A new special school in Ivybridge will not open until 2028 because of delays in acquiring land and securing planning permission, Devon County Council has confirmed.

Castlebridge Special School was originally expected to open its main Ivybridge site in 2027, providing places for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in West Devon.

The school's first provision opened in Tavistock in September 2025, initially catering for 12 pupils, with capacity now increased to 30.

The permanent Ivybridge site is intended to provide the remaining places, bringing the school's total capacity across both sites to 150.

The delay means the main Ivybridge site will open a year later than previously anticipated, with the council confirming that the land acquisition and planning permission needed for the development have now been agreed.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: “Devon County Council is working with the Department for Education and the Special Partnership Trust to deliver the Castlebridge special school. As with any building programme, the Ivybridge site depended on acquiring the land and getting planning permission.

“With that now agreed, we aim to open the Ivybridge site in 2028. The Castlebridge site at Tavistock is already open. Combined, these two sites will provide 150 places for children and young people with high needs of support in West Devon.

“We are also working with schools to strengthen inclusive practice across mainstream schools, so more children and young people with SEND get the right support in the right place and at the right time.”

Castlebridge caters for children with autism and other additional needs, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

It is run by the Special Partnership Trust, which operates several special schools across Devon and Cornwall. The school provides smaller classes, with around eight pupils per class, and a curriculum tailored to individual needs.

It is intended to offer an environment better suited to pupils who may struggle with the sensory demands of mainstream education. Head teacher Bridget Williams previously said noise, bright lights, large spaces and echoing environments could be overwhelming for some autistic children.

She said the specialist setting allowed staff to recognise pupils' individual needs and provide appropriate support, particularly for those who found it difficult to process everything happening around them in a mainstream school.

The project is part of Devon County Council's wider plans to increase the availability of specialist education places and reduce its reliance on independent special schools. Denise Bickley, the council's cabinet member for children's services and SEND, previously said too much funding was going to independent providers to fill gaps in provision.

She said Devon needed a sufficient supply of its own specialist schools, delivered in partnership with trusts, so that funding could remain within the county and support local children. Admissions to Castlebridge are managed by Devon County Council, based on pupils' education, health and care plans (EHCPs) and individual needs.

The council has also said it is working with schools to improve inclusion in mainstream education, with the aim of ensuring children with SEND receive appropriate support in the right setting. However, the permanent Ivybridge site is not now expected to open until 2028, leaving the Tavistock provision as the operational part of Castlebridge until the new site is ready.