Buckinghamshire Council will construct a new special educational needs free school, after receiving funds from the Department for Education.

The council made a push for the funding and was successful in being one of the 16 locations awarded for the new school initiative which aims to expand expert knowledge and support for children with additional needs.

This development is vital to Buckinghamshire Council's SEND sufficiency strategy, with a focus on giving children with specified SEND requirements access to a quality educational environment. 

The school will offer exceptional provisions to students with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs requiring therapeutic aid.

Moving forward, the Department for Education will collate with the council to locate a sponsor for the new establishment, underline a suitable site and determine a timeline for completion.

The idea for the school is to provide 152 spots for children 7-19, with a curriculum that includes Maths, English and Science at Btec and GCSE level, alongside other hands-on subjects. 

Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, Anita Cranmer stated: "We are delighted to have been awarded this vital funding which will allow us to build a brand new special educational needs free school in Buckinghamshire.

As is the case in many other places, we have seen a growing number of students on Education, Health and Care Plans and this will allow us to create a number of additional places for our children and families in Buckinghamshire so that they can access the education they need to thrive and flourish.

We are looking forward to working on this project with the Department for Education and the school’s future sponsors to develop a truly outstanding school for children with SEND in Buckinghamshire.

This is a crucial part of our long-term plan to deliver on our SEND sufficiency strategy to make sure the needs of all our Buckinghamshire students can be met.”