The £13m school will be built on the site of an Enfield Council-owned car park that is no longer in regular use, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Enfield Council has agreed to go ahead with building a new special needs school for up to 96 primary-age children in Enfield Town.

Set to open in December 2027, the school which will be built on the council-owned Portcullis Lodge Car Park site and will support pupils with autism and communication and interaction needs.

Construction of the school is being funded by the Department for Education (DfE), after the council won a grant last year totalling around £12.9million.

Once operational the school is expected to save the council £1.2m annually, which will come from reduced out-of-borough special educational needs (Send) placements and transport costs.

An as-yet unnamed academy trust has been appointed to operate the school, and a lease with the council and DfE was approved at a civic centre cabinet meeting last night (Wednesday 23rd).

Susan Erbil, cabinet member for planning and regulatory services, asked how the council would ensure the academy trust delivered “high quality” education and care.

Abdul Abdullahi, cabinet member for children’s services, said the trust had an “excellent reputation” and “track record” for delivering Send provision.

George Savva, an associate cabinet member, asked why the car park was chosen for the project.

Katie Smith, the council’s head of operational estates management, said: “We’ve been working very closely with the DfE and provided them with information about a number of different sites and they have also looked at those with us.

“There have been other council-owned sites that have been considered and reviewed as part of this process and the Portcullis Lodge Car Park was the site that was considered the most appropriate for this particular development.

“[This is] partly due to the large number of students that can be accommodated, and its location.”

Cllr Abdullahi added the site was “under used” having previously been a car park for Enfield Civic Centre before being vacated in 2024. He added it was “well connected” for public, making the choice a “no brainer”.

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