(UK) Merton: 80 new SPED places; 'Urgent need' to address increasing numbers

June 23, 2021, This is Local London: Merton publish proposals for Melrose School expansion https://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/19393313.merton-publish-proposals-melrose-school-expansion/?ref=fbshr&fbclid=IwAR2dKqE-BKnaXoz0dlXLjtA0n4uLPRa-56Xd6NavqaYIJd2pzbyOlR00pUo

SW London Merton Council has announced that a number of new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities could be created in an empty school building in Raynes Park…. This proposal would enable the new provision to open from September 2022, eventually providing 80 places…. Council authorities said that although they have expanded special schools in recent years, they have been unable to keep up with the increasing demand for children with SEND, particularly those with autism spectrum disorder. Merton Council’s Joint Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Children and Education, Councillor Eleanor Stringer, said: “There is an urgent need to provide more school places for the increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, especially children with autism spectrum disorder, whose complex needs means they need educating outside of our mainstream schools. "We want fewer children with these needs to have to travel outside the borough for their education…. "I’m glad that the building can continue to play a vital role in education in Merton.”