Decision details

Background Information:

A new proposed Special Free School will provide 120 places for Secondary aged pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties with ASD and will help to secure our ambition “to ensure that Kent’s young people have access to the education, work and skills opportunities necessary to support business to grow and be increasingly competitive in the national and international economy” as set out in ‘Increasing Opportunities, Improving Outcomes: Kent County Council’s Strategic Statement (2015-2020)’.

The Commissioning Plan for Education Provision in Kent 2019-23 sets out how we will carry out our responsibility for ensuring there are sufficient places of high quality, in the right places, for all learners and this proposed new Special Free School supports that aim to provide

sufficient places where they are needed.

KCC’s SEND Strategy 2017-2019 includes the aims to:

·         Have a well-planned continuum of provision from birth to aged 25 that meets the needs of children and young people with SEND and their families.

·         Improve transition planning.

KCC have been successful in their bid to the DfE through a wave 14 application for funding for a new special free school on the Isle of Sheppey.

Currently there is no special school on the Isle of Sheppey, therefore students requiring a special school place are transported off the island to a combination of maintained special school provision in Maidstone and Sittingbourne and costly independent provision. A new secondary special free school on the Isle of Sheppey will substantially reduce costs of SEN transport and independent provision.

The Cabinet member for Children, Young People and Education agrees to:

i.              Support the DfE competition process to select a sponsor to establish a new special free school on the Isle of Sheppey.

ii.             Commit to the conditions of the bid as set out in Appendix A of the DfE letter of the 11 March 2019 in particular:

a)    provide a site on a 125 year lease

b)    meet any abnormal costs relating to access works or any section 278 cost which may be imposed.