Bolton Council has provided an update on the future of Thomasson Memorial School.
The school was forced to temporarily relocate earlier this year after a burst pipe caused significant damage to the building, but children and staff were back on site as scheduled for the start if the new term.
Following the repairs, parents submitted a petition asking the council to explore options for rebuilding the school to better meet the needs of its pupils.
The council continues to explore options for a new build school, and a progress update will be provided at the Children’s Services Executive Cabinet Member meeting on October 10.
It includes details of the council’s pending application to the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Scheme.
Bolton Council has applied to the scheme for funding to rebuild Thomasson School, and following a site visit in August a decision is expected later this Autumn.
At the meeting, the Executive Member will also be asked to approve the progression of a business case for a rebuild, a process which is likely to take a number of years to complete.
Thomasson Memorial is a special school for children who are deaf or hearing impaired and accommodates around 80 to 100 children from the ages of 2 to 16.
It is one of a limited number of North West schools that provide this type of support and between 30-40% of pupils come from outside of Bolton.
Bolton Councils’ Executive Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Cllr Anne Galloway, said:
“We want to give every child in Bolton the best possible start in life and we continue to work with parents to explore options for the future of Thomasson Memorial School.
“I will be considering this report carefully and we remain committed to keeping parents updated as proposals progress.
“Rebuilding a school is a complex and lengthy process and we ask everyone to be patient while we work through the available options.”