'Much needed' specialist school for pupils with autism opens in Surrey

The first pupils have been welcomed at a new specialist school in Surrey. Hopescourt School opened at the start of the academic year at its temporary site in West Molesey.

Now work has begun on the permanent site on Walton-on-Thames which will take 200 autistic students between the ages of four and 19 years old, as well as those with communication and interaction needs. Hopescourt School plan to make their temporary location their home until the permanent school site is due to be completed in Spring 2026.

As part of a partnership between Surrey County Council, Bourne Education Trust and the Department for Education Regions Group, the school welcomed 77 pupils at the start of September. The past 10 weeks of learning and fun have been an overwhelmingly positive experience for the children, their families, staff and the school's headteacher Alex Burrows.

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Councillor Clare Curran, cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning said: “Hopescourt School is key to our delivery of Surrey’s Inclusion and Additional Needs Partnership Strategy 2023-2026. This strategy sets out how partners aim to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with additional needs and disabilities in Surrey, ensuring they get the best possible education closer to home.

"The location of the new specialist school in the north of the county will greatly improve the lives of the autistic children and young people who are pupils there and their families by giving them better and more equal access to the support they need to lead healthy, safe and fulfilling lives."

In July 2022, Bourne Education Trust was approved as the official sponsor for Hopescourt School by the then Secretary of State for Education, James Cleverly and Regional Schools Commissioner, Claire Burton. This means that the school will be run by Bourne Education Trust and Surrey County Council will manage the admissions for local children who require a special school placement.

Alex Russell, chief executive of Bourne Education Trust said: "We are delighted that the development of Hopescourt School’s permanent site is underway, and I know that our students, their families and our staff will be excited to see the progress of the new school building over the forthcoming months.

"We look forward to continuing our partnership with Surrey County Council, Wilmott Dixon and with Freemantles School in Woking, and to seeing our shared vision for the permanent Hopescourt School site become a reality for children with special educational needs and disabilities."

Hopescourt School has been designed with the intention of becoming one of Surrey’s flagship Net Zero Carbon Special Free Schools. The project is funded by Surrey County Council which has tasked one of the country’s leading builders of schools and colleges, Willmott Dixon to deliver the construction of the school.

In collaboration with HNW Architects, planning permission was granted in November 2023, these plans are set to deliver a two-storey school building with a wide range of specialised classrooms, staff facilities, a library, PE and dining halls, and a fitness suite. Additionally, the site will also include new sports pitches and a multi-use games area.

Initial work began earlier this month and has involved clearing and preparing the build site for ground works, Surrey County Council expects the Hopescourt School building will begin to take shape in early 2025.

Hopescourt School’s headteacher, Alex Burrows, the Trust, and Surrey’s Capital Programme lead for Additional Needs and Disabilities (AND) Transformation met families of existing school pupils earlier this month to provide updates and answer questions about the permanent site’s progress.