Created to provide a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment for pupils with complex autism, the new school and college has been thoughtfully designed by Frank Shaws Associates. The facility will include specialist classrooms, sensory and immersive rooms, indoor and outdoor breakout spaces, a forest school, food technology rooms, a post-16 café and a life skills suite for young adults. These features reflect best practice guidance from the Autism Education Trust (AET) and were shaped through engagement with students and staff at Woodley.

Jonathan Standen, Planning Director at Lichfields, a planning consultancy which assisted the council, commented: “There’s a growing demand across the country for specialist school places and Kirklees is taking a proactive approach to meeting that need. This scheme is a great example of what can be achieved when technical teams, local authorities and planners work together.”