Urgent update wanted on delayed Send schools

Beverley Fordham is Kent County Council's cabinet member for education

A two-year delay in opening two special educational needs and disabilities (Send) schools has sparked a call from Kent's cabinet member for education for "urgent confirmation".

Beverley Fordham has written to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson about the the creation of a 250-place special free school in Swanley, and a 120-place special free school in Whitstable.

Fordham said the original expected opening date for the schools was September 2026, but that had been pushed back to late in 2028 at the earliest.

The Department for Education said it was making progress to deliver change across the Send system, including earlier intervention for speech needs and a £740m investment.

KCC says the new school in Swanley is an integral part of its special educational needs (SEN) transformation programme.

"The additional places created by the school would help to relieve pressure on existing SEN provisions in north Kent, minimise costs by reducing our reliance on independent schools, and help us ensure all children have access to the high-quality education provisions they deserve", the council added.

The local authority said it received the news that the schools had been approved by the government in July 2023.

"I would appreciate urgent confirmation of the status of the two schools," Fordham said.

"By being left to guess what may or may not be happening is not in any way satisfactory or acceptable, as KCC continues to work tirelessly in improving SEN provision across the county."

The government said it was listening to families and teaches as it worked to make sure more children could "achieve and thrive" in their local school.

"We are continuing to engage with local authorities and trusts, while prioritising operational decisions on free school projects that are due to open in the shorter term," it added.