Government accused of breaking promise over Bucks SEND school

Buckinghamshire councillors have lambasted the Government for ‘going back on its promise’ to fund a much-needed SEND school providing more than 150 places.

The Department for Education is reviewing dozens of planned free school projects in England to decide whether they still meet local need and offer value for money before committing funding.

A proposed free school in Bucks, known only broadly as ‘Buckinghamshire Special School’, is one of the ones facing the chop.

Rather than progressing this as a new free school build right now, the DfE is saying it will provide funding via an alternative route.

In practice, that usually means the council is being given money to create the required specialist places in other ways.

Buckinghamshire Special School was to provide school 152 places.

Although it was in the early stages of its inception – with many details yet to be pinned down – it was still ‘ready to go’ for 2028.

As such, the cabinet is angered by this move by Government.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday (December 16) Councillor Carl Jackson, cabinet member for education, called it ‘hugely disappointing.’

Instead of funding the new school, the Government has offered £8million over three years to expand existing special schools. But this is insufficient by £10million, said Cllr Jackson.

He said DfE figures suggest that providing the equivalent number of places by expanding existing schools would cost approximately £18million.

Cllr Jackson added that, on top of this, Bucks is ‘running a little low on new opportunities for expansion’ because it has already done plenty.

The council has provided 300 specialist placements at existing sites and planning for 100 more in the next year, he said.

In protest of the funding decision, Bucks council plans to make representations to the Government by before March.

“We will be writing to the minister [to say] in no uncertain terms that this was a promise made to us that we expect to be kept,” said Cllr Jackson.

“We don't expect the Government to go back on a promise to support the most vulnerable children in our county.”

Local MPs will also be asked to support the council. There has already been support from Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey and Mid Buckinghamshire MP Greg Smith.

Leader of the council Steven Broadbent echoed Cllr Jackson’s sentiments, saying it was ‘absolutely appalling’ that the Government was going back on its word.

He lambasted the suggestion of ‘minor sticking plaster’ funding instead and said the £10million shortfall is ‘simply unacceptable.’

“This is wrong. It will have an adverse impact on our residents and the people of Buckinghamshire who need help,” Cllr Broadbent said.

A written statement from the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, says the current school system does not work well enough for children with SEND, and this change is to create ‘faster and more cost effective’ system.

It is part of an ‘at least £3billion investment over the next four years to create 50,000 places for children and young people with SEND across England.’

“The money saved from cancelling projects in areas of surplus will be used to support the 50,000 new specialist places,” she wrote.