SPECIALIST facilities, new classrooms and more places for children are among the benefits of a £2m investment in some of North Yorkshire’s special schools.

Mowbray School in Bedale and The Dales School in Morton-on-Swale are among a handful to benefit from funding to make improvements.

The Forest School in Knaresborough was awarded £1.1m from North Yorkshire County Council’s Schools’ Condition Grant which has been used to create an extension, classrooms with breakout spaces and a hygiene room.

It means the schools can now accommodate up to 25 new places.

Internal remodelling of some of the rooms within the main school building have created a range of specialist facilities including a SaLT (Speech and Language Therapy) room, medical room and physiotherapy room.

Headteacher Michelle Farr said: “We are delighted with the result of the programme of expansion and reconfiguration.

“The work has transformed the space available in the school and we now boast specialist facilities which can accommodate students with additional needs.

“In addition, there has been external accessibility improvements to the site, including the construction of a new ramp. We also have exciting plans in the pipeline to improve the playground.”

Over three years between 2018 and 2021, the County Council is allocating £849,000 from the Department for Education's (DfE) Special Provision Capital Fund.

Mowbray School has developed satellite provision with £374,000 of the funding on the site of the former Moorside Infant School in Ripon which is to open in January.

It will begin by offering up to 20 places rising to 40 places from September 2021, with scope for 60 places in time.

Another £218,000 of the grant has been used to create at least 24 more places, improve classrooms and hygiene areas, and build new classrooms at Springwater School in Harrogate, Springhead School in Scarborough, The Dales School and Brooklands Community Special School in Skipton.