A NEW satellite site for students with learning difficulties has opened at a York secondary school.

Millthorpe is the latest school in the city to host a satellite provision for Applefields School, a special school for secondary aged students with a wide range of learning difficulties who live in York and the surrounding areas. Satellite provision already exists at Manor CE Academy, where 25 Applefields’ students are based.

As of September, four Key Stage 3 students from Applefields now receive their education alongside fellow Millthorpe students in an initiative to include them in mainstream education. The small group of Applefields students are based in a newly refurbished classroom on the Millthorpe site but spend a proportion of their week in mainstream lessons and taking part in whole-school activities and events.

Millthorpe head, Gemma Greenhalgh, said: "Millthorpe prides itself on its ethos as an inclusive and diverse school and we anticipate that this arrangement will be mutually beneficial for Millthorpe and Applefields students alike.

"This promises to be an exciting partnership and we feel very privileged to be part of this venture.”

Applefields head, Adam Booker, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our students to be part of an inclusive school. Not only will they benefit from participating in mainstream lessons, they also benefit hugely from the social aspect of going to school. We’re very grateful to Millthorpe School and are looking forward to a successful and fruitful partnership.”

The project to date is endorsed by and has been funded by City of York Council. The next phase is planned for September 2020 when it is hoped that provision can be extended further. In the long term it is hoped there will be both a Key Stage 3 and 4 class at Millthorpe School’s satellite site.