NEARLY 200 new specialist places for children with special educational needs are set to be created in Coventry through the expansion of three secondary schools.
Design work is already under way or in planning at President Kennedy, Westwood and Cardinal Wiseman secondary schools – part of a £164million investment in the city’s schools by Coventry City Council.
The expansions are set to add capacity ahead of September 2027, when Coventry’s largest primary cohort – the current Year 5 cohort, which stands at around 4,660 pupils – moves into secondary education.
The three expansions will provide the additional forms of entry needed to accommodate this larger year group as it progresses through the city’s secondary schools.
In Coventry’s primary sector, Keresley Grange Primary School’s admission is set to expand from 45 to 60 – moving to two forms of entry – to address current pressure on places in that part of the city.
Land has also been identified for new primary schools in Eastern Green and Keresley.
Building projects are currently underway at Baginton Fields and Woodfield which will collectively create around 190 additional specialist places for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The places will be delivered in phases as each project completes.
In addition, three new primary and one new secondary Enhanced Resource Provision (ERP) – specialist units at mainstream schools which support pupils with additional needs – are planned to open in 2026-27.
Since 2017, 500 places have been added across Coventry’s eight special schools.
Coun Dr Kindy Sandhu, Coventry City Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, said: “We have seen extraordinary demand for school places in Coventry in recent years, and I am proud of how the council and its partners have responded.
“The expansions at President Kennedy, Westwood and Cardinal Wiseman will ensure our secondary schools are ready to welcome Coventry’s largest primary cohort in 2027, while our continued investment in SEND provision means we are meeting the needs of children with the most complex requirements.
“This is about making sure every child in Coventry has access to a good local school place – now and in the future.”
