PLANS for an extra building for special educational needs (SEN) provision at a Bradford school have been given the go ahead.

The application, for Appleton Academy in Wyke, outlined proposals for a new single-storey building with three classrooms and was lodged earlier this year.

The application said: “The school needs to accommodate for students with special educational needs who have difficulties in teaching environments.

“The proposal would see the construction of the school building, on Woodside Road, providing an additional 18-21 spaces for pupils.”

It said the proposed building would sit around 20 metres from the main building and would include classrooms, as well as facilities like toilets and a kitchen.

The application, from Bradford Council, added: "The school already hosts SEN students in a room they refer to as the ‘hub’ and provides the opportunity for the class bases in the proposed modular and the existing students to mix and for staff to potentially move easily between the two elements.

"The location of the modular enables a separation between two users (standard students and SEN students). This separation is because of their health condition.

"It is also proposed that a 2.4 metre fence is erected so they do not climb one boundary to another for everyone’s own safety.

"The type of SEN that will be designated is SEMH (Social, Emotional Mental Health) as such they are not physically disabled and will not require any specialist access requirement.

"The students will attend the unit for registration at the start of the school day and an assessment made on their situation

"If they are having a good day they are likely to attend mainstream lessons with other students - if they are in a state of crisis they will remain in the modular and receive their teaching from the modular. There is an aspiration that students will spend around 70 per cent of their time as mainstream but of course this will vary according to their state of mind at any given time. What seems to greatly benefit these students is access to external space. So the location of the unit provides this access readily to both a soft area of grass and hard play area of tarmac."

Sport England was consulted on the application and said it did not raise any objection.

It said: "The proposed development results in a minor encroachment onto the playing field. However, having considered the nature of the playing field and its ability to accommodate a range of pitches, it is not considered that the development would reduce the sporting capability of the site."

In an assessment of the application, a planning report said: "It is considered that the proposed application for expanding the school will be of benefit to the pupils. The additional SEN spaces will also be of benefit to the people of Wyke and the surrounding neighbourhood, as well as the Council."

It also said the new building is reasonably close to the school to "mitigate the impact on the character and openness of the Green Belt" and it would not block views out to the open fields from the main school building. The application was said to be "acceptable from a visual, landscape impacts, highway safety and residential amenity perspective".