The Unicorn School, Abingdon, has acquired the former Premier Inn and Ock Mill on Marcham Road, enabling it to double its pupil enrolment from 120 to 240 over the next few years. With over three decades of experience, the school specialises in supporting students with neurodiversity challenges, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, and speech and language difficulties. The new facility will allow the school to offer a sixth-form program in the future.
The school will operate across both sites, with the new location requiring planning permission to transform the existing buildings from a hotel and restaurant into a school. The car park is already being utilised by parents for drop-off and pick-up.
For more details, please visit the Unicorn School’s website: https://www.unicornoxford.co.uk/news/?pid=0&nid=1&storyid=179.
Great news – what an excellent outcome.
Yes, fantastic news!
It’s great that the site will be put to good use and the work of the Unicorn school is brilliant. It’s just a shame that local authorities can’t provide such a facility for the many neurodiverse children whose parents can never afford the fees.
Fully agree – I’m a sceptic around private education but this is one area where I think it addresses a genuine shortfall in the state system. I’m a particular fan of their ethos of supporting children for a period of time with a view of preparing them for reintegration into the mainstream schools system.
Completely agree that local authorities should be dramatically expanding alternative needs provision (both separate to and within mainstream schools) whilst sympathetic to the real funding challenges that exist.