Lessons begin at Cambridgeshire's first state special school

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The first lessons are underway at a new special school for young people with autism in Cambridgeshire.

The Cavendish School on the outskirts of Cambridge will be the first state-maintained school of its kind in the county and the the Year 7s who started this term are the first intake.

The school is based at Girton Glebe Primary School at the moment but would soon be moving into a brand new, purpose built school.

The deputy headteacher, Stephanie Smith, said the spaces that are being created for students were amazing.

"We've been given some specialist spaces for things like drama, art and music, which is quite unusual for special schools to have," she said.

"We're also really lucky to have a horticultural building and an area to do forest school, so we're a classroom without walls - learning takes place everywhere and within all of the community, so when we move over there we've got all of that there ready for us," Stephanie Smith added.

The new school was still taking shape in Impington where inside there would be calm sensory breakout rooms and wider corridors so students wouldn't feel claustrophobic.

Building work should be finished by the end of November.

The Cavendish School is part of the Eastern Learning Alliance Trust which bid to run the school 5 years ago.

Deputy CEO, Ryan Kelsall, said in that time, the number of children with autism in the county was 2000 but that number had now risen to 4000.

"The need has already doubled in the time it's taken from us being approved to open the school, to it actually coming to fruition, so it's incredibly important that this provision exists," Ryan Kelsall said.

By the start of 2022, the plan is to have 40 students settling in at the new school in Impington