said: "It is very exciting to hear that the relocation of Fred Nicholson School to a new, expanded state-of-the-art facility in Swaffham is one step closer. This expansion will bring positive changes and lasting benefits to the children's education, providing them with specialised education and support services."