NEW spaces for children with special educational needs will be created at three children’s centres in the district.

Bradford Council is in the process of a major shake up of how it uses its children’s centre buildings. Some of the buildings, or sections of them, are likely to be converted into schools providing SEND places.

A full report detailing the future of the buildings will be released later this summer.

But at a meeting of the Council’s Executive on Tuesday, members made an “urgent” decision on three sites.

They were asked to reduce the amount space of Canterbury Children’s Centre classed as a children’s centre to create a site to provide SEND spaces, close Crossley Hall Children’s Centre and use the building to create SEND places and close Princeville Children’s Centre to use the building to create SEND places.

41 Bradford Children's Centres to be reviewed

Members were told that work needed to start on these facilities as soon as possible, as the Council was planning to make these extra SEND places available in September. The Executive voted to approve the changes.

A further report will be brought to the Executive on July 9 in relation to the future of the remaining 38 Children Centres.

Earlier this year the Bradford Schools Forum decided that 354 extra special educational needs places were urgently required to meed rising demands in the district.