Catholic school SEND classroom is a case study in the DfE's new Education Estates Strategy

A Catholic school in Tameside, Greater Manchester, is featured as a case study for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) provision in a new strategy published by the government's Department for Education (DfE) 

St Stephen's RC Primary School, part of Emmaus Catholic Academy Trust (CAT), in the Diocese of Salford, created a new classroom for pupils with SEND from surplus space, an initiative which the DfE is now citing as a template for the rest of the education sector.

Like many schools, St Stephen's had experienced an increase in the number of pupils with SEND whose needs could not be fully met within existing classroom provision, and made use of an under-used area in a calm, quiet part of the school premises. The initiative is now featured on page 30 of the DfE's new Education Estates Strategy, published on 11 February 2026.

Daniel Copley, Chief Executive Officer of Emmaus CAT, said: "These resource provisions are having a genuine positive experience for pupils with SEND. The projects have been part of the Emmaus CAT Environment and Estates strategy and demonstrate what can be achieved in a mainstream setting to meet the needs of some of our most vulnerable pupils."

Mr Copley is also a North West representative of and a trustee for the Formatio partnership of dioceses, Catholic academy trusts and the four Catholic universities in England. Formatio supports the CES and diocesan education services in implementing strategies for school leadership and governance, as commissioned by the Bishops in 2017.

Find out more about Catholic education in the Diocese of Salford