About Ivel Valley School and College

Ivel Valley is a special school for children and young people aged 3 to 19. It supports pupils with a wide range of needs – including autism, cerebral palsy and Down’s syndrome – and is based across two sites in Biggleswade: the main school site is in Hitchmead Road, and the college is a separate site.

Pupils predominantly live in the north and east of Central Bedfordshire; however, they can come from further afield, including pupils from Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Bedford Borough.

The school:

approximately 55% of its buildings are temporary accommodation
includes classrooms that are too small for current needs
needs around £800,000 of maintenance over the next 3 years

Despite this, the buildings at Hitchmead Road could last another 40 to 60 years with proper maintenance.

The school also includes Maythorn at the Baulk site, a children’s home run by the Council. All children living at Maythorn attend Ivel Valley.

Improvements we’ve already made to Ivel Valley

Over the years, we have made several improvements to the school, including:

new modular classrooms
extra dining space
sensory and breakout rooms
improved staff areas

These works were planned with the school to minimise disruption and were delivered during term time and holidays.