Cambridgeshire County Council yesterday (Thursday, 26 February) wrote to the Department for Education requesting the continued delivery of two new special schools in Gamlingay and March.
Greensands Academy, Gamlingay, and Lime Academy, March, had been approved for delivery by the DfE, under the previous government, and are expected to provide 270 new special school places in Cambridgeshire.
However, in December the DfE wrote to the council offering a choice: either to continue with the delivery of the schools as planned or to instead accept a funding settlement and use that funding to respond to the need for special school places locally in a different way.
Demand for in-county special school spaces has continued to grow since these schools were first planned. In Cambridgeshire there are now more than 8,000 children with an EHCP as of 2025. This is an increase of 71% since 2020, demonstrating the continuing trend of figures increasing year on year.
This tallies with national trends, with the percentage of pupils with an EHCP increasing from 4.8% in 2023/24 to 5.3% nationally in the 2024/25 academic year.
The Government’s Schools White Paper, published earlier this week, and the council’s Inclusion for All strategy both aim to help children and young people stay in mainstream education wherever possible. However, many SEND needs remain best supported in specialist provisions and would be hard to accommodate attached to mainstream schools.
The council has considered extensively the two options offered by Government, concluding that self-delivery of the proposed schools, or an equivalent number of places elsewhere in the county, would be unachievable – based on the alternative funding amount offered of £50,500 per school place.
Consequently, the council has asked the DfE to continue with the planned approach and deliver both Greensands and Lime Academy.
Councillor Edna Murphy, chair of the Children and Young People Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “This council is committed to providing the best start in life for children and young people in Cambridgeshire, from their earliest moments through their school and college years, including those with Special Education Needs and Disabilities.
“Greensands and Lime Academy are a key part of our plans to ensure we have sufficient provision long-term to support the needs of Cambridgeshire’s children within the county.
“It's important that the Government has confirmed it is willing to deliver these schools, and on behalf of those children who need places I urge the Government to act swiftly and without delay. We believe a September 2028 opening is achievable and should be targeted. Cambridgeshire’s families are relying on Government to deliver these school places as soon as possible.”
