Droylsden school's new £750k autism unit - plans revealed

A new £750,000 dedicated SEND unit for children with complex autism needs will open at St Stephen's RC Primary this autumn.

A headteacher who refused to wait for national framework to catch up and turn away children with complex autism needs is seeing his determination rewarded this autumn, when a new purpose-built facility opens at St Stephen’s RC Primary in Droylsden. Confirmation of the autumn opening comes ahead of the SEND Reform consultation ‘Putting Children and Young People First’, part of the government’s broader ‘Every Child Achieving and Thriving’ white paper, closing on 18th.

The £750,000 unit, funded entirely by Tameside local authority, will provide 16 dedicated places for children with Education, Health and Care Plans across EYFS, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. It will include two dedicated classrooms, a sensory room, one-to-one provision space, proper changing facilities and its own outdoor playground area.

Connor Lavin, who has been headteacher at St Stephen's for four years, began building provision to meet the needs of children with the most complex needs two years ago, before any formal funding was in place, after deciding he would not ask families in his community to go elsewhere.

Connor said: "These children were here, on our roll, and we had to act and provide them with what they needed and deserved. Placing them in a mainstream classroom would not give them the tools to thrive. Now they walk in calmly. Their parents leave smiling. The children are happy, and most importantly, thriving. That is the difference when you get the right provision at the right time."

The existing limited provision, known as The Learning Centre or TLC, which stands for both its formal name and what it represents in practice (Tender Loving Care), currently supports eight pupils, all of whom are non-verbal and have autism. Before it existed, some children were on reduced timetables because the mainstream classroom could not meet their needs. They are now in full-time education.

Jane Smith (not her real name) a parent of a pupil with special educational needs at St Stephen’s said: “St Stephen’s was the only truly inclusive school we considered for our child. From the very beginning, the staff have been incredibly warm and welcoming, and most importantly, they have taken the time to understand and meet my child’s needs in the right environment. We’ve seen such a positive difference - it really does feel like they belong here.”

St Stephen's is part of Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 32 schools across Greater Manchester. A CSI inspection of the school in March 2026 rated it outstanding for Catholic Life and Mission, with inspectors describing it as "highly inclusive, providing outstanding care for pupils and vulnerable families, including those with SEND."

The new building is due to open in autumn 2026. Architects' drawings of the facility are provided.

St Stephen's is one of several Emmaus schools developing dedicated inclusion provision. Across the trust, which serves 12,000 in Manchester, Oldham, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford, the approach to SEND has drawn consistent recognition. In November 2024, Mount Carmel RC Primary in Manchester was rated outstanding in all areas by Ofsted, with inspectors specifically noting that pupils with SEND participate in all aspects of school life and achieve very well.

The trust's commitment to staff training on SEND is reflected in a decision taken earlier this year to bring together all 1,600 members of staff from across all 32 schools for a single trust-wide SEND and inclusion inset day, with national keynote speakers and 23 bespoke workshops for teaching assistants.

Daniel Copley, chief executive of Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust, said: "The children in our schools cannot wait for a national framework to catch up with what they need right now. Connor and his team at St Stephen's understood that. They got on with it. That is exactly the approach we want to see across all our schools, and it is what the government’s own SEND reforms are now recognising needs to happen everywhere."

The SEND Reform consultation ‘Putting Children and Young People First’ closes on the 18th of May. Emmaus will submit a formal response arguing that NHS services, including speech and language therapy and mental health support, need to be properly funded and commissioned within schools, rather than delivered from community settings.

Mr Copley added: "We have not been shouting about what we are doing. We have been getting on with it. But as the consultation closes, I think it matters that schools and trusts with real experience of this work are heard. The case for change is strong. The test will be whether the whole system, health included, moves quickly enough to meet it."