Significant milestone marked in expansion and relocation of Fred Nicholson School

A significant milestone has been marked in the expansion and relocation of the Fred Nicholson School as pupils visited the site and took part in a ceremonial steel signing.

The school is moving from its current location in Dereham to a new site on Lynn Road, Swaffham, to better accommodate its growing number of pupils. 

Fred Nicholson provides a nurturing and inclusive environment for children and young people, aged seven 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 pupils and staff from Fred Nicholson School, RG Carter which is building it, and Norfolk County Council, which is funding and commissioning the new school, . 

With the completion of the steel frame on the 3.2-hectare site and the installation of precast floors, internal work has now commenced. 

Councillor Penny Carpenter, cabinet member for Children's Services at Norfolk County Council said: "The relocation of Fred Nicholson School will allow us to address the growing demand for specialist education and support services. Thank you to everyone involved for your commitment, hard work and dedication to the project, ensuring that every child in Norfolk can flourish." 

Alex Mackay, Construction Director at R G Carter said: "We are delighted to be working with Norfolk County Council to deliver this much-needed bespoke SEN provision in Swaffham. It has been wonderful to celebrate with everyone who has worked so hard to reach this important milestone and to see future pupils make their mark on a building which will make such a big difference to their own education, learning and development." 

Heidi Philpott, Headteacher of Fred Nicholson School, said: "We are all getting excited about our move to Swaffham, we have very much outgrown our current school in Dereham. The new building will enable us to further extend the provision we offer our young people, supporting them to continue to develop their independence and the skills they need to be successful. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome a Key Stage One cohort into our school community as our new building will facilitate this growth." 

Cllr William Nunn, local member for Swaffham, said: "The groundbreaking event at the Fred Nicholson School represents a significant milestone in the relocation and expansion of the school. We are now one step closer to the completion of the project and I look forward to seeing it finished." 

The new site 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 specialist teaching areas for life skills, sensory immersion and sensory and physical development. 

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 based in mainstream schools, with three special schools delivered to date as well as hundreds of specialist places at mainstream school delivered and planned. 
 
The relocated school is due to open in spring 2026.