A school for children with special educational needs will be expanded in South West London to meet an 'urgent' need for specialist places in the borough.

A former nursery and caretaker's house will be demolished so the new campus for Strathmore School, run by The Auriga Academy Trust, can be built at Hampton High in Hampton.

The new campus on Hanworth Road will be for 25 pupils aged 11 to 19 with severe and complex learning difficulties. Richmond Council's planning committee unanimously approved the plans on January 10.

Sarah Hurtado, headteacher of Strathmore School, said the school is already split across four campuses in Richmond and at full capacity. 

She said: "Strathmore's been oversubscribed for some years which means we're unable to provide places for all the local children with severe and complex learning difficulties and this means, unfortunately, children have to attend schools outside the borough, further from their home community, with longer journey times."

Ms Hurtado said the new campus will provide the same facilities as the school's existing campuses and "possibilities for greater inclusiveness" by working with Hampton High.

Henry Kilpin, associate director for school place planning at children's services provider Achieving for Children (AfC), described the site as an "ideal opportunity" to create another site for Strathmore.

He said AfC had identified the need for more specialist school places locally "as a matter of urgency" – with a current shortfall of 229 places in Richmond.

Special educational needs school will be expanded in Richmond to tackle 'urgent' need for places. (Photo Credit: Planning documents).

Mr Kilpin said: "All the special schools within the borough are currently filled. As a result, we're struggling to place any new pupils in special schools within the borough. Places in neighbouring local authority special schools are also at full capacity."

Lib Dem councillor Penny Frost added many children with special educational needs go to private schools outside of the borough due to the shortage of places, where the placements "tend to be much more expensive on average than the state-funded schools".

She said providing specialist placements in Richmond allows these children to "develop and maintain local friendships, family networks, much more easily" and "removes the need to have to undertake long home-to-school journeys every day".

The plans were submitted by the council. The new campus at Hampton High aims to open from September this year.