Six councils’ pleas to ministers to overturn the cancellations of government-funded special free school projects have been rejected.<\/p>\n
Conservative-led Buckinghamshire council warned the decision will have a \u201clasting and damaging impact\u201d on vulnerable pupils.<\/p>\n
In December, ministers gave councils the choice of whether to continue with a free special or alternative provision school or be given alternative funding to expand existing provision.<\/p>\n
It followed a review on whether both planned mainstream and specialist free schools offered value for money and met local need.<\/p>\n
But for 18 schools at an early stage in the free school process \u2013 which can take years \u2013 the Department for Education cancelled them and offered no choice.<\/p>\n
Six town halls submitted representations to try and get the decision overturned.<\/p>\n
But the DfE stuck<\/a> by its original decision.<\/p>\n Carl Jackson, Buckingham\u2019s education cabinet member, said they were \u201chugely disappointed\u201d.<\/p>\n The council had provided \u201cdetailed and powerful evidence which demonstrates the urgent need\u201d for a 152-place school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThe government\u2019s decision to scrap those plans risks having a lasting and damaging impact on many of our most vulnerable children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n The council will receive \u00a38 million instead to expand provision. But the council previously warned expanding mainstream schools \u201ccannot replace the specialist therapeutic environment for many SEMH pupils\u201d.<\/p>\n A council spokesperson for Tory-run Herefordshire said they were \u201cextremely disappointed by this decision as there is clear evidence that our county is in urgent need of additional specialist places\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to providing every child in Herefordshire with the best education possible and we will continue to call on the government to fund the infrastructure our children need to be able to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Labour-run Newham council said it was \u201cdisappointed\u201d but will \u201cnow move forward to work with existing schools\u201d.<\/p>\n The other three councils were Solihull, Westmorland and Furness and Nottinghamshire.<\/p>\n The DfE said each representation was \u201ccarefully considered\u201d using both the evidence provided and what ministers already had available.<\/p>\n But education secretary Bridget Phillipson \u201cretained her original decisions where it was clear representations did not provide new or materially different evidence, beyond what had already been considered\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cTo ensure children get the specialist places they need as quickly as possible, we are providing alternative per place funding to the local authorities, instead of continuing with the planned special free school projects. These projects do not have trusts appointed and were the furthest from opening.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the 59 schools where councils were presented with a choice, 34 are going ahead while 25 were cancelled.<\/p>\n‘Huge disappointment’<\/h2>\n
‘Carefully considered’<\/h2>\n