MALVERN MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has welcomed progress on a new special school in her constituency.
The team behind a new specialist school in Malvern met with West Worcestershire MP Dame Harriett Baldwin on Friday (July 18) to update her on their plans for the site.
In March, Warwickshire College Group sold its former Malvern Hills campus, in Albert Road North, to The Aurora Group, which currently operates 27 registered services across England.
It plans to open Aurora Peartree School, on the site, in autumn 2026 and will provide day placements for 120 primary and secondary students up to the age of 19 who have special educational needs and disabilities.
Dame Harriett, who has previously campaigned for education to remain at the historic Malvern Hills College site, met with representatives from The Aurora Group to hear about the progress being made.
She said: “The campaign to preserve learning at the historic Malvern Hills College has been long and drawn out so I was delighted to meet with the leadership at Aurora who have taken over the site.
“They shared their ambitious plans for creating a new school for children with extra educational needs and the site will be returned to full use in September 2026.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the site and I am pleased that work will soon start on returning the building to its former glory.”
The Aurora Group’s Strategy Director Dan Slater said he was pleased that Dame Harriett was taking an interest in the future of the site and he thanked her for giving him the opportunity to share plans for the new school.
He said: “We continue to work in partnership with Worcestershire County Council to ensure Aurora Peartree School will deliver exceptional outcomes for students with additional learning needs.
“On a community level, we’ve already engaged with local groups, including Malvern Civic Society and Malvern Cube, to accommodate requests and involve them in the design process.”
