The official opening ceremony for the new facilities at The Sky Academy in Taunton was held on 28 September 2023. The Sky Academy is a special school for boys with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and is currently the only special school of its type within the County.

The £4.9 million expansion includes six new classrooms, break out rooms, a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) room, kitchenettes, and activity space. Research shows that good quality well-designed school buildings have a direct impact on pupils’ learning at school and so Somerset Council worked closely with contractors and the school to ensure the design was right. This expansion has enabled The Sky Academy to take pupils from years 5 and 6 and help increase their chance of long-term success beyond education.

The expansion of Sky Academy is part of Somerset Council’s commitment to ensuring that children with SEND have specialist support close to where they live. Work is also underway to build a new special free school in South Somerset, which will open in September 2024 and provide for a further 120 pupils. Another special free school is planned to open in the Wells area in 2027.

Invited guests from Somerset Council, academy staff and governors, and representatives of the school’s parent trust Cabot Learning Federation attended a cake-cutting ceremony to unveil the extension.