Council unclear when special schools will be built

A council leader says it is "very disappointing" the plans for the two schools are delayed

A council is "unclear" when two new special schools will be built.

Cambridgeshire County Council officers said the Department for Education (DfE) had been due to develop the schools in Gamlingay and March.

But the special schools and free schools programme has been paused and they have so far not been delivered.

A DfE spokesperson said the government inherited a "failing" Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) system and "was determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time".

Plans were announced back in 2023 for a new special school in March with 210 places and a social, emotional and mental health special school in Gamlingay for pupils aged 11-16.

These were due to be built as part of a "safety valve agreement", but council officials have said without them children are being placed in specialist independent schools, which is increasing costs.

Bridget Smith, Liberal Democrat leader of South Cambridgeshire District Council, whose ward is Gamlingay, said it was "very disappointing" the plans for that school had been delayed.

"We're looking at this listed building lying empty for a number of years, any more delay is disappointing and frustrating," she said.

County council chief executive Stephen Moir said he had "ongoing concerns" over the "slowness of any attempt to reform the Send system".

'Crying out'

The government had originally planned to publish its schools white paper, which includes plans for Send, this autumn, but that has been delayed to the New Year.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson stated there would be a "further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform".

In response to the Cambridgeshire schools news, a DfE spokesperson said: "We are determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families, which is why we're launching a further period of listening and engagement – testing our proposals with parents, teachers and experts in every corner of the country, so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of our solutions.

"We know that families are crying out for change, and that is exactly why it is critical we get this right."

It has not said when the schools would be built.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire County Council said: "We have written to the Secretary of State for Education highlighting the desperate need for additional capacity and provision for Send places in Fenland and south Cambridgeshire.

"We've urged them to prioritise the opening of the 210 places at Lime Academy in March, and the 60 places at Greensands Academy in Gamlingay.

"We're awaiting a clear timetable from the DfE as part of their Free Schools Programme."