Plans for a new special educational needs school in Bodmin would see the facility open in less than two years’ time.

If approved, the plans would see the construction of a two-storey special educational needs and disability (SEND) school, called Bosvena SEND School, on Turfdown Road.

The school will be on a currently disused parcel of land, and will be suitable for 65 pupils aged four to 16.

The plans were submitted to Cornwall Council by Nexus Planning on behalf of Bowmer & Kirkland Building Services and the Department for Education, who said that the site would “address the need for a new local SEND school.’

Works will include the construction of the main school building, a multi-use games area, a five-a-side football pitch, an outdoor dining area, landscaping, bicycle and car parking, and boundary fencing.

A decision will be made on the application within the next 10 weeks according to a rule introduced in 2021 which requires applications for public service infrastructure development to be made within this time period.

Bosvena is set to open in September 2024 if planning permission is granted, and will be a Department for Education approved free school, managed by the Special Partnership Trust (SPT).

The design and access statement says: “Bosvena SEND will be a 65-place school for children aged four to 16 with Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs along with severe autism.

“A number of spaces within the school have been designed to be accessible to the community; main hall, dining hall and changing rooms for managed use outside of school hours.

“The form of the building has been developed to reflect the need to achieve  an efficient form factor, create optimum classroom arrangements, maximise daylight penetration to each classroom, provide privacy for the school occupants, good visibility and supervision across the building and external areas, and maximise the functionality of the external play areas across a challenging sloping site.”