Update on Bradstow School in Kent
The proposed closure of Bradstow School in Kent is set to progress to the next stage after the Department for Education (DfE) was unable to approve plans for it to become an academy with the Cygnus Academies Trust.
Bradstow School is a residential special school in Kent and has supported children with complex learning needs and autism since 1990, when it was inherited by Wandsworth Council.
In November last year, Wandsworth Council proposed closing Bradstow School at the end of the 2024/25 academic year. This decision was purely driven by the unwillingness of some councils to pay fees at a level needed to ensure the school remains viable.
Since then, Wandsworth Council has been supporting Bradstow School with an academy application to the DfE with the Cygnus Academies Trust to allow the school to remain open.
The DfE announced last week that this application has not been approved.
Judi Gasser, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said: “I was very disappointed to hear that the Department for Education could not approve Bradstow School’s application to become an academy.
“This is not the result we wanted, and we have worked tirelessly to secure a different outcome by working closely with all parties involved to support this application.
“Sadly, this leaves us with no option but to commence the formal consultation on the closure of the school at the start of the new academic year to give families, councils and school staff clarity on the next steps.
“In collaboration with the parents, we have secured offers of alternative placements for the two Wandsworth children still attending the school and have invested £41 million since 2021 in ensuring that children with special educational needs can access high quality support locally.
“Our priority is to ensure that any transition, if the decision goes ahead, is smooth and that children continue to receive high-quality, specialised support. We thank Bradstow’s dedicated staff for their invaluable service over the years and will work with them closely throughout this process.”
Whilst the consultation is taking place, the DfE is looking into alternative options to closure.
Wandsworth Council is committed to supporting children with SEND locally, keeping them educated and cared for within Wandsworth or as close to their homes as possible.
The council has invested £41 million in expanding SEND provision in Wandsworth since 2021, creating over 246 additional school places. This has included £7 million on adapting existing buildings, creating 182 new spaces. The remaining £34 million is being spent on a purpose-built expansion of Paddock Secondary and Sixth Form School.
Opening this September, Paddock will become the borough’s largest special school, give students the best possible educational experience, while creating 64 new places for the most complex children.