PLANS to use a former primary school to create space for up to 80 children with special needs to be educated in the county have been given the go ahead.

The proposed expansion of Beaucroft School, which will see the council utilise the former Wimborne First School building, has taken a further step to becoming reality after plans were approved by Dorset Council's cabinet.

The plans fall under a wider £37.5m plan to provide education for Dorset's children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND), and will see up to 80 additional places for children and young people, with a particular focus on those in post-16 education, through the expansion of Beaucroft School.

This will help reduce the council's need to find independent placements for children with SEND outside of the county.

At a cabinet meeting this week, councillors approved the initial proposals for the former Wimborne First School site to be used to increase the capacity of Beaucroft School.

A four-week formal consultation period will now take place, and then a report will be brought back to the cabinet for a final decision.

Councillor Andrew Parry, Dorset Council portfolio holder for children, education and early help, said: "I am absolutely delighted that the plans at this stage have received cabinet support.

"The expansion of Beaucroft School is a great opportunity to expand one of Dorset's existing special schools, enabling more of Dorset's children to receive their education closer to home.

"It will be a welcome boost to meeting SEND sufficiency."

Increasing local, specialist provision of education for young people with SEND will help reduce the council's need for costly independent placements. Specialist post-16 institutions cost roughly £56,000 a year per child, compared to an average cost of £18,000 at Beaucroft School.

Providing education locally will also allow more young people to be educated closer to home and in their local communities with their friends and neighbours.

The former Wimborne School site has been empty since the school was moved to Campanula Way as part of a new housing development in Wimborne. In February this year, the school was temporarily used to train police dogs.