(UK) Suffolk: $8.5M announced for new special school "for children with higher SEND needs"
- The end of childhood
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Jan 9, 2026, EADT: School trusts back SEND funding as MP calls for move forward
Calls for a new school in Suffolk for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) have been backed by school trusts after £6.3m [$8.5M] of funding was announced.
The former Saxmundham SET Free School has been earmarked for conversion to provide the SEND facility.
A decision on how to use the money is due to be made at the end of February, but the authority has said it needed to be "mindful" of the fact that a new 120 place school would cost in excess of £6 million [$8M] and the county council would have to cover the funding shortfall.
Suffolk Coastal MP Jenny Riddell-Carpenter has called on the county council, which is responsible for SEND provision, to "stop stalling".
Ms Riddell-Carpenter said although there was a need for lower needs SEND provision in schools, a specialist school was a priority for children with higher SEND needs who could not be served in a mainstream setting.
She said: "Every day that goes by without certainty on the future of this specialist school is another day we are letting down children and young people who have complex educational needs.
"We desperately need this school to be opened, and for the council to stop stalling. Last year they said they wanted to open it, and 2026 is the year that they can- if they do good by their word. . . .
Craig Morrison, the trust's chief executive, said: “Leiston and the surrounding area lacks specialist support for SEND and this new school, in Saxmundham, would alleviate significant pressures and reduce travel times for young people to access provision. . . .
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