--- title: "Independent Special School" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06634e" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06634e" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06634e.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06634e.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL" published: "2026-03-05" --- # Independent Special School Buyer: CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06634e [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06634e) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06634e.json) ## Summary The City of Doncaster Council is in the planning stage of a procurement process for establishing an "Independent Special School" aimed at providing education services to children aged 5 to 18 within council-owned assets in Doncaster. This initiative falls under the education and training services industry category, specifically addressing primary, secondary, higher education, and special education needs. A market engagement event is scheduled for 19th March 2026 from 13:30 to 17:00 at The CAST Waterdale, Doncaster. Interested parties must confirm their attendance by 11th March 2026. The procurement follows a "light touch" regime and is above the threshold, indicating a significant investment with a planned contract value of approximately £41 million and a contract period commencing on 1st September 2026 and concluding on 31st August 2036. This tender provides substantial opportunities for educational providers with experience in managing independent special schools and delivering high-quality education services. It is particularly well-suited for small and medium enterprises (SME) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSE) looking to solidify their presence in the educational sector within the UK. Businesses capable of forming partnerships with local authorities and possessing the necessary resources to adapt to specialised educational requirements for independent schooling will find this opportunity aligns well with their growth strategies. With the market engagement event fostering dialogue directly between providers and the council, participants can gain valuable insights to refine their offerings and augment their chances of success in this procurement process. ## Notice The City of Doncaster Council is seeking a high quality suitability resourced education provider to working partnership to deliver an independent special school for Doncaster children aged 5 -18 within an identified council owned asset. ### Planning Information The Market Engagement Event As part of the commissioning process we will be holding a market engagement event on Thursday 19th March 2026 from 13:30pm until 17:00pm at The CAST Waterdale Doncaster DN1 3BU The purpose of the event will be to engage with providers and discuss: • services included within this procurement exercise. • contextual information. • insights from those delivering similar services - to inform the final specification. Each organisation will be limited to maximum of two representatives. Please note: For those unable to attend, the presentation slides will be made available via Yortender following the event. To book a place on one of the sessions please email: ChildrensCommissioning@doncaster.gov.uk providing the following information: • Name of delegate and job title of delegate • Organisation details, including address • Delegate email address and contact telephone number Please confirm your attendance by 5pm Wednesday 11th March 2026 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020025-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME, VCSE | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 5 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 3 Apr 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2036 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £41,138,640 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planning | | Lots status | Planning | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | CITY OF DONCASTER COUNCIL | | Locality | DONCASTER | | Post town | Doncaster | | Postcode | DN1 3BU | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLE Yorkshire and The Humber | | ITL 2 | TLE3 South Yorkshire | | ITL 3 | TLE35 Doncaster | | Local authority | Doncaster | | Electoral ward | Town | | Westminster constituency | Doncaster Central | | Delivery location | TLE31 Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 80 - Education and training services ### Codes - 80000000 - Education and training services - 80100000 - Primary education services - 80200000 - Secondary education services - 80300000 - Higher education services - 80340000 - Special education services ## Release History - 5 Mar 2026 at 15:25 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020025-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020025-2026 5th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06634e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06634e.json.