Run by Eastern Education Group and funded by the Department for Education, the school in Glastonbury Road will provide 90 places for students aged 14 to 19-years-old with special educational needs and disabilities.
In a first for Suffolk, the new school will also become a centre of excellence and hub for SEND guidance, offering expertise to mainstream schools. Examples of this approach include providing outreach staff to work with mainstream schools and offering specialist expertise and training opportunities.
This hub model is increasingly encouraged by the Department for Education and is reflected in guidance from Ofsted around inclusive practice and system leadership. It launches Suffolk County Council’s ambition to implement this model across the county with a number of other education settings.
This news comes just a week after it was announced that Suffolk County Council and Unity Schools Partnership will open a new SEND school in Saxmundham for 126 students with severe learning difficulties.
Both new provisions have been agreed by Suffolk County Council in line with its SEND sufficiency plans, which outline how specialist provision should be delivered across the county.
This new special school in Bury St Edmunds will share a site with Chalk Hill School special school which is due to open in Easter 2026. Chalk Hill will occupy the former Horringer Middle School building, while the second school will be built by the Department for Education on a field on the site. Eastern Education Group will run both schools.
Dr Nikos Savvas OBE DL from Eastern Education Group said:
“We are incredibly proud to be leading this transformational development for young people with special educational needs and disabilities in Suffolk.
“This new school is not only about providing high-quality specialist places in Bury St Edmunds, it’s about rethinking how expertise is shared across the whole system.
“As a Group, we have already led two SEND schools to improved Ofsted ratings, demonstrating our commitment to high standards, strong leadership and continuous improvement. We will bring that same ambition and care to this new provision.
“By establishing a centre of excellence and outreach hub, we will work alongside mainstream schools to strengthen inclusive practice and ensure more young people can thrive within their local communities. Collaboration, early intervention and high expectations will be at the heart of everything we do.
“Together with our partners at Suffolk County Council and the Department for Education, we are creating provision that will deliver meaningful impact for families now and for years to come.”
Reflecting on the new school, Andrew Reid, Cabinet Member for Education and SEND at Suffolk County Council, said:
“This is a significant and very welcome step forward for SEND provision in Suffolk. The new school in Bury St Edmunds will not only provide much-needed specialist places, but it will also introduce an innovative centre of excellence model that strengthens support across all our mainstream schools.
“By working as a countywide hub - offering outreach, specialist expertise and high-quality training - this provision will help build confidence, skills and inclusive practice right across Suffolk. It means earlier intervention, better outcomes for families, and fewer young people needing to leave their communities to access the support they deserve.
“Coming so soon after the announcement of the new school in Saxmundham, this demonstrates real momentum in delivering our SEND sufficiency plans. Together, these developments show our commitment to ensuring that every child and young person in Suffolk can access the right support, in the right place, at the right time.”
