Today the Secretary of State for Education has approved funding which means a new Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) school will now be built in Swanley.
This is fantastic news and will make a HUGE difference to families across the whole constituency.
I have long argued that there is a shortage of SEND places available locally and in 2021 I wrote to the Schools Minister seeking access to additional funding. Earlier this year I also had meetings with the Department for Education and Kent County Council to discuss this issue and make our case.
A huge thank you to KCC officers, KCC Conservative Leader Roger Gough and Swanley local Kent County Councillor Perry Cole for all their hard work in achieving this wonderful news. With the superb school annex campus now open in Sevenoaks, and the soon to be rebuilt Orchards Academy in Swanley, the Conservatives are delivering at providing parents and pupils with improved school choice and facilities locally.
There is of course always more to do - and I will now be continuing in my campaign to increase the Sixth Form and local Grammar School provisions in the north of the constituency.
