Plans for additional needs school approved

Plans to build a new additional support needs school in Earlston have been rubber-stamped by councillors.

That move, agreed at last Thursday’s full council meeting, will also mean that spectrum classes currently run at Wilton Primary School in Hawick and St Ronan’s Primary School in Innerleithen will end.

The new provision at Earlston will initially be for younger pupils attending spectrum classes at Wilton and St Ronan’s primaries.

It will also cater for children not only on the autistic spectrum, but also with complex sensory impairments.

Galashiels councillor Sandy Aitchison, the council’s executive member for education, said: “I am delighted that we now have full agreement to these proposals and can progress with our plans to provide children and young people in the Borders who have complex needs with a high-quality learning environment that has been specifically designed to meet their needs.”

A consultation exercise was also held to come up with suggestions for a name for the new school.

Leader Valley School is the current favourite out of the 14 names put forward.

This will be formally reported to the executive in January 2017.