At least one in 10 proposed special and alternative provision free schools put into limbo by the government now looks set to be built, as councils decide whether to shelve the projects or expand existing provision.
But two councils where special free school projects were scrapped altogether are appealing against the government’s “damaging” decision.
Ministers announced in December that they were scrapping 28 mainstream and 18 special free school projects.
For 59 more proposed specialist settings, councils have a choice between proceeding as planned or taking a three-year, £50,000-per-pupil cash alternative to create new places in existing schools.
This is on top of their share of £3 billion capital funding for 50,000 new specialist school places announced last month.
So far seven of the 59 special and AP school projects look set to continue. The remaining councils are considering their options ahead of the deadline this month.
Norfolk’s education lead Penny Carpenter said she was “strongly minded” to move ahead with two schools and turn down £13 million in alternative funding.
School ‘supports highest needs pupils’
These schools, expected to cost £40 million, will “support children with the highest needs and reduce the time they have to travel to school”, Carpenter said.
Bristol intends to go ahead with its 164-place school for youngsters with social emotional and mental health needs and severe learning difficulties, run by the Enable Trust and approved in March 2023.
It warned in council papers how “delays in delivery have a significant impact” on the number of children waiting to access “suitable” provision.
The DfE said alternative funding could be used by councils in a “more flexible way”, for example by creating the same number of places in SEND units and resourced provision, expanding existing schools or adapting mainstream settings.
‘Desperately short of capacity’
But Worcestershire is set to turn down the £5.7 million alternative funding and proceed with a planned new special school. Stephen Foster, the council’s education lead, said it was expanding mainstream “wherever possible”.
“What we are desperately short of is SEND school capacity,” he added.
Adam Johnson, strategic director of children’s services, told a council meeting that it may be September 2029 before the school, run by Macintrye Academies, can open. A decision will be made next month.
Salford will go ahead with a 150-place primary school for children with autism, communication and interaction and speech and learning difficulties.
The alternative £7.45 million could have been used to build specialist provision at 10 existing schools. But council officers said these would be “very different” to the existing enhanced provisions in 20 of Salford’s schools.
“The pupils’ high level of need would mean that the pupils would not be able to integrate in the mainstream school, and the provisions would need to be totally self-contained,” the council said.
“It is acknowledged that opening a new school using the DfE process can be a long process, but this project was well advanced at the time of the pause.”
The school is now due to open in December 2028.
Funding ‘not like-for-like’
Darlington officers are recommending that councillors approve a 48-place special school for 11 to 19-year-olds with autism.
They said the proposed £2.3 million alternative funding “does not like-for-like match our estimates of the capital investment” for the school.
They said the average cost of a new special school development in 2023 was £96,806 per place, so “[the alternative funding] appears unaffordable based on current information”.
Out of 20 alternative provision schools, one looks set to be approved so far: Nottingham “intends to proceed” with Bowden Academy. Other councils are still working out if the alternative funding is a better option.
Councils set to appeal decisions
Cambridgeshire said it will consider “if there is a more cost-effective and timely way to use the offered funding settlement to provide these much-needed school places within the county”.
The DfE scrapped 18 special school projects in December and handed councils direct funding for expansions. The projects had been approved in May 2024, but no trusts had been appointed.
Buckinghamshire council plans to submit a detailed business case to “restate the case” for a 152-place SEMH school. Education lead Carl Jackson said it would write to education secretary Bridget Phillipson to “ask her to reconsider the damaging plans”.
Westmoreland and Furness also said it “will be appealing the decision and considering options available”.
It established 51 resource provision places in mainstream schools in September, but its most northern special school is an hour’s journey from the site of the cancelled school.
The DfE said the £3 billion will ensure every child “no matter their background, can achieve and thrive close to home”.
Your thoughts