Plans approved for two new schools

Plans to create two schools on the site of a former detention centre for children in north Liverpool have been given the go-ahead.Liverpool City Council’s planning committee has approved an application by the local authority to build the schools on the Dyson Hall site in Fazakerley.It is proposed that there would be a new £5m special school with sensor rooms and a 25-metre hydrotherapy pool run by Birtenshaw. The disability charity would provide education and care for approximately 40 pupils with physical disabilities, complex health needs and/or severe learning disabilities.The organisation currently has an oversubscribed school in Bolton and is keen to expand into Liverpool to cater for the demand for children from the area. It is envisaged that construction costs would be repaid to the council through the rental agreement for the building.In addition, it is proposed that New Heights School would relocate from Gateacre to a new £3.5m building on the site.New Heights is a pupil referral unit that educates children excluded from mainstream education. This proposed facility would cater for up to 66 young people, with staff carrying out assessments before referring pupils to an appropriate secondary, special or studio school.