School Organisation in Cheshire East

Cheshire East New Special Free School for pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Information for applicant groups applying to open Special Free School

In March 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) confirmed that Cheshire East Council had been successful in its bid to secure government backing for two new schools for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Following feedback received, a revised proposal was submitted to the DfE. In March 2024 DfE confirmed their support for this revised bid and indicated that the Free School process will start in May 2024.

Current Consultations:

• St Mary's Catholic Primary, Middlewich - proposal to extend the age range
• Springfield School Wilmslow campus - proposal to expand
• Springfield School- proposal to expand onto a satellite site

Recent Proposals

• Leighton Primary Academy- Proposal to include SEN Unit
• Kingsbourne Academy, Nantwich - update 
• Basford East Development, Shavington - update

If you require information on any proposals prior to the ones listed above please contact SOCS@cheshireeast.gov.uk

School Capacity (SCAP return)

Every year the authority has a duty to submit the Primary, Secondary and Special Educational Needs & Disability forecasts to the DfE. Information is submitted via the annual SCAP return. An overview of the latest primary and secondary forecasts and information regarding SCAP will be presented to the  Children and Families Committee on 16 September 2024.

Guidance on Developer Contributions for Education

On the 11 March 2024 the Guidance on Developer Contributions for Education was approved as part of Cheshire East’s Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document, by the Council’s Environment and Communities Committee. This is aligned with the Department for Education’s guidance for Securing Developer Contributions (August 2023) and Local Authority scorecards.

The Guidance and Policy Guidance on Developer Contributions for Education has been implemented with immediate effect; any planning applications received by the Council after 11 March 2024 will be assessed using the new methodology and costings. Any applications that were assessed for contributions prior to the 11 March 2024 but have not yet been approved, will not be re-assessed with the new yields and costs. However, should a variation or revision be made to the ongoing application and there is a need for the Education contributions to be revised then a new assessment will be carried out under the advice held in the Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). This is also the same for any applications that have already been approved; if a variation is received and a new assessment is required then this will be done in accordance with the Supplementary Planning Document.

Schools in Cheshire East

• List of schools in Cheshire East (MS Excel, 504KB)

In Cheshire East we have 154 schools + 1 nursery; 123 primary schools; 25 secondary schools, and 6 special schools; consisting of:

72 primary academies; 27 community primary schools (inclusive of 1 federation); 1 primary foundation school; 6 voluntary controlled primary schools and 17 voluntary aided primary schools and 1 community nursery.

18 secondary academies; (inclusive of 1 alternative provision); 2 secondary free schools; 1 studio school (14-19); 2 community secondary schools; 1 foundation secondary school; 1 University Technical College (UTC) (14-18).

2 community special schools; 2 special academies and 2 special free schools.

Contact School Organisation in Cheshire East 

Page last reviewed: 12 September 2024