New SEND School
Zenith Trust has been appointed to run a new Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school in Rayleigh.
Following a rigorous selection process, the Department for Education formally approved Essex County Council’s recommendation of our Trust as the sponsor for the new, two-site school. The council has also selected Kier Construction to design and build the part of the school on the Wolsey Park Site, which will create 150 places. They selected Morgan Sindall to design and build the school on the South Woodham Ferrers site, which will give an additional 102 places. This creates a total capacity of 252 places for learners with PMLD and complex SLD.
The school is due to open in 2027.
Update March 2026
The official consultation has been launched. Please give your views here.
We are pleased to say that building work has started at the site in Rayleigh!
Building design plans for the site in South Woodham Ferrers are nearing completion, and will soon be submitted for planning permission. We look forward to confirming the range of facilities that will be a part of this amazing project.
Update September 2025:
We are delighted to announce that planning permission was granted on 26th September 2025 by Essex County Council for the building of our new SEN school in Wolsey Park, Rayleigh. We can now confirm that the building will include numerous specialist facilities such as therapy rooms, sensory landscaping and a hydrotherapy pool. There are many other things we are excited to announce as we begin the next phase of our journey, so stay tuned to this page for regular updates. We understand that there will be many questions, and we will absolutely have answers for you as the project progresses.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in getting the project to this point, including members of our community who provided feedback during the consultation process.
Update July 2025:
We are pleased to share that the planning application for the new school has now been submitted to Essex County Council. This marks an important step forward in the development process.
In addition, a Headteacher Designate has been appointed. They will begin working closely with the Trust and local community to help shape the vision and direction of the new school.
Update June 2025:
Essex County Council have announced plans to increase the number of places at our Chetwood site to 102, with this provision being for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 students. The site at Wolsey Park will become a primary provision. As a result, the overall school capacity would increase from 190 to 252.