Alexandra School in South Harrow, which provides education to 80 pupils with learning difficulties, received nearly £1 million in funding from Harrow Council last year so it could cater for growing demand for places.
The 30 extra spaces will be created at a cost of £32,000 per pupil, nearly half as much as what it would cost if they had to be placed outside of Harrow.
The school – rated ‘outstanding’ following its latest Ofsted inspection – was last week granted permission by Harrow Council’s planning committee to build three separate single-storey extensions, which will provide a new classroom, a food technology room, and an extension to the staff room. The expansion will allow for ten new members of staff.
It is expected that the expansion will be ready for pupils to enrol in September this year.
Committee chair and deputy leader of the council, Cllr Marilyn Ashton, said: “It is always good to see increased capacity and facilities at schools.”
The demand for special needs places in Harrow has soared over the past few years, resulting in the council struggling to fulfil its legal duty to provide sufficient spaces.
A report published last year by the council’s director of children’s services suggested that not providing extra spaces would not only impact children who need special education but also increase the demand on mainstream schools.
Depending on the complexity of their needs, the report claims that the average cost of placing a special needs pupil outside of the borough is around £70,000 to £80,000. It is estimated that increasing the number of places in the borough could save up to £1.3 million a year, with a further £210,000 saved from the special needs transport budget.
The number of special needs places has increased by 84 since 2019, according to the council, with additional provision created at Pinner Wood, Stanburn, and Grange primary schools, as well as Belmont and Kingsley High School.
However, demand at Alexandra School is greater than the number of spaces currently available, with parental preference for the well performing school rising.
