ROWDEFORD headteacher Mike Loveridge has praised parents and the community for helping to save the school from being sold off as part of huge changes to special education in the county.

This week Wiltshire Council announced that a new much larger school is to be built at a cost of £20 million on the Rowdeford site but St Nicholas in Chippenham and Larkrise in Trowbridge are to close.

In May Mr Loveridge urged the community to petition for the school to be saved. He said at the time: "If a decision is made to close the school and I have not done everything I possibly can to save it I will feel I have let people down."

This week he said: "Rowdeford School would like to thank the many parents, carers and other stakeholders who have been so active in so many ways, galvanising support and showing how much they care about the future of Rowdeford School.

"Rowdeford School and its governors are pleased that directors, commissioners and councillors have recognised the need to maintain a school on the Rowdeford site for future generations of young people with special educational needs and disabilities."

Rowdeford will become a base for 350 children aged from three to 16. But when the school opens in five years time it will be given a new name and will be run by an academy trust.

Laura Mayes the cabinet member for children's services said: "The unique atmosphere of Rowdeford and its grounds was one of the reasons for us deciding to make it the base for the new school."

Rowdeford Charity Trust founder Mike Bowden said: "The survival of Rowdeford is an absolute delight and Rowdeford Charity Trust will be able to continue with its support. There are, of course, still many matters for further discussion."

The news was also welcomed by Tony Kemp from the trust but he was concerned that the extra building could spoil the site. He said: "To clutter it with too many buildings would erode and compromise the special value that is the site."

Wiltshire Council has also pledged that the new school at Rowdeford will provide more outreach services for other schools needing support for children with special needs.

This pleased Jackie Bawden chairman of the governors of nearby Rowde Primary which works closely with Rowdeford. She said: "That would be very welcome."

Devizes MP Claire Perry said: "Ensuring that children and young people in Wiltshire with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities are able to access the most up-to-date teaching, care and support is vital, and I am pleased that so many people across the county contributed to the Wiltshire Council consultation on future provision.

"I am particularly pleased to see in the proposal that these Centres of Excellence will work more closely with neighbouring mainstream schools."