A £30m special school for 252 pupils aged 4 to 18 has planning permission on Kilworth Road, Husbands Bosworth. The county aims to finish it in 2028.

A new £30m special school for 252 pupils has planning permission in Husbands Bosworth. It will be the first specialist school in Harborough district, which is the only district in Leicestershire without one.

Leicestershire County Council announced the decision on Thursday 22 October. Planning officers granted permission, so the application did not go to a committee. The council says it aims to finish the school in 2028. (Leicestershire County Council, 22 October 2026)

The school will be built on county-owned land on Kilworth Road (the A4304), next to the village playing field. Husbands Bosworth is about six miles west of Market Harborough.

What has been approved

The school will take children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 4 to 18, from Key Stage 1 through to sixth form. (Have Your Say Leicestershire)

The county’s published plans include:

  • teaching spaces, dining halls, and studios for music and drama
  • staff and administration space
  • a playing field, a multi-use games area and hard play areas
  • staff and visitor parking

The village newsletter’s summary of the application adds more detail. It describes a two-storey building on 13 acres, up to 100 teaching and support staff, and a 100-space car park. It says the supporting documents suggest the sports facilities could be opened to the wider community out of hours. (Bosworth Bugle, September 2026)

The county application reference is 2026/Reg3Ma/0071/LCC. Harborough District Council logged it as 26/01086/LCC.

Why Husbands Bosworth

The county’s SEND and Inclusion Strategy identifies “no provision in South Leicestershire”. Children in the south of the county travel long distances for a specialist place, some of them out of the county.

The council says the site was chosen as the best location to serve the Harborough area. It also expects the school to save money over time, because it will need fewer places at independent SEND schools.

Councillor Charles Pugsley, the county’s cabinet member for children and families, said: “A purpose-built school where it’s most needed is a great start to our work in improving access to specialist support. There’s still more work we have planned, but this will be a huge leap forward for Harborough.”

What the village said

The plans first went on show at the Millennium Pavilion on 3 June. (Leicestershire County Council)

Comments left on the county’s consultation page were split. Many welcomed the places. Others objected to the location, citing traffic on the main road and the size of the school for a small village. (Have Your Say Leicestershire)

Husbands Bosworth Parish Council reviewed the application in the summer. Its minutes record that it “is supportive of the SEND school”. It raised concerns including traffic volume and speed management, and lighting on the pedestrian footpath. (Bosworth Bugle, September 2026)

The county has not yet published the conditions attached to the permission. We will add them here when it does.

What it means for you

  • If your child has an EHCP and travels out of the district: nothing changes yet. The school is due to be finished in 2028, and places at a special school are named through the EHCP process, not applied for directly.
  • If you live in Husbands Bosworth: expect construction traffic on Kilworth Road once building starts. The county has not given a start date.
  • If you want the detail: the application documents sit under 26/01086/LCC. Harborough’s planning portal has been unreachable for months, so the county may be the quicker route. Our Harborough planning news page tracks what we can confirm.