Date published: 2026-10-19 | Category: Children's Services, Delivering for local residents, Keynsham Area, Preparing for the Future
Work is starting today (Monday 19 Oct) to convert Charlton House, a deregistered Bath & North East Somerset Council care home, in Hawthorns Lane, Keynsham, into a new specialist school and two children’s homes for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The project will create a 30-place specialist school for children and young people aged 11 to 18 with complex needs, including autism and social, emotional and mental health needs. Two separate children’s homes, each providing a home for up to four children, will also be created.
Councillor Paul May, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “Starting work at Charlton House is an important step towards providing more specialist education and care closer to home for children and young people here in Bath and North East Somerset.
“We want children with complex needs to be able to receive the right support close to their families, friends and local communities. The new school and children’s homes will provide a safe and welcoming environment where children and young people can learn, develop their independence and thrive.
“I would like to thank local residents for their continued engagement with the project. We will work closely with the contractor to keep neighbours informed as the work progresses.”
Beard, the contractor on the Charlton House site, will be carrying out a six-week programme of enabling works to prepare the site for the main construction works. This will include installing site hoarding and welfare facilities, setting up temporary services, fire safety and security systems, and carrying out works within the existing building. These preparatory works will help ensure the project can progress efficiently and safely when the main refurbishment programme begins in late November.
The scheme is part of Bath & North East Somerset Council’s wider work to help more children and young people receive the education, care and support they need locally, reducing reliance on placements outside the area. A new SEND resource base at Mulberry Park Primary School currently under construction will support up to 10 pupils and a new single-storey resource base on the Wellsway School / IKB Academy campus in Keynsham, for which planning permission has been applied, will provide up to 20 local places for young people aged 11-19.
Charlton House has been vacant since it closed in March 2024. The residents received support to find suitable alternative placements to suit their individual care needs and preferences and staff members were largely transferred to other council-run residential services.
Planning permission for the change of use of Charlton House was granted in July. Work should be finished ready for school to start in the 2027/28 academic year.