SEND

Council bids to take special free school build into own hands

Bracknell Forest wants to get 'certainty' over opening date of vital special school

Bracknell Forest wants to get 'certainty' over opening date of vital special school

A council wants to take the construction of a new special free school into its own hands to gain more “certainty” that it opens on time.

Ministers approved a 100-place, all-through school in Bracknell Forest last year, but although a site has been approved, building work is unconfirmed.

The council wants to “take responsibility for construction itself to enable certainty around the timescale,” council documents state.

Schools Week investigations have revealed the sluggish opening-rate of such schools, despite a capacity crisis. In 2022, just one of 37 new free schools announced in 2020 had opened in its permanent home. 

Normally, the government oversees new school projects.

Stuart McKellar, the council’s executive director of resources, said “this is a complex process which understandably takes time,” but the council is “fortunate to have the in-house expertise”.

He added: “We are therefore making a case for it to be self-delivered, which will enable us to have certainty on the timing of its opening.”

The council is finalising a self-delivery case to submit to the Department for Education. 

Tom Legge, director of Premier Advisory Group, which supports free school applications, said the move is “not common” but also “not unique”. 

Some large multi-academy trusts (MATs) have self-delivered free schools. 

In 2019, Essex County Council was approved to deliver two special free schools. Its infrastructure and delivery team had a “strong track record of construction of new school buildings, delivering on time and within budget,” council documents state.

“It’s understandable that, with the myriad challenges facing DfE capital teams, local authorities that feel they have the capacity, capability and supply chains feel well placed to deliver these projects,” Legge added.

But he said the “increase in complexity” can lead to “a new set of challenges”.

Latest education roles from

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Chief Education Officer (Deputy CEO)

Romero Catholic Academy Trust

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Director of Academy Finance and Operations

Ormiston Academies Trust

Principal & Chief Executive

Principal & Chief Executive

Truro & Penwith College

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

Group Director of Marketing, Communications & External Engagement

London & South East Education Group

Sponsored posts

Sponsored post

AI Safety: From DfE Guidance to Classroom Confidence

Darren Coxon, edtech consultant and AI education specialist, working with The National College, explores the DfE’s expectations for AI...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

How accurate spend information is helping schools identify savings

One the biggest issues schools face when it comes to saving money on everyday purchases is a lack of...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Building Character, Increasing Engagement and Growing Leaders: A Whole School Approach

Research increasingly shows that character education is just as important as academic achievement in shaping pupils’ long-term success. Studies...

SWAdvertorial
Sponsored post

Educators launch national AI framework to guide schools and colleges

More than 250 schools and colleges across the UK have already enrolled in AiEd Certified, a new certification framework...

SWAdvertorial

More from this theme

SEND

‘Best practice’ guidance promised for SEN units

National Children's Bureau will deliver review on how mainstream schools can set up SEN units as part of government's...

Ruth Lucas
SEND

SEND spend could hit £15bn (more than some government departments)

IFS calls on government spending watchdog to publish annual forecasts for high needs spending and deficits

Freddie Whittaker
SEND

Councils to test ‘local offer’ as part of new SEND inclusion plans

But the fate of Conservative change programme initiatives remains unclear

Ruth Lucas
SEND

Solving SEND: MPs reveal their 48-point plan

National SEND standards, special school 'centres of excellence' and exclusion inspection metrics - the education committee’s policy proposals in...

Freddie Whittaker

Your thoughts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *