A SPECIAL school for children with autism that has been hailed as "marvellous" by councillors and funded by a local business has been built in Saddleworth.

Work has now finished on the new Bright Futures School in Greenfield, off Friezland Lane, which was funded by family-owned cleaning manufacturer Robert Scott.

Bright Futures was founded in 2010 by Zoe Thompson and her late husband Dixon Milburn as an independent school dedicated to helping children with autism from ages five up to 16.

Ms Thompson said they "already feel at home" in the new building, where they are relocating to from their existing premises in Grasscroft.

Robert Scott has invested more than £1 million in the build of the new 4,000 sq ft school, which features 15 classrooms designed for one-to-one education.

It also includes sensory and medical rooms, kitchen and dining areas, a reception area, staff room, outdoor space and on-site parking.

The investment came after the school was told in 2018 that its rented premises were to be sold.

Daniel Scott, the operations director at Robert Scott visited Ms Thompson and following consultation with its board of directors, the firm offered to fund the build of a new school on vacant land opposite its Greenfield mill.

Despite being sited in the green belt, the proposals were given permission by the council’s planning committee last February after officers agreed there were "very special circumstances".

And Saddleworth South Cllr John Hudson described the plans as "marvellous".

Mr Scott said: “As a local business, it’s extremely rewarding to see the children and staff of Bright Futures move into their new premises and make it their own.

“We’re very proud of everyone who has been involved with this project and the hard work they’ve put in to finish the project so quickly.

“We look forward to seeing the children flourish as they settle in.”

The new building, which has been designed Whittaker Design and built by Oldham-based firm Medlock FRB, will allow the school to increase its capacity to accommodate 15 students.

Ms Thompson added: “It’s been a very busy week as we unpack and move into our new school.

“We already feel at home and it just feels right, words cannot describe how happy and grateful we feel at the moment.”

Through fundraising and public donations £28k has been raised to create a special sensory room that combines a range of ‘visual, audio and textural stimuli’ to help children develop and engage with their surroundings in a safe way.

Bright Futures is continuing to fundraise for an outdoor learning and play environment, and hopes to buy a storage shed and install planting beds so students can grow their own fruit and vegetables.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held later this summer to allow time for both staff and students to settle into their new surroundings