Established 2010 DfE number 823/7009 Phone +44 1767 601010 | Headteacher Ms Julie Mudd DfE URN 109739 Tables Founded 2010 Gender Mixed-sex education | |
Type Community special school Location The Baulk
Biggleswade
Bedfordshire
SG18 0PT
England Address Hitchmead Rd, Biggleswade SG18 0NL, UK Similar Sunnyside School, Stratton Upper School, Bigglesw Academy, Samuel Whitbread Academy, Edward Peake Middle Sc | ||
Ivel Valley School is a coeducational special school, located in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. The school accepts pupils from all over the Central Bedfordshire area, and was opened in September 2010 on the site of Sunnyside School.
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History
Sunnyside School and Hitchmead School were two separate schools for children with different levels of special educational needs. In June 2009, Central Bedfordshire Council launched a consultation on the future of special education provision in the district. The consultation included a proposal to merge the two schools. This was due to Sunnyside School having more pupils attending than the school buildings were designed for, while Hitchmead School had a falling roll call, which has fallen from 87 pupils to 51 in the previous five years.
In December 2009, Central Bedfordshire Council confirmed that a new combined special school would open on the current site of Sunnyside School in September 2010, with most pupils from Sunnyside and Hitchmead Schools transferring to the new school.
The school today
The new school formally opened in September 2010 with the name of Ivel Valley School. Various modifications were made to the school site to accommodate the new range of pupils, while the old Hitchmead School site is still used for some educational activities by the school's pupils.
The school is currently for pupils between the ages of 3 and 19 years of age, whose special educational needs fall predominantly within the categories of Severe or Moderate Learning Difficulties. Some pupils may have additional medical, physical or sensory impairments or emotional and behavioural difficulties. All pupils attending the school will be the subject of a Statement of Special Educational Needs or, exceptionally, in the process of formal assessment.