LIVERPOOL City Council has approved a project that will boost special educational needs and become a ‘net zero in operation primary school’ built around a unique village community vision.
Backed by £37m of investment and providing 250 SEND places, the new Princes Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) School in Dovecot will offer state of the art learning and therapeutic environments purpose built for children with diverse and complex needs and who have been given an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP).
Ridge and Partners LLP were appointed as consultants to design the scheme through to RIBA stage 3 (planning) and currently remain as design advisors to LCC. An open and competitive process to select the main contractor is currently ongoing.
The project responds to the urgent need to replace the school’s ageing estate. Princes SEND School currently operates across four sites that, while safe, are reaching the end of their functional life and cannot adequately meet pupils’ growing, complex needs.
The approved scheme will consolidate provision into a single, modern campus adjacent to Colwell Road in Tuebrook, with facilities designed to future proof education and care.
The Village community layout will see accessible, human scale buildings and shared social spaces that foster independence, belonging, and wellbeing.
As part of its community minded design, the campus will host specialist spaces including hydrotherapy pools, with opportunities for the wider SEND community to access certain facilities outside school hours.
As the facilities will be net zero in operation, this will mean cutting operational carbon emissions while improving comfort and resilience for pupils and staff.
The new school is expected to open by the 2029 academic year, following completion of construction and commissioning.
