Nearly 500 new SEND school places to be created

Hopescourt SEN School in Elmbridge is due to be completed for the 2026-27 academic year

Nearly 500 new specialist school places are being created to support children with additional needs and disabilities across Surrey, the county council says.

Of the new places, 169 were ready at the start of the autumn term, while a further 298 are expected to be in place by the summer.

These are part of Surrey County Council's (SCC) 2019–26 Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alternative Provision Capital Programmes.

Jonathan Hulley, SCC's cabinet member for children and lifelong learning, said: "The strategy aims to improve inclusion and outcomes for children with additional needs and disabilities in Surrey, ensuring they can access the best possible education closer to home."

Since 2021, the council has delivered more than 250 new specialist school places annually, supported by an investment of more than £211m.

Recent projects delivered include new and expanded special educational needs (SEN) units at Epsom Downs Primary School, Dovers Green Infant School in Reigate, and Guildford County School.

A new teaching block and hydrotherapy pool has also been built at Philip Southcote School in Runnymede and there has been a complete rebuild of the Fordway Centre, a short-stay school in Spelthorne.

The all-through Hopescourt SEN School in Elmbridge, offering 200 places, is due to be completed for the 2026-27 academic year.

Headteacher Alex Burrows said: "Our new school will give children and young people in the borough the support and opportunities they need to flourish, not just academically, but personally and socially too."

SCC says more than 17,000 children and young people are now supported locally by an Education, Health and Care Plan.