Merton is set to get 120 new school places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in a phased plan that would see 40 places provided each year over three years.
The first 80 places will be provided at a temporary satellite school, set up in Morden, with 40 made available in September 2025 and a further 40 the following year.
This is an interim plan while a new free school is being prepared for opening in Merton in September 2027, which would see those 80 pupils transferred in and another 40 places made available, so from September 2027, the full 120 places would be available for SEND pupils.
The temporary satellite school, planned to be at The Chaucer Centre, on Canterbury Road, Morden, would be run by Bedelsford School in neighbouring Kingston.
The decision on whether to open the satellite school now rests with the Department for Education, following a month-long public consultation run by Merton Council and Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (OHCAT), which runs Bedelsford and would also run the new free school.
OHCAT is currently responsible for 14 specialist schools across London and the South East. The new free school, which will funded by the Government but not controlled by the local authority, will join Merton’s five other SEND schools to provide spaces for kids within the borough. It’s not been announced yet what the new school would be named or what site it would open on.
The new school’s 120 SEND spaces, first announced back in May, will cater for an age range of 4-16 and will be co-educational. The school would be for children who have a range of moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex needs. This is likely to include speech, language and communication needs and may also include autism spectrum conditions and other associated areas of need.
Following the announcement, OHCAT CEO John Prior said: “This is an exciting time for OHCAT as we work with our colleagues in Merton to expand our established SEND expertise to reach more children and young people.”
OHCAT has promised no disruption to the existing students at Bedelsford School. While the new satellite site will be affiliated with Bedelsford, pupils will not need to access the main campus. OHCAT is also committed to recruiting dedicated staff for the satellite site, including a Head of Centre who will lead operations there and be part of Bedelsford’s senior leadership team. Bedelsford School already has 120 SEND pupils at its Grange Road site in Kingston.
Councillor Sally Kenny, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning at Merton Council, said: “We are delighted to welcome OHCAT as the provider for the new special school in Merton. This development represents a significant investment in the future of our children with SEND, ensuring they have access to high-quality education tailored to their individual needs.”
