Expansion plans at school for autistic girls cancelled

The planned expansion of a Surrey school for autistic girls has been cancelled due to council budget shortfalls.

Limpsfield Grange School, near Oxted, had consulted on plans for a £15.3m expansion to help cover a shortfall of specialist places in the county, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The school expects demand for specialist places for autistic girls across both secondary and post-16 ages to rise by 67% by 2030 compared with 2021 levels.

Clare Curran, cabinet member for children at Surrey County Council, said construction industry market volatility was impacting on development plans.

She said the authority was determined to create additional specialist provision to "ensure the best possible outcomes for Surrey’s children".

Sarah Wild, the school's headteacher, said: “Sadly we have to announce that the proposed expansion of Limpsfield Grange School, to include a sixth form and places for additional students, has been cancelled by Surrey County Council due to shortfalls in their budget.

“Naturally everyone at Limpsfield Grange is extremely disappointed."

She thanked everyone who had supported the expansion plans during the consultation process for their "time, energy and commitment".

Limpsfield Grange School is a school for autistic girls and provides specialist education for girls aged 11 to 16 years with a permanent capacity of 94 places.

Construction to provide an additional 60 places, plus a further 40 sixth form spaces, was set to begin in 2025.

The project, part of Surrey County Council’s SEND capital programme, had been approved by the county’s cabinet in January 2022.

Ms Curran said high levels of inflation, continued unstable market conditions, increasing need and fixed Government funding had affected costs.

She added that it was now costing more to deliver the remaining approved plans within the £189m budget.

She pointed to the council's £260m total investment to create new school places and expansion of state-maintained specialist education in Surrey.

“We know how important it is to place a child in a setting that is appropriate for their educational needs, safety and wellbeing, and we are determined to create additional specialist provision to ensure the best possible outcomes for Surrey’s children," she added.

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