Feb 19, 2025, Kent Online: £2.5m [$3.2M] SEN block at Leigh Academy Minster on Sheppey approved
SE England
Plans to convert a disused school block into a £2.5m [$3.2M] facility for children with Special Educational Needs have been given the go-ahead.
Snowfields, part of the Leigh Academies Trust, will now be able to transform the two-storey building at its Minster site.
As a result, the secondary will be taking on 60 pupils in the 2025-2026 academic year who have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP).
Cllr Mike Whiting (Ind), who represents Queenborough and Halfway, said: “This is great news and means that the new school should be ready to take its first pupils in September. . . .
“For years, Island children with special education needs or disability have had to go off the Island, often travelling hours at great cost to a mainland school.
It will provide 60 new places for pupils who have autism and complex needs.
“For many, this new school will mean a local education and an end to those long journeys. . . .
“By the end of this year, Sheppey will have three new SEND schools, with others at Elmley Dray and the Nore Academy. At last, there is a local voice for parents.” . . .
Last summer, the school was taken over by the trust after a damning Ofsted report and staff walking out over fears for their safety.
However, it has since been turned around following a multi-million-pound investment from the Department for Education and new leadership. . . .
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