The new Walnuts School is on the Way

12.00.00am GMT Thu 1st Dec 2005

The official sod-cutting for the new Walnuts School has taken place at the new site adjacent to Hazeley Secondary School in the west of Milton Keynes.

Scheduled to open in January 2007, the £7.3M project will boast a 90-place school for children between the ages of 4 and 19 who have social communication difficulties and who are on the autistic spectrum. The new school will also provide for secondary aged pupils who are on the autism spectrum, something that Milton Keynes has not offered before. The facilities at the existing Walnuts School, based in Simpson, cannot cope with the current level of demand. Up to 30 students will be able to board at the school either for short periods, a full term, or even 52 weeks a year.

Commenting on the new development, headteacher Nick Jackman, who will oversee the transfer of the Walnuts School from its existing site in Simpson over to Hazeley said: "This is just what Milton Keynes needs - a special school that caters for pupils at all ages. I am pleased that we will be able to educate all students on the autistic spectrum within Milton Keynes, which means they won't have to travel out of area or go to a non-specialist school."

One of the aims for MKASPS, the Autistic Spectrum Parent Support Group, was to get local secondary provision for children. Monika Eastland, chair and founder of MKASPS, said: "This school will be a dream come true for us. We are delighted that one of the aims of our group has now been achieved."

Liberal Democrat Councillor Sandra Clark, cabinet member with responsibility for children and young people added: "The massive new school building programme in western Milton Keynes is providing school places for new communities and we are delighted that the new Walnuts school will be part of this family of schools. Milton Keynes Council takes the education of children with special educational needs very seriously and this is demonstrated through the expansion of the Walnuts school to provide for secondary aged children with autistic spectrum disorders."