PARENTS who send their children to a “game-changing” specialist school have urged decision-makers to back retrospective plans for its vital farm site.

The Greater Horseshoe School has submitted plans to Teignbridge District Council to formalise its farm site that has been dubbed as vital to its success.

The school’s main, more traditional site is at Heathfield in Newton Abbot, which is unaffected by the plans, but some children attend its specialist farm site near Bickington and their parents believe their children’s education would suffer if the plans are rejected.

Katy Cooney’s nine-year-old daughter has been attending the school at their farm site for two years.

She said: “Ava attending The Greater Horseshoe School has been a game changer for our family.

“She was regularly suspended from her previous school and was also placed on a part-time timetable. She’s an extremely clever girl, but she struggles with the social aspects of mainstream school and being in a class with 30 other children.”

Ms Cooney said her previous school struggled to meet her need, and while the staff there were “brilliant”, they weren’t trained to support children such as Ava.

She added that because Ava was out of her mainstream school so often, Ms Cooney eventually had to resign from her job.

“She is settled enough now that I have been able to return to work part-time, which has been a massive relief,” Ms Cooney added.

“I absolutely trust the school to make sure all the children are safe on the farm site. I just don’t know what we, and so many other families, would do if the site had to close. It’s unthinkable.”

Imogen Anderson, mum of student Avery, 11, said her son had struggled at his previous school, forcing her and her husband to often take extended leave from work because he was home so much.

“Since starting at The Greater Horseshoe School, the change in Avery has been amazing,” Ms Anderson said.

“He now looks forward to going to school and has even caught up with his age-related expectations.

“It has been brilliant to see his confidence grow and watch him discover things that he enjoys. He loves the garden at the farm site, where the children learn about food production and animal care.”

Ms Anderson agreed that if the farm site was forced to close, she “would not know what we would do”.

“Avery can’t cope with the more formal settings,” she said.

“Like many other children at the school, he’d have to be placed elsewhere, but where, and when?

“There’s already such a substantial shortage of suitable specialist places for children like Avery as it is.”

Headteacher Peta Hewitt added that the farm site, which it is seeking to retain with its planning application to Teignbridge District Council, features a collection of small animals and vegetable plots making it “just like a small farm”.

“The farm site and the work we do there make an incredible difference to the lives of our students, and to their future prospects,” she said.

“It is their safe space and the closure of the site would be devastating for all involved.

“We can’t imagine the school without it. We have tried to find an alternative in the local area but there is just nothing suitable and available.”

She reiterated that the school would never operate the site if it believed there was any risk to the children and young people in its care.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

Members of Teignbridge District Council’s planning committee are expected to consider the application on September 22.