A school is to be rebuilt at a new site which is more than two miles from its old site in the town.

Thomasson Memorial Special School is to be rebuilt at a new site on Lever Edge Lane, Great Lever.

The special school is a lifeline for dozens of deaf students but its old site on Devonshire Road, Heaton, is beset by issues including asbestos.

The building was shut for the first time in 2022, reopening for a year, before it was shut for a second time a year ago.

Its inclusion in the Department for Education's School Rebuilding Programme this year is allowing it to take over a site close to Essa Academy and Essa Primary which was used up until this year as temporary teaching blocks for King's Leadership Academy.

Town hall chiefs say that schools are rebuilt as close to their original site as possible, but Thomasson’s unique provision means it can relocate within the borough without causing significant disruption to pupils or their families.

In a big boost to Devonshire Road Primary School it is to take over the site of what was Thomasson Memorial Special School to use it as an outdoor area.

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Lisa Lane, the headteacher of Thomasson Memorial Special School, said: "I'm really pleased with the proposal and excited to move forward with the new build.

"This is a fantastic opportunity, as it means that not only one school will benefit, but two.

"I'm particularly excited that we will be located near both local primary and secondary schools, allowing us to forge new relationships and strengthen our community connections."

Emma Hodge, the headteacher of Devonshire Road Primary School, said: "This is a very exciting opportunity for us. We are a vibrant and popular community school with waiting lists for most year groups.

"Our current grounds are very limited in space for the number of children we have. Currently our lunchtimes span over a two-hour period to enable the children to have adequate space in which to play.

"This extra outdoor area will have a significant impact on our children's wellbeing and enable us to develop our outdoor learning offer as well as community links."

The special school is a lifeline for dozens of deaf students from the area of Bolton Council and other authorities.

The relocation is subject to the approval of the council's cabinet member for children's services Martin Donaghy.

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Cllr Donaghy said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to build a state-of-the-art special school on land that is already being used for education, while also giving young children more space to play and enjoy themselves.

"The existing Thomasson building has not been fit for purpose for some time and it is only the hard work and dedication of staff that made it work for as long as it did.

"Identifying a site is a significant step forward towards giving pupils, staff and the entire Thomasson Memorial School community the first-rate facilities that they deserve.

"The Thomasson building holds a very special place in the hearts of our deaf community.

"Once we have confirmed the site we can start to engage with pupils past and present to help inform the design of the new building and preserve the school's legacy."

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.