Educational centre to open at business park
Three log cabins at a rural business park will become an educational centre for young people with additional needs.
South Staffordshire Council’s planning committee granted permission for 12 new office cabins at Dunston Business Village, near Penkridge, in March.
Now an application to allow the change the use of three of the units to provide education has also been passed by committee members.
A report to the planning committee said: “The Haven School is a 25-place special educational needs Ofsted registered school which caters for young people between the ages of 11-19 who have additional needs in the area of social, emotional and mental health.
"It is on the list of Department for Education approved independent schools, one of only three in Staffordshire, and it is rated good in all areas by Ofsted.
“The Haven’s existing base is at Stafford Manor High School and the school now needs additional accommodation to cater for the demand for places by the local authority. The LA currently commissions all 25 places and continues to ask for more.
“Crucially the school also needs a more rural setting to respond to the emotional and mental health needs of the students. Students will benefit from access to outdoor activities on-site and where there is cleaner air, a lack of traffic noise and a countryside outlook. The school works therapeutically and the relatively tranquil environment at Dunston will support the emotional needs of the students.”
