Woodlands Meed: Anger as opening of SEN college facilities delayed

Governors at Woodlands Meed say the college's former building, which had been decommissioned, would be used from 6 September

Governors at a college for children with special educational needs say they are angry new facilities are not ready for the start of term.

West Sussex County Council had said a new-look Woodlands Meed College in Burgess Hill would be ready last week.

During an inspection, governors said they were "gobsmacked" and the college was "a building site".

WSCC said it was working to "resolve issues as quickly as possible". The new term begins on Wednesday.

The local authority allocated almost £21.6 million to rebuild the college on Birchwood Grove Road and improve facilities for pupils.

Marion Wilcock, chair of governors for the school, said: "We saw the building for the first time on 18 August and it was a building site. Not one area of that school is capable of occupation.

"Yet, not three days earlier we were being told by the project board that we were going to move in."

New facilities for students aged 14-19 include classrooms, specialist technology and design facilities, a hydrotherapy pool and outdoor learning facilities.

'This setback'

Ms Wilcock added that the college's existing buildings, comprising of portacabins and a wooden pre-fabricated unit, were being prepared for students to use, despite the structures having been decommissioned in readiness for demolition.

Surveys carried out last year deemed the existing buildings to be safe.

In a statement on its website, the council said it "remains committed to helping children and young people at Woodlands Meed fulfil their potential and to finding solutions that minimise potential disruption to their education, despite this setback".

It also said that a revised timetable for the new site's completion was yet to be confirmed.

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