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Thomasson Memorial Special School is to relocate to Halliwell UCAN with a block to be installed outside to accommodate the students – as Town Hall chiefs renew their call for government funding for a new build.
The special school for deaf children from the Bolton Council area, as well as from the area of a dozen other authorities, was displaced at the start of last year after a flood for which the repair was disrupted by the discovery of asbestos.
It returned to Devonshire Road around a year ago amid calls from parents and supporters from the National Deaf Children’s Society for it to be rebuilt totally.
And this week these calls increased in volume after it was displaced again due to the discovery of additional asbestos.
Previously, an application to the Department for Education’s School Rebuilding Programme was unsuccessful, but Bolton Council has appealed against the decision and has asked the department to take into account this development.
A spokesperson said: “The existing building has a number of shortcomings which for now are being compensated for thanks to the dedication and hard work of the teachers.
“However, we believe everyone at Thomasson Memorial Special School deserves a purpose-built facility designed to meet the needs of today’s pupils.
“This most recent issue strengthens our case to have the school included in the next funding round, and we will be working with the other local authorities to urge the Department for Education to reconsider.
“We would like to thank the residents living near the Halliwell UCAN for their patience and understanding when the school first used the facility.
“We are sure they will be equally accommodating following this most recent issue and every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.”
Thomasson Memorial Special School is to relocate to Halliwell UCAN after half term with the block to be installed outside a short time afterwards. The repairs are scheduled to take more than eight months.
The Bolton News asked the Department for Education for a comment.
This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.
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