Two new specialised schools - one for disabled children and one for pupils who have been expelled from mainstream education  - are set to rise on the site of a former youth detention centre. 

And as part of the £8.5m plan, Calder Kids, which is based in Harthill Road on land earmarked for luxury housing development, would be moved to the vacated New Heights pupil referral unit in Netherley.

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A report to Liverpool City Council's Cabinet on Friday 24 June is proposing that Dyson Hall in Fazakerley is replaced by a new £5 million special school run by the disability charity Birtenshaw.

Birtenshaw will provide education and care for up to 40 physically disabled children, some with complex health needs and those with a learning disability and/or Autistic Spectrum Conditions. 

The school facilities will include a 25 metre hydrotherapy pool. 

The two new £8.5m schools on the site of Dyson Hall, Fazakerley

The organisation currently has an oversubscribed school in Bolton and is keen to expand into Liverpool to cater for the demand for children from the area.

It says it will create at least 100 local jobs in the process and the cost of the construction will be repaid to the council through the rental agreement for the building.

In addition, New Heights School - a pupil referral unit which educates children excluded from mainstream education - will relocate from Gateacre to a new £3.5 million building on the site.

The existing New Heights site will become the new home for Calder Kids, which provides youth, play and leisure activities for children with disabilities aged 6-19 years old. It is currently based in accommodation on Harthill Road in Calderstones. 

Calder Kids would move to the vacated New Heights Pupil Referral Unit in Netherley

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This proposal will deliver a number of benefits for young people from Liverpool with significant needs. 

“Dyson Hall is a building that we no longer have a use for, and the two new modern facilities will bring a derelict site back into use. 

“We have also been working with Calder Kids for some time to find them a new home more suitable for their needs, and this plan will see them relocated in a more purpose building in Gateacre.”

Councillor Nick Small, Cabinet member for education and skills, added: “This is part of our ongoing commitment to provide new facilities for our young people and give them the very best start in life.”

David Reid, Chief Executive of Birtenshaw, said: ‘We are delighted to have been chosen to work in partnership with Liverpool City Council on this exciting project. 

“We look forward to providing quality services for children and young people with special education needs and disability in the city for many years to come.” 

If approved, the work will be carried out by construction firm Willmott Dixon, who estimate that 71 percent of the sub contract work will go to local firms across Merseyside and also create opportunities for apprentices.  

It is expected that, subject to planning approval, construction would begin in the autumn with both schools opening in September 2017.