Harrow Council has paused a project to build a new school for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), citing uncertainty over funding and direction from central government. The council is unsure whether the government wants local authority schools or free schools to run SEND provisions, and about the level of funding that will be allocated to existing provisions in mainstream schools versus specialist schools.
The decision was revealed during a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, 8 July 2025, where Councillor Paul Osborn, Leader of the Council, expressed his disappointment with the government's delay in finalising a plan for SEND provision.
I am slightly disappointed that the government is taking a long time to come up with a plan for special education needs and disabilities,
said Cllr Osborn. He explained that the council had already purchased a site for the new school, which could provide 292 places for children with SEND, and had been working with the Department for Education (DfE) to find a provider.
The council has purchased a site for the new SEND school, and it is described as pretty much vacant
with a very small building
on it. Cllr Osborn stated that the planning challenges are quite low and that it is already designated for community use. He also expressed worry about what else might go on that site if the project is delayed indefinitely.
However, the project is now on hold pending decisions from the national government. That's all paused and we won't know what happens with that until autumn, which is unfortunate because these things, even with the fair wind, will take a number of years to go through planning and to build and then to recruit and fill up that school,
Cllr Osborn added.
Cllr Osborn said that the council has discussed the SEND school with officials at the Department for Education, but they have been unable to provide a timescale for a decision. The government is expected to release a white paper on SEND in the autumn, and Harrow Council is hoping this white paper will provide clarity on the government's direction and funding for SEND provision.
Alex Skinner, Managing Director of the Council, suggested an alternative funding approach. He proposed that the council could fund the school itself if it were allowed to use the high needs block to cover the capital costs. Because ultimately, the beneficiary from a financial perspective is the high needs block,
Skinner explained, arguing that the school would reduce the need to send children out of the borough for specialist provision, which is more expensive.
The 'high needs block' is a specific allocation of funding within the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) used to support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Skinner argued that the high needs block would ultimately benefit from the school, as it would reduce the need to send children out of the borough for specialist provision.
Councillor Graham Henson raised concerns about the impact of a new SEND school on the viability of other schools in the borough, given falling school roll numbers. He noted that school rolls are generally falling in the outer parts of the borough, and a further additional SEND school will have an impact on schools. Cllr Osborn responded that the director of education would provide an update on this issue. Skinner added that London has seen a fall in the birth rate since 2016, which has led to a fall in primary school roll call in every borough except Havering.
The Overview and Scrutiny Committee agenda and reports pack are available online.