The campus will provide 50 new high quality Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) school places for young people in the area.
The project aims to provide young people with valuable additional curriculum opportunities, and extend opportunities for local pupils with SEND, with a nurturing learning environment to ensure that young people in Rotherham are equipped with the essential skills they need.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Chris Read, said: “This new provision for young people over 14 will give our young people with special educational needs and disabilities the opportunity to learn, develop and fulfil their potential to thrive and work in the borough.
“Through the work of Council teams and Nexus, we have been able to take a decommissioned pupil referral unit and turn it into a high quality educational setting, which is going to make a huge difference to young people in Rotherham.”
Forest View has been developed in partnership by the Council and Nexus Multi Academy Trust (MAT) to create purpose-built provision for young people, with the campus shared between Hilltop and Kelford special schools.
It has been supported through a capital contribution as part of the Council’s Safety Valve Agreement, which aimed to generate additional SEND school places for pupils across Rotherham.
An additional contribution was made by Nexus MAT, and over £450,000 has now been invested into the scheme, which ensured that development could take place over the summer, with children starting at Forest View in September 2023.
Warren Carratt, CEO of Nexus MAT and Councillor Chris Read, Leader of the Council officially opened Forest View on Thursday 9 November 2023.
He said: “We are delighted to open Forest View this year. The campus enables us to bring much needed additional SEND provision to the local area and will help us to continue ensuring we make a real difference to the lives of young people in the community.
“By providing essential opportunities and support, Forest View will empower young people in Rotherham and the surrounding area with the skills and knowledge to succeed beyond the classroom. I am extremely proud of the partnership work that has gone into delivering this project by our central Trust team, the Forest View staff and council officers, and we look forward to seeing what the young people at Forest View can achieve with the support of this provision.”