First learners settle in at Nightingale Priory Lane
We are delighted to announce that Nightingale Priory Lane, the new satellite site for Nightingale Community Academy (NCA), has opened its doors, with the first cohort of learners and staff now settling into newly refurbished classrooms.
The Department for Education approved a proposal in January for Nightingale Community Academy (NCA) to expand onto a satellite site on Priory Lane. This additional provision will offer up to 72 places for secondary-aged boys and girls with an Education, Health and Care Plan, with places increasing in phases over the next three years. The first learners joined at the start of this summer term.
Councillor George Crivelli, Cabinet Member for Children at Wandsworth Council, said: “We are so pleased to be working in partnership with The Orchard Hill College Academy Trust to ensure the Roehampton site continues to provide high-quality specialist provision, ensuring children with SEND can have their needs met locally, close to their family, community and friends.
“This builds on our wider investment in SEND, including the relocation of Paddock Secondary and Sixth form school, who previously occupied the site, to a new purpose-built facility in Tooting.”
Head of School, Rich Brown, said, “We are really excited to establish a new site here in Wandsworth to meet the growing need for educational placements. We offer a highly individualised curriculum based around the young people’s needs, interests and their aspirations.”
Nightingale Priory Lane follows the same ethos and values as Nightingale Community Academy and is committed to maintaining the high standards recognised in its recent Ofsted inspection, which found the school to be strong in most areas.
Simon McBride, Principal of Nightingale Community Academy, said: “Our recent Ofsted report highlighted the caring and purposeful school community, and we are delighted to be able to extend this positive learning environment to the new site.”
The school is run by Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (OHCAT) in partnership with Wandsworth Council. Lynn Barratt, Executive Director of Development for OHCAT, said: “This has been a truly collaborative project, with colleagues from the school, the Trust and Wandsworth Council working at pace to deliver additional high-quality specialist places for local families, in line with our mission of ‘Working Together to Transform Lives’.”
NCA is a special school in Wandsworth, and all learners have an Education, Health and Care Plan identifying Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. The main site on Beechcroft Road, SW17 caters for boys aged 5 to 19, while the new Priory Lane site provides for secondary-aged boys and girls with similar needs. NCA works closely with the London Borough of Wandsworth to ensure its provision meets local needs and complements existing services.
