A £10.7-MILLION school which is being built in Okehampton for children with specific needs has been given huge backing from the community.

The Promise School, which will cater for children with social, emotional and mental health needs, has received an all-round approval rating in a survey carried out by the Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust (DMAT).

One hundred percent of the participants agreed that there was a substantial need for a new special school in the area, while 94 percent thought the school plans would meet the needs of its future pupils.

West Devon Borough Councillor Julie Yelland, said: ‘The Promise School is a good idea, it’s good for the wider community more than just Okehampton and is a much needed provision in the area. I fully support it and it’s good that a need is being met.’

At the end of 2021, the Department for Education, alongside DMAT, ran a public consultation, necessary by law, to gauge the reaction of the community during which survey respondents also noted that ‘the school is desperately needed in our area’ and that it was ‘good to see that a trust which has expertise in SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] is leading on the development if the school.’

This positive sentiment was also expressed during in-person information events held by the trust, with one attendee noting that ‘there was a clear moral imperative coming through… that was very reassuring about wanting to get this right for the children of Devon.’

The trust also received a wide array of feedback from the process which the school’s new principal designate, Tracy Ashton, will review and put into action.

Ms Ashton said: ‘I am hugely excited to get underway in this role, and to build upon the positive momentum which this project has already generated.

‘Our consultation results highlight the comprehensive plans which the trust have put in place, and I am looking forward to working closely with everyone in the community to bring this much-needed school to life.’

As part of the plans, DMAT has also established a partnership with the Compass Partnership of Schools, a multi-academy trust which runs six primary schools in London, for advice and support.

Construction company Wilmott Dixon, which has carried out construction work for other special schools in the past, has already started on the new £10.7 million school which will have facilities for up to 100 children aged four to 16 with social, emotional and mental health difficulties.

The first ground was broken by the chairman of Devon County Council, Jeff Trail, in December and work is expected to to finish in time to open for the 2023/24 academic year.

Despite the lack of a purpose-built school building, the Promise School will start taking in new pupils in the next academic year who will be accommodated temporarily at both St James Primary School and Okehampton Community College, two of DMAT’s other academies.

The students will have a dedicated space at each school during the 2022/23 academic year, which will include a separate entrance, specialist classrooms, access to outdoor facilities and catering.

The school is part of a £22 million programme by Devon County Council to provide 300 extra places for children with special educational needs across the county.

This is in addition to 300 places which have been provided in new special schools in Tiverton and Newton Abbot and by expanding schools in Exeter and North Devon.

At the moment, children with special needs in the wider Okehampton area must often travel to North Devon or Exeter to attend a school that meets their requirements.

Plans for the school have been in the making for several years when Devon County Council’s cabinet was asked in October 2020 to approve spending £8 million on a new special school in Okehampton.

The cabinet was also asked to start advertising for the proposed academy’s sponsor. The Dartmoor Multi Academy Trust was selected from at least five other academy trusts to run the Promise School,

For more information visit www.dartmoormat.org.uk/consultations.