Community to have say on SEND pupil relocation as North Tyneside Council approves consultation
Council chiefs have given the go-ahead to begin consulting families over plans to move SEND pupils to a new school building.
North Tyneside Council’s cabinet has approved a consultation to move SEND primary pupils, currently occupying the Langdale Centre in Wallsend, to Forest Hall Primary School once it is empty in September.
The primary school was one of several selected for closure and or merger in the council’s highly controversial ‘Education Review’ in October last year.
The primary pupils are part of the Silverdale School, which previously used space at Grasmere Academy in Killingworth until structural concerns affecting a number of schools were discovered in March 2024, prompting the pupils to move to the Langdale Centre.
Now, parents, staff, and the wider community will be invited to have their say on transferring the primary over. The informal “pre-publication” consultation is now scheduled during the Autumn term of 2026/27.
Cabinet member responsible for education, employability and skills, Cllr Tracy Hallway said: “Silverdale plays a vital role in supporting children with social, emotional, and mental health needs, but the school is currently operating with significant challenges. It was judged inadequate at its most recent Ofsted inspection and demand for specialist places continues to rise.
“The accommodation at the centre is fragmented, ageing, and not designed for SEND provision. These issues affect the quality of education and the long term sustainability of the school.”
In January 2026, the cabinet decided to close the nearby Ivy Road Primary School and merge it with Forest Hall Primary. The Ivy Road site would then be used to accommodate the former Forest Hall pupils. This formed a larger part of a controversial shake-up of education in North Tyneside where a number of schools were proposed for closure and or merger last October.