Moorfield House: Leeds special needs school submits plan for Grade II-listed building in Headingley

Polaris, which runs seven schools across the country for pupils with learning difficulties, has applied for planning permission to set up a new one in Moorfield House in Headingley. Under the scheme, the new school would cater for up to 80 pupils across both Moorfield House and an adjacent modern building on the site, known as the Brahm Building.

Moorfield House itself, on Alma Road, was built in the 1850s and has been occupied by several notable figures and organisations across its 170 years.

Owned by a succession of rich Victorian industrialists in the 19th century, it was later taken over by the government in 1939 as an administration office for the war effort. It then passed to the AA, before being bought by an architects in the 1970s. The Brass Marketing Agency later took over the old villa, before the business folded in 2019.

The following year, Leeds City Council approved plans for a special needs further education college on the site, following an application by The Lighthouse Futures Trust. However, the trust withdrew the proposals in May 2021, just four months before its first cohort of students were due to start.

A statement presenting the new proposals said: “Polaris ensure safe and nurturing environments, where all children are valued as individuals so that they can achieve the very best for themselves and their future.

“Highly qualified, experienced, empathetic staff teams work closely with pupils to build trusting relationships, review their needs regularly, and differentiate the curriculum accordingly, so that individualised support for children’s special educational needs can be offered.

“All Polaris pupils benefit from small, friendly classes of a maximum of six pupils per class, allowing the teaching team to really get to know the children, achieve positive outcomes and succeed in providing pathways that enable a smooth transition to higher education, training, and apprenticeships.”

A decision on whether or not to approve the plans will be made in due course.