Consultation on a new special school in East Lancashire

We are asking for your views on plans to create a new special school in East Lancashire.

This school would provide more local specialist education places for children and young people aged 9 to 18 with additional needs.

Lancashire Council has a duty to keep its special education provision under review and ensure there is the right type of provision and enough places to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The council has developed a SEND Capital Strategy which aims to increase the availability of specialist places.

The proposal

A new 'SEMH' special school

The Council is proposing to create a new special school for children and young people aged 9 to 18 with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

  • The school would be built on the site of the former Broadfield Special School at Fielding Lane in Oswaldtwistle.
  • It would support children and young people particularly from Rossendale and surrounding areas.
  • The school is expected to provide places for 70 pupils.

Why the school is needed

More children and young people in Lancashire now need specialist SEND support.

  • There are currently over 15,600 children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) in Lancashire.
  • The biggest increases have been in children with SEMH needs and autistic children.
  • Many existing special schools are already full or over capacity.

Because of this, more children are being placed in independent special schools, often far from home and at significantly greater cost. The number of these placements has increased by 49% since 2021/22, particularly in Burnley, Rossendale and Pendle.

Creating more local specialist provision would:

  • reduce long travel times for children and families
  • provide education closer to home
  • reduce reliance on high‑cost independent placements
  • provide high-quality, purpose-built specialist educational facilities

More details about why these new schools are being proposed is available in our Lancashire SEND sufficiency needs assessment and capital plan.

Why the Broadfield site was chosen

The former Broadfield Special School site in Oswaldtwistle has been identified as a good location for the SEMH school because it is well placed for children in Rossendale and East Lancashire. The council already owns the site, and a feasibility study has shown it could be suitable for redevelopment.

The site is currently empty and secured, and there are ongoing costs to maintain it while unused.

Funding

Funding for building this school has been set aside through Lancashire’s SEND Capital Programme, which was approved in February 2026.

While construction costs may affect the final design, creating more local maintained provision is expected to reduce long‑term costs to the high needs budget and provide better value for money over time.

Opening date

If approved, the school would aim to open in September 2028. Admission to this school will be for pupils with an EHCP.

Have your say

We welcome your views on this proposal. The consultation information on this page should be read together with: Lancashire SEND sufficiency needs assessment and capital plan.

  • The consultation is open for seven weeks
  • Starts: Monday 11 May 2026
  • Closes: 11.59pm on Friday 26 June 2026

Complete the online consultation

For parent carers of young people with SEND there will be an online information session hosted by the council on Tuesday 9 June.

For wider stakeholders there will be online information sessions hosted by the council on:

  • Wednesday 3 June from midday to 1.30pm.
  • Tuesday 16 June from midday to 1.30pm

A summary of consultation responses will be published on the council’s website. Personal details will not be made public.

For queries about the consultation, or to request information in alternative formats, please email inclusion.east@lancashire.gov.uk.

What happens next

After the consultation closes, we will carefully consider all the feedback to inform and develop our proposals. A final decision will be made by the council's Cabinet. Subject to approval and building work, the school could begin admitting pupils from September 2028.