A DEAF school, currently based at Fairfield High School, will soon relocate to a larger site as its pupil numbers are increasing.
The classrooms at the secondary part of Elmfield School for Deaf Children in Eastville are becoming too small, so Bristol City Council is relocating the school — which attracts pupils from across Bristol and surrounding areas — to the Badock’s Wood Academy school site in Doncaster Road, Southmead.
The plans were approved by councillors on the children and young people policy committee on Thursday, May 8.
The school, which is bi-lingual and bi-cultural, educates children aged three to 16 years old and is split across two sites, with a new-build primary site and an aged secondary site which has faced challenges.
At the moment, secondary students are taught in a building on a site shared with Fairfield High School. But at Badock’s Wood Academy, teaching will be consolidated into one building, freeing up another building for the deaf secondary school.
Kate Persaud, headteacher of Elmfield School for Deaf Children said: “We are overjoyed with the opportunity of opening a stand-alone secondary school for our students in 2026.
“To offer this provision has been a long-held wish of the school and its community. The new school will be comparable in standard to our incredible primary school on Sheridan Road which was opened in September 2023.”
Christine Townsend, chair of the Children and Young People committee said: “I am delighted we’ve been able to take the project from exploring the idea to making a final decision so quickly over the last six months.
“The committee’s decision to support this capital investment was unanimously agreed and it marks a significant milestone for the school community. I am confident that this investment will greatly benefit the students and staff at Elmfield School for Deaf Children.”
The relocation is expected to cost £7,214,000, funded by a grant from the Department for Education.
Early construction works at the new site are expected to be delivered by the end of 2025, with the new school set to open in 2026. The school currently has 29 students on roll, and this is expected to increase to 48 in the 25/26 academic year.
The demand for mainstream school places is falling across Bristol in primary schools, as fewer children are being born in the city and families are driven away by high housing costs. However the demand for specialist places is rising, with a range of specialist educational needs among some children.
Includes reporting from Alex Seabrook, LDRS reporter