A Surbiton special needs school has been given permission to expand to make way for 24 extra places.

Dysart School, in Ewell Road, had applied to Kingston Council to build a post-16 educational building using a £1,000,250 grant from the Education Funding Agency.

Councillors agreed the expansion plans at the development control committee meeting on Thursday, February 26.

Headteacher Leigh Edsar said: "We are absolutely over the moon. It does mean that we are able to support 24 more families going forward and equally able to provide a building for post-16 learning building on independence and skills for work related learning."

The new building will be built on playing fields at the back of the school site, on land owned by Kingston Council and shared with St Matthew’s Primary School, in Langley Road.

Surrey Comet:

The post-16 building will be built on playing fields 

Previously governors at St Matthew’s had written to Kingston Council’s chief executive Bruce McDonald, accusing the authority of a "fait accompli" in relation to the expansion.

But the school did not present any further argument at the meeting.

A condition that deliveries and collections should be made between Monday to Saturday from 7am to 6pm only was made.

Mrs Edsar said this would not be a problem as school remained closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

Dysart supports children aged four to 19 with complex learning difficulties and is one of only three special needs schools in the borough.