Government funding for Kent County Council to build three new special schools approved

Plans for three new special schools in Kent have moved closer after the government confirmed funding for the projects.

The Department for Education (DfE) has approved the funds that could allow Kent County Council (KCC) to build two new special schools in Whitstable and Swanley, along with an alternative provision school in Northfleet, creating additional places for children with complex needs.

The payout, the level of which was not confirmed, does not automatically mean the schools will be built, as the DfE has given KCC a choice over how the money is used.

The council can either let the department deliver all three schools as originally planned, or take the funding as cash and invest it in other options, such as expanding existing special schools or increasing specialist provision within mainstream schools.

Kent has a higher than average number of children with Education, Health and Care Plans (ECHPs) attending special schools, which has put pressure on places, particularly in north Kent.

Cllr Beverley Fordham (Reform), the council’s cabinet member for education and skills, said the funding announcement was a step forward, but said key decisions still needed to be made.

She said: “This is a positive step after months of uncertainty but there are decisions still to be made about how this funding is used and how best to deliver the right school places for children who need them.”

Discussions will now take place with the school trusts involved, before a formal decision is taken in the new year.

As reported previously, the new facility in Swanley was given the government go-ahead more than two years ago but progress has been “incredibly slow”, KCC papers revealed.

Officers told last month's Children and Young People and Education cabinet committee meeting the DfE was concentrating on “live” school developments and the new facility, called Leigh Academy Birchwood, had effectively been paused.

No decision was expected until spring next year.

Leigh Academies Trust, the provider chosen to run the new school, said it too was becoming “increasingly concerned” about the delay.

At last month’s meeting, KCC's assistant education director Ian Watts said council officials and Cllr Fordham would push the DfE for confirmation of the new school’s status.

Commenting on the funding announcement, which came on December 12, KCC said it followed a direct letter sent by Cllr Fordham to the Education Secretary requesting “urgent confirmation” of the projects.

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Meanwhile, to further boost SEND provision, KCC has already agreed to:

• Expand Parkwood Hall Co-operative Academy by 72 places (from 120 to 192).

• Expand Broomhill Bank School by 172 places (from 318 to 490).

• Fund a new specialist learning facility at The Oaks in Tonbridge.

• Complete the final phase of The Beacon School’s £20 million expansion.

• A major expansion at Nexus Foundation Special School to add more than 100 places across Kent.