CONSTRUCTION is under way on a new two-storey school extension to help meet the soaring demand for special needs places in south Essex.

Castledon School, in Bromfords Drive, Wickford, has started work to create 11 new classrooms including three “specialist state-of-the-art” spaces for children with specialist .

As part of the plan, the school will be boosted by a new therapy room, a physio room as well as a large sports hall and a library. 

The building is expected to be completed in August 2025, and will take the school facilities to the next level, leaders say. 

Construction - Pupils at Castledon SchoolConstruction - Pupils at Castledon School (Image: Castledon)

Simon Holliday, headteacher at Castledon School, said: “I want to thank Essex County Council for being so proactive with this investment in Castledon School.

“This build will be instrumental in enhancing our strong curriculum and culture at Castledon School, introducing specialised teaching spaces for art, food, and science.

“We are very excited for next year.”

Plans for the expansion were given the green light by Essex County Council in August 2023.
The new classrooms are intended to help the special school cope with the soaring demand.

Plans - CGI of the new expansionPlans - CGI of the new expansion (Image: Castledon)

At the time plans were approved, it was revealed that Castledon School had around 171 students, but its buildings only had capacity for 114 youngsters.

Now, the new two-storey building will increase the school’s capacity to 196 pupils.

It is also hoped that the new buildings will help staff teach a broader range of subjects.

This comes as Essex County Council approved plans to build a special needs school for almost 200 pupils off Rawreth Lane in Rayleigh.

Mark Francois, Conservative candidate standing for Rayleigh and Wickford, said: “I recently visited Castledon School as I have remained closely in touch with the school and head down the years.

“One of my reasons for going back was to view a new construction project for a number of extra classrooms to expand the space available at Castledon, which I helped to win the money for from the Department for Education, as the MP at the time.”

The other candidates standing in Rayleigh and Wickford are James Hedges for Labour, Stewart Mott for Lib Dems, Grant Randall for Reform UK, and Chris Taylor for the Green Party.