After nearly two years of delay, funding has finally been approved for the construction of two new schools on the Culverhay site in Bath. Bath and North East Somerset Council had previously approved plans to demolish the former Bath Community Academy building and replace it with a 120-place special school and a 55-place alternative provision school. However, government funding was frozen, stalling the project.
Council cabinet member Manda Rigby confirmed on Monday that the funding announcement last week means construction can now proceed. The new schools—Green Ways Academy, a special school, and Sulis Academy, focused on alternative provision—will both be located on the Culverhay site.
Rigby emphasized the importance of these schools in providing much-needed specialist places for children and young people locally. “Families will no longer have to travel out of the area for appropriate education, which will reduce transport costs and improve sustainability,” she said. Additional funding will also help the council explore expanding special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) capacity within existing schools.
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Currently, a shortage of SEND spaces forces the council to send children to schools across Somerset, Bristol, Wiltshire, and beyond, often requiring long taxi journeys. This announcement follows Bath MP Wera Hobhouse’s questioning of Prime Minister Keir Starmer during December’s Prime Minister’s Questions, where she highlighted the hardship families faced due to the prolonged funding freeze.
Starmer assured that the government is committed to improving the SEND system and has introduced measures such as extra places, language support, and family hubs from April. Reacting to the funding news, Hobhouse welcomed the decision as a much-needed victory for families in Bath but stressed that more reform is essential.
Local councillor Steve Hedges, representing Odd Down where Culverhay is located, expressed delight at the progress. “The community has campaigned hard for this, and the new schools will reduce the long journeys many children currently endure to access specialist education,” he said.
The council has maintained control of the Culverhay site since Bath Community Academy closed in 2018, with plans to hand it over to the Department for Education for the development of these new specialist schools.