MP speaks out over cancelled 152 place SEND for Bucks

A Bucks MP has hit out at the Government over the loss of a planned £18 million SEND school.

Conservative MP Greg Smith raised the issue after plans for a purpose-built 152-place special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school in Buckinghamshire, were cancelled and replaced with £8 million in alternative funding over three years.

Mr Smith asked whether ministers accepted that scrapping the project would “inevitably increase reliance on high-cost independent placements”, worsen outcomes for children with the most acute needs, and ultimately cost the taxpayer more while failing some of the county’s most vulnerable children.

Responding, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson defended the decision, saying the Government was giving councils “significant extra capital investment” to create specialist places more quickly.

She said local authorities had been offered a choice between continuing with planned free schools or accepting alternative funding to deliver the same number of specialist places.

Ms Phillipson added that some cancelled projects had no academy trust appointed and opening dates that were “very far into the distance”, meaning they would not have delivered places quickly enough to meet demand.

“This is about bringing forward the places, giving parents confidence, and making sure that we are not sending children far away from home,” she said.

She added that children with SEND should be able to attend “a great local school with their friends” rather than travelling long distances by taxi.

It comes after Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Cllr Carl Jackson, called the decision to scrap the school “is hugely disappointing”.

He said: “Like most areas across the country Buckinghamshire is experiencing a significant increase in demand for special schools, more children and young people presenting with more complex needs.

“There are two problems with that; first that it is according to the department for education’s own figures, providing that many extra places by expanding existing schools would cost about £18 million.

“Whereas they’re offering eight, so there’s a 10 million shortfall in the government’s plans according to the government’s own figures.

“Second there’s a practical issue of we’ve done a lot of this expansion anyway. The existing sites, we provided another 300 places already, specialist placements.”

Cllr Steven Broadbent, leader of Buckinghamshire Council, said he was appalled by the decision, describing the proposed £8 million funding as a “sticking plaster” and warning that the situation would have an “adverse impact” on residents.

It follows warnings that Buckinghamshire Council is facing a £27.3 million shortfall in the part of its education budget that supports children with special educational needs and disabilities.