(UK) Wokingham: "There just aren’t enough places for pupils with special needs and disabilities"

July 7, 2026, 5 year plan to create 625 school places across Wokingham | Bracknell News

There just aren’t enough places for pupils with special needs and disabilities in Wokingham – according to the borough’s deputy leader who is passionate about young people.

Councillor Prue Bray is also the councillor in charge (or ‘executive member’) for Children’s services and recently, her department has been pushing the delivery of more and more new classes through the Borough’s planning committee.

Wokingham has an ambitious agenda for providing the best care for young people with special needs and before 2030 the landscape is expected to be very different in local schools and much more inviting for young residents with additional needs.

Ms Bray said:  “We are opening as many as we can, as quickly as possible to help children locally.

“We’ve got a 5-year plan for places for the SEND sufficiency plan.  It will make a great deal of difference to what we have available.

“There are different strands for additional needs and Wokingham is trying to fulfil the most urgent of those.” . . .

Over the next four years the council plans to create 625 additional special educational needs and disability (SEND) places across early years, primary, secondary and post‑16 provision.

In 2026, 164 new places are expected to be delivered, including 16 specialist early years places, 28 for primary autism spectrum disorder; 30 for primary social, emotional and mental health; 25 for secondary autism spectrum disorder and 25 for secondary communication and language.

In 2027, a further 113 new places are planned including 28 through special school expansion; 21 for primary ASD; 21 primary communication and language places, a massive 35 for secondary ASD and 8 for hearing impairment. . . .