Redbridge Council will spend more than £2million upgrading a school to meet a “pressing need” from special needs pupils.
Proposals have been put forward for five modular classrooms to be built at Little Heath School, near Chadwell Heath, at a cost of £2.18m.
The new rooms will accommodate autistic children and those with other speech and language needs.
The council is projecting a shortfall of 57 places by September, the start of the new school year, which it says will create “additional pressure” on classroom space.
There are 21 classrooms at Little Heath, each with a class size of around eight.
William Torbitt Primary School, in Newbury Park, has room for 72 pupils older than 16.
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The new modular classrooms would function the same as in-house classrooms but would be external from the main building.
“Without expansion, Redbridge will be forced to place more children in independent, out-of-borough settings, which are significantly more expensive,” the council said in a report published this week.
The new £2.17m classrooms are expected to save around £13.9m over the next ten years through the scheme by reducing out-of-borough placements and subsequent transport costs.
Around 20 per cent of pupils with such needs are at schools outside Redbridge.
The percentage of children with both an education, health and care plan (EHCP) and communication issues has been rising steadily in Redbridge, increasing from 48pc in 2015/16 to 64pc in 2023/24, the report states.
The latest rate is 13pc higher than the national average.
EHCPs are legally recognised documents that outline a child’s needs and any extra support they may require at school.
Little Heath is the council’s dedicated special school for children aged between 11 and 18, with 236 places.
Hatton School, in Woodford Green, has 191 places for primary school aged pupils.
Social care and housing are the two biggest strains on Redbridge Council’s finances, and many neighbouring authorities face similar challenges.
The town hall overspent by around £22.2million last year, as it struggled with increasing pressures on its housing sector and social care demands.
The council had initially eyed Park Avenue and says it will carry out a fresh round of consultations with residents.
The scheme is set to go before the cabinet at a meeting next week.
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