Proposals to build North Somerset’s first specialist school for students with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs have won unanimous support from planners.

North Somerset Council’s Planning and Regulatory Committee voted today (Wednesday) to approve an application to build the new Lime Hills Academy at Ladymead Lane in Langford.

It will be the district’s first permanent SEMH school, as the current Lime Hills Academy is operating from temporary buildings in Nailsea – and is struggling to meet the ‘urgent’ demand for its specialist provision from across North Somerset.

The new site will enable Lime Hills – part of the Cabot Learning Federation – to more than double its capacity from 29 to 65 students, aged 5-16. For many, this will mean a welcome end to hours-long daily journeys to specialist schools outside of the district.

Lis Jolley, Headteacher of Lime Hills Academy, said: “Lime Hills urgently needs a permanent home which will allow an increase in student numbers.

“At present, vulnerable children can find themselves ‘stuck’ in inappropriate provision or travelling hours every day to school because places at Lime Hills cannot be made available.

“But every child deserves the opportunity to be taught appropriately and to reach their potential within their own community, in a safe environment suitable to their needs. Without this, children can feel misunderstood and rejected by the system and excluded from their communities.

“This multi-million-pound Department for Education investment will provide a purpose-built, modern and welcoming school with impressive sustainability credentials for the communities of Churchill and Langford to share and use.

“By working together, it is possible to deliver a school and a site the local community can be truly proud of.”

The two-storey development will include specially-designed teaching rooms, plus sports and dining halls. The site will also feature sports pitches, outdoor play space, and dedicated parking and drop-off areas to minimise traffic impact on nearby roads.

North Somerset Council planning officers said: “A lack of SEND school facilities and places both locally and nationally means the need for a new SEND SEMH school is substantial.

“There is currently a significant shortfall in SEND provision in North Somerset, which means the local authority is required to send children to neighbouring districts to meet their special education needs. The length of journeys and absence of local provision can have a negative impact on behaviour, anxiety, and outcomes for the pupils concerned.

“The proposed SEND school will allow the children to be educated locally, reducing travel costs and improving educational and social outcomes.”

The application was supported by others throughout the district’s education community.

Justin Humphreys, Chair of Secondary Heads in North Somerset (SHINs), was among those to log formal statements of support with the planning authority.

He said: “The Lime Hills Academy is an essential component within education delivery in North Somerset.

“The number of students within secondary schools in North Somerset reporting significant SEMH needs continues to increase, with a number of cases beyond the resources and environment of current schools.

“The specialist provision provides much-needed support for those with acute SEMH needs and we look forward to celebrating the success of the students attending Lime Hills Academy in the future.”

A curry and quiz fundraiser evening at Broadoak Academy has been staged by the academy’s hospitality and catering students to raised money for a very worthy charity.

This is the second year the academy has run the charity night. Staged in Broadoak’s main hall, the event raised a grand total of £138.50 for the Weston-super-Mare Foodbank.

Danny McGilloway, Principal of Broadoak Academy, was the eloquent quizmaster for the evening. Danny’s favourite round asked ‘are you smarter than a Broadoak student?’ and featured questions set by students from Years 7-11.

Naomi Aves, Broadoak’s Head of Creative, said: “This event was the perfect opportunity for our students to experience a taste of working in the catering industry, from preparing food, serving guests and clearing up after. They did a brilliant job.

“Our guests were particularly impressed by the handmade naan breads which served as the perfect accompaniment to the delicious chicken curry and sweet potato curry. The whole evening was a great success.”

Broadoak’s maths teachers – aptly named ‘The Mathia’ – emerged victorious and claimed the prize of a bottle of wine and a gift voucher, both gifted by Indian restaurant Panache.

Staff and students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy will be turning a much-loved Christmas tradition on its head this year in aid of a charity which supports the city’s homeless.

The Fishponds school will be running a reverse advent calendar this December in aid of the Julian Trust.

How the reverse advent calendar works is a very simple idea. The calendar has the same 24 gift days as a traditional advent calendar, but instead of opening a window and receiving a gift or chocolate, you donate whatever is pictured in that window. This will include items such as clothing, personal hygiene items, food and sleeping bags. At the end of the calendar, all collated items will be delivered to the Julian Trust.

The Julian Trust has been welcoming and accommodating homeless people and rough sleepers in Bristol since 1986. The independent charity, which is entirely run by volunteers, offers people in need a hot meal, a bed for the night and a warm welcome.

Cameron Shaw, Principal of Bristol Metropolitan Academy, said: “We are pleased to be able to support this local charity that supports some of the most vulnerable in our community when they need it. The idea was brought to my attention by Donna Whitcliffe, one of our Heads of Houses, who felt that our students, staff and families would really like to support a charity that operates so close to home.”

CLF academies feature in the December edition of the Voice Newspapers, including a front page! Scroll down the page to find out more.

Bristol’s Begbrook Primary Academy has been rated as ‘Good’ in all areas by education watchdog Ofsted after impressing inspectors with its ‘rich’ curriculum and ‘inclusive’ ethos.

The judgment follows a detailed analysis by four Ofsted inspectors, who spoke with staff and parents, observed lessons and carried out a ‘deep dive’ into a number of subject areas.

One very talented student from King’s Oak Academy in Kingswood spent the day at the Future Lionesses Goalkeeper Training Day.

Pupils at Frome Vale Academy (FVA) can now spend Penguin Pounds – school money designed by Year 5 teacher Ross Fossard and featuring the academy mascot.

The smash hit West End musical and global phenomenon School of Rock was performed by an extremely talented cast of students at Bristol Metropolitan Academy for their annual production.

There was such huge demand for this blockbuster show that all tickets for the six performances were snapped up in less than a week.

A rapturous reception from these sell-out audiences was fitting reward for more than 100 students from Years 7-11 who spent 10 months of preparation and rehearsals fine-tuning their talents.

School of Rock tells the story of the overly-enthusiastic guitarist Dewey Finn (played by Year 10 students Ben Beighton-Horne and Luke Elliott) who gets thrown out of his bar band and finds himself in desperate need of work. Posing as a substitute music teacher at an elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to the hard rock gods he idolises and emulates – much to the consternation of the uptight principal. As he gets his privileged and precocious charges in touch with their inner rock ‘n’ roll animals, he imagines redemption at a local battle of the bands.

This production involved an enormous amount of cross curricular support from art and design & technology teams who constructed the set and props. Other members of staff from across the Fishponds academy have supported the hectic schedule of rehearsals.

Matinee performances were also staged for Cabot Learning Federation primary and secondary schools.

MET Productions Director & Programme Leader of Drama, Meesh Vince, said: “This show has created a huge sense of belonging and camaraderie between staff and students. Thank you to Dave Vince, DT teacher and the Artistic Director who created and designed a fantastic stage set, props and technical elements for the show. Thank you to Lucie Morrish, drama teacher, who has been the vocal coach and choreographer. I would also like to thank everyone else involved for making this amazing show possible, thank you.”