Camden ’s Robson House launched a GoFundMe crowdfunder in the hope of bringing a new recreational space designed for pupils with complex social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.
It says pupils currently have access to a “stark asphalt rectangle offering little to encourage or engage our children during outdoor play”. With input from an occupational therapist, the new playground will be able to nurture “crucial physical and mental skills”.
“Our children, who have often had incredibly challenging experiences, deserve every chance to thrive, and that includes their learning and play environments,” the organisers said. “This will make a profound difference for up to 30 children.”
Robson House is a pupil referral unit (PRU) for primary school-aged children who can’t attend mainstream schools or have been permanently excluded because of various challenges. Ofsted gave it a ‘good’ rating at its last review in 2023. The establishment’s head of school is Laurel Robin, while John Hayes is executive headteacher of Netley Campus where the school is based.
The crowdfunder comes amid a funding crisis for the school, as governors in March told Camden Council Robson House could not balance its budget this year. The Town Hall last year covered its roughly £340,000 overspend, but in 2025 the school continues to face an “unsustainable” deficit.
Like many other mainstream and special schools up across the country, funding pressure has in part come from a rising number of children being awarded an Educational, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), entitling them to extra support. In Camden, these have mostly been driven by rising rates of autistic spectrum disorder, but also more primary-aged pupils with SEMH needs.
In June, executive headteacher John Hayes, who also heads up Gospel Oak Primary, warned Camden Council its maintained schools were “falling apart” amid a funding squeeze, with public sector pay rises for teachers making it harder to cut costs. The Town Hall had told school leaders to prepare for more financial pressure and shrinking reserves after it emerged they had collectively lost £6 million from their own balances since last year. As of the latest report, 1 in 5 local authority schools in the borough are now in deficit.
