80 RG Carter- Swaffham SEN School
RG CARTER- SWAFFHAM SEN SCHOOL
The new Fred Nicholson SEND School on Lynn Road, Swaffham, led by RG Carter, marks a milestone in Norfolk County Council’ s Local First Inclusion programme, delivering top-tier specialist education facilities and earning praise for its future-focused design and construction.
The development of the new Fred Nicholson School in Swaffham continues to make strong progress, marking a significant milestone in Norfolk County Council’ s plans to enhance and expand local SEND provision.
The project is being delivered by main contractor RG Carter, with architectural design by NPS( South East) Ltd and consulting support from Norse Consulting and Roy Sykes Consulting.
Located off Lynn Road on a 3.2-hectare site, the new three-storey building will provide space for up to 224 pupils aged 5 to 16, increasing the capacity from the existing school’ s 197 places. The development will create 27 new specialist school places and is part of the Council’ s £ 120 million Local First Inclusion programme aimed at delivering high-quality education closer to home for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The project reached its structural topping-out milestone in June 2025. To celebrate the occasion, pupils and staff visited the site and participated in a ceremonial steel signing.
Cllr Penny Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Children’ s Services, said:“ This fantastic project is now taking shape and it’ s fantastic to see. It forms part of our wider Local First Inclusion strategy to meet the needs of children closer to home, providing modern, fit-forpurpose schools that support young people’ s education and wellbeing.”
Once complete, the school will feature 17 general classrooms, specialist learning spaces including sensory rooms, life skills areas, food tech, music, and creative arts spaces, and a sixth form area. There will also be dedicated facilities for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder( ASD).
RG Carter, the main contractor, confirmed that the project remains on schedule for completion by spring 2026. The company hosted pupils and staff on-site as part of the topping-out milestone, allowing them to tour parts
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