PLANS have been drawn up for two school buildings for children with special needs at an Essex school. The proposals are for the development at the site of Ormiston Rivers Academy, Southminster Road, Burnham-on-Crouch.

One building would have space for 24 children and would be for the Thriftwood Special School and run separately from the Ormiston Rivers Academy. The second building would be for 12 children with special needs at Ormiston Rivers Academy.

Essex County Council is behind the proposals. The plans state the new buildings "will take into consideration" the day-to-day running of the existing school whilst "ensuring no loss of playing fields."

The developer will also "carefully integrating access routes to the new sites to reduce disruption."

The plans state the new school buildings "will not only mitigate" the need for travel via out of the district for special education, but also "relieve pressure" on the Ormiston River Academy.

Thriftwood Special School, Slades Lane in Galleywood, is part of the SEAX Multi-Academy Trust. It caters for children and young people aged seven to 19-years-old who have moderate learning difficulties, multiple and complex needs.

The plans add: "The proposed new provision will also provide a modern, high quality, and tailored learning environment for pupils, whilst also supporting sustainable development principles."

It comes as Essex County Council has been missing its targets for the time taken to assess children and young people with special needs. In March 2024, that one per cent of children assessed within the legal limit of 20 weeks.

However, in March this year, the council said this rate had risen to about 20 per cent, around the time the council also pledged a new £2.6m investment in its special needs services