A specialist autism school in Powys has been granted permission to expand, more than doubling its pupil capacity.

Summergil House, located in Presteigne, can now increase its enrolment from 22 students, when it first opened in 2016, to 50 children and young people.

This has been given the green light following recent renovations to the school building

The school has also been allowed to lower its age registration from five to four, enabling younger children to benefit from the specialist early years education provided at Summergil.

The school is run by Orbis Education and Care, which already manages 25 schools, day services and residential facilities for children and adults in Wales with complex needs associated with autism.

Along with this expansion will come the need for more staff to join Summergil’s ranks, and the school is on the lookout for new people join its dedicated team of teachers, learning support assistants and therapy staff at the school. In particular, it is looking for early year specialists, or those who are looking to either return to work or to start afresh with a change in career.

Eve Hodett, Executive Head of Education at Orbis, said: “The expansion of Summergil House is an exciting time for the organisation and gives us the opportunity to provide inspiring lifelong education for more children in the Powys area as well as across the border in areas like Herefordshire and Shropshire.

“We now provide education for ages 4-19, which means young children can benefit from an early intervention and also means they have a place with us throughout their entire academic life.

“This is an exceptional workplace because you have the opportunity to impact the lives of the children you care for each day - it truly is a great place to work.”

Set in 18 acres of fields and woodlands on the border of Powys and Herefordshire, the school has its own swimming pool, sports hall and vast amounts of indoor and outdoor learning and play opportunities for its pupils. It has continued to grow in size following a renovation to the current home buildings.

Lorna Griffiths, parent of a current pupil at Summergil House, said: “We were so lucky to have found Summergil. Our son just slotted in right from day one because he was with “his people” and surrounded by professionals that understood him and could give him what he needed.”

Orbis is currently recruiting specialist staff to join its schools around Wales, including Summergil.

Visit Orbis’ website for more information about the group and the vacancies: www.orbis-group.co.uk