Plans in for Stretford SEND school

St John Vianney RC School is to be replaced with a net zero carbon new-build facility under the Department for Education’s rebuilding programme. 

The DfE has lodged a planning application with Trafford Council for a 50,000 sq ft school on the site of the existing complex off Rye Bank Road in Stretford. 

Operating as a school for children with autism, learning difficulties, and complex needs, many of the buildings that make up the site are “beyond their purpose” and in need of replacement, according to a planning statement by Smith & Love. 

As a result, the DfE selected St John Vianney as one of the facilities to receive a share of a £1bn initiative aimed at modernising its ageing estate. 

The new school will be net zero carbon in operation and able to accommodate 160 pupils aged from five to 19. It will feature a range of classrooms and spaces including a sensory room, a forest school area, and a hydrotherapy pool. 

The project will be phased so that the new school is constructed alongside the existing facility to minimise disruption. 

Once the new school is complete, operations will be transferred over to the new building and the original structures will be knocked down. 

Kier Construction has been appointed as main contractor for the project and Pozzoni is the architect. 

To learn more about the application, search for reference number 110192/PSI/23 on Trafford Council’s planning portal.