A SECONDARY school in the Forest is set to receive more than £170,000 to make general improvements as part of a million-pound investment in schools across Gloucestershire.

Dene Magna School in Mitcheldean is one of six schools in the county set to receive additional funding from Gloucestershire County Council this year.

A package of almost £1.5 million was approved by the council’s cabinet at a meeting last Wednesday (June 22).

The school and sixth form will receive a total of £172,000 to make general improvements and increase capacity.

The largest proportion of the £1.5 million fund will go towards improving the provision of special school places in the county, including £650,000 for a new 60-place school in Stroud and £150,000 for facilities at Bettridge Special School in Cheltenham.

Council leaders want to expand the provision of special school places amid increasing demand, which means children sometimes have go to schools out of the county or to independent schools when there aren’t places available. 

The cabinet also approved new Education Inclusion and Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) strategies at the meeting following consultation earlier this year, which include steps to improve outcomes for children and young people with SEND by adopting a more personalised approach to support and comunication.

Also agreed was £350,000 for the expansion of a primary school in Tewkesbury and £98,000 for improvements at another, as well as £74,000 for additional Sixth Form provision in The Cotswolds.

Mitcheldean Councillor Philip Robinson, who is cabinet member for economy, education and skills at the council said: “Ongoing investment in our young people is hugely important.

“We remain committed to ensuring that all Gloucestershire children have access to a high-quality education, and I’m proud of the fact that we’ve invested, over the past few years, more than £100 million in the county’s schools.”