PLANS to open a brand-new autism school in Malvern have taken ‘a significant step forward’.
MacIntyre Academies, a Malvern School Trust, has successfully bid for the opportunity to set up and run Enterprise Academy, receiving the news from the Secretary of State for Education, Gillian Keegan.
The trust’s plans to open the school will now move to the ‘pre-opening phase’.
The new school is expected to start in September 2027.
Enterprise Academy will offer specialist education for 120 pupils aged five to 19 with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
A report was set to go before Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet on Thursday, recommending approval for the Poolbrook site in Malvern to be used for the school along with a 125-year lease.
Neil Macmillan, chair of MacIntyre Academies, said: “We are delighted to have been selected to run the Enterprise Academy.
“We are committed to providing high-quality education, tailored to the unique needs of every pupil, creating an environment where all young people have confidence and belief in their potential and be ready for adult life.
Mel Barnett, director for all-age disability at Worcestershire Children First, added: “The announcement is a significant step towards the opening of the new autism school.
“We look forward to working with MacIntyre Academies and continue to work with the Department for Education to finalise the school site and help meet the need for additional, specialist, high-quality places in Worcestershire.”
The final decision to open any free school depends on the Secretary of State entering into a funding agreement with the academy trust.
