Nearly £8 million is set to be invested at a Warwick school to increase the number of SEND school places in the area.

Evergreen School has been allocated £7.82 million by Warwickshire County Council to create a new two-storey building that will include seven classrooms, a range of therapy rooms, sensory space, a kitchen, music and vocational rooms, and add 40 SEND places.

The school, which has sites at Deansway and Brittain Lane, has been given the funding due to the significant number of houses being built in the area increase demand for SEND places.

The county council will also signed off on another £100,000 towards site access works for the new school near Europa Way, and £2.31 million for Oak Wood Primary School in Nuneaton to provide another 20 SEND places in the north of the county.

Nigel Minns, strategic director for People Group, said: "We are committed to increasing the number of places in Warwickshire for children with a special educational need or disability to meet both the current and predicted future need for this type of specialist provision.

"This funding will increase our capacity for teaching children with SEND in specialist schools near to their homes, communities and health and care providers. It's a great step forward to providing the holistic support that is our aspiration" for our more vulnerable learners."

The funding was confirmed at the council's cabinet meeting this week.

In addition to the increase in SEND Places, cabinet also gave its approval for the following developments to be funded:

• Bishop's Tachbrook Church of England Primary Schoolv - £517,000 for 30 places for reception in September 2023
• Briar Hill Infant School/St Margaret's CofE Junior School - £720,000 for 30 places for reception in September 2023
• Stratford upon Avon School – £3.716 million for additional accommodation at the school for an additional 350 pupils.
• Bishop's Itchington Primary School, Stratford on Avon – £195,000 to undertake classroom improvements.