Yesterday (Tuesday, 24 March), the Department for Education (DfE), confirmed to the council that the Government will deliver two new special schools in Cambridgeshire.
Greensands Academy, Gamlingay, and Lime Academy, March, had initially been approved for delivery by the previous government, and are expected to provide 270 new special school places in Cambridgeshire.
However, in December, the DfE offered the council an alternative funding settlement that the council could use to respond to the need for special school places locally in a different way. In February, the council rejected this offer and called on the DfE to continue with delivery of the schools as originally approved.
Yesterday, Jonathan Duff, the DfE’s Regional Director for the East of England, confirmed to the council that the Secretary of State has accepted our decision and the Government will now continue with the previously approved delivery of both Greensands Academy and Lime Academy.
In his letter, Jonathan Duff also noted the council’s desire that delivery of both schools should now move forward with pace.
Demand for in-county special school spaces has grown significantly year-on-year, in line with national trends, since these schools were first planned. In Cambridgeshire the number of children with an EHCP grew by 71% from 2020 to 2025.
The Government’s Schools White Paper, published in February, 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 270 places that these new schools provide will help the council deliver on the Government’s aim to ensure that every child can achieve and thrive, alongside the council’s own ambition to give the best start in life for all the children and young people in Cambridgeshire.
Councillor Edna Murphy, chair of the Children and Young People Committee at Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “I’m very pleased that the DfE has accepted our considered position that both Greensands Academy and Lime Academy are urgently needed in Cambridgeshire, and that they will be honouring their previous commitment to deliver these new special schools.
“This is good news for our exceptionally pressurised SEND system, but more importantly it is good news for children and young people with SEND and their families across our county.
“For a number of years already these schools have been 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. These places are needed now and must be delivered by Government as soon as possible. I look forward to discussing delivery timescales with the DfE.”
