Malvern Hills College Sale for SEND School Faces Delay in Progress
The sale of Malvern Hills College for a new SEND school has been delayed due to necessary approvals from the county council
Malvern, UK, SEND, Warwickshire College Group, Special Educational Needs
Malvern: So, there’s some news about the Malvern Hills College. They’re planning to turn it into a school for kids with special educational needs and disabilities, or SEND for short. The idea is to have it up and running in about two years.
Last month, the Gazette reported that the current owners, Warwickshire College Group, were hoping to finalize the sale to a specialist education provider by January. But it looks like things have hit a bit of a snag.
A spokesperson from WCG mentioned that while the sale is moving along, it’s been delayed. They need to get a formal deed of variation approved by the county council first. But don’t worry, the council is on board, so they expect things to move forward soon.
They’ve even started clearing out the property for the new owners. You might have seen a big skip and some removal trucks around the Albert Road site lately.
The spokesperson reassured everyone that the sale is still in progress, just needing that council approval. They’re optimistic about getting it sorted quickly.
Cllr Clive Hooper, who’s involved with the Malvern Civic Society, has been chatting with the potential buyers. He mentioned they’re aiming to open a 120-place SEND day school by 2026.
What’s cool is that the new owners are a Certified B Corporation. This means they have to think about how their decisions affect everyone involved—customers, workers, and the community.
As of January 2023, there are quite a few kids in Malvern needing SEND support—1,197 to be exact, with 623 having an Education Health and Care Plan.
Just a bit of background: WCG announced back in November 2020 that Malvern Hills College, which included the Malvern School of Art, would close the following July. And in June 2023, some campaigners were pretty upset when a judge told the Malvern Hills District Council to lift a legal agreement that restricted the site to educational use only.
Oh, and the college is recognized as an ‘asset of community value,’ which adds another layer to the whole situation.