New £37m school could be built in West Derby

With pupils at the existing Princes School spread across four sites including a main location in Toxteth, Liverpool Council is to move forward with the proposed establishment of a purpose built site in West Derby.

The city council’s cabinet is to be asked to back proposals to invest £37m into the building of a new school on long-derelict land off Princess Drive to house 250 pupils. Should the plans go ahead, it is hoped that community groups and other SEN schools can access the facility moving forward.

It is said the current main locations are in “poor condition” and are “not suited to the complex needs of the pupils or the growing demand of the service needs to provide sufficient places within the city for pupils with an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).” The case for a new school was made a number of years ago and needs to be delivered “as quickly as possible” according to the city’s own analysis.

The main Princes School on Selborne Street and Picton site provides education for primary age pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and autism. At this time, an additional two cohorts are being managed on satellite sites on Dingle Lane and Overbury Street. The Toxteth and Picton sites are in particularly poor condition according to assessments by the local authority.

They are described as being “nearing the end of their functional life” but remain safe to use for the time being. A cabinet report added: “Some key building services have failed and there has been additional expense for the council keeping the buildings open.”

Subject to receiving planning permission, the city council will move forward with building work at a plot on Colwell Road off Princess Drive, West Derby. The site, which was allocated in 2023, was formerly a primary school which was demolished in 2006 and has remained vacant and in an overgrown state since.

It is anticipated that 250 pupils would be located at the school, which would include the relocation of the current Princes School pupils. In Liverpool, pupils with an EHCP has risen by 50% in the four years since 2020.

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More than 30 classrooms would be created with dedicated hygiene rooms and hoist access. The school would be built on a single storey to provide greater accessibility while two hydrotherapy pools would be provided.

Rebound and multisensory rooms form part of the wider plans, alongside a community space including open café area and meeting/conference area. The funding is expected to be agreed when cabinet members meet at Liverpool Town Hall next week.