Special school under Wandsworth’s wing in danger of closure

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A residential special school attended by autistic children from London could close next year due to mounting financial pressures.

Wandsworth council said it had decided to consult on the closure of Bradstow School in Broadstairs, Kent, ‘as a last resort’. The school has been found to be failing in its residential care duties.

The council, which runs the school, said it had been working with Kent County council (KCC) to explore transferring the provision since November 2021, but Kent council decided in October not to proceed with this option.

The authority said it was left with no other choice than to propose closure of the school at the end of the academic year, as it continued to face financial pressures – including a predicted deficit of £1.7m by the end of the 2024/25 financial year.

The school was temporarily banned from admitting new students into its accommodation last year after an inspection found ‘serious and widespread concerns’ in relation to the protection of children. The accommodation is on the same site as the school and is made up of individual homes where children live in small groups.

The council inherited the school in 1990, after the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was abolished. The school provides accommodation during term time for autistic children with complex needs aged between five and 19 years old.

Fifteen local authorities use the school, which currently has 27 boarders and six day pupils. Fourteen of these 33 students have been placed there by KCC, while Wandsworth has four children there.

Ofsted rated the school outstanding at an inspection in June last year, but it separately found the residential care required improvement that October. Inspectors said there was a lack of management oversight in key areas, including the use of physical interventions. Staff were ‘overstretched’ with not enough of them to support children, at times.

Another damning inspection of the school’s residential care in June this year saw its rating drop further to inadequate. Ofsted issued four compliance notices after raising serious concerns about the administration of medication, poor management oversight, how allegations were managed and unclear healthcare plans for children.

A new report by council officers said the challenge of managing the ‘safeguarding risk of such a complex provision is magnified by the fact that it is located so far from Wandsworth resources’. It claimed some local authorities were unwilling to pay the level of fees needed to maintain the quality and financial viability of the school, which have risen due to inflation.

The school is expected to have a deficit of £1.7m by the end of 2024/25, according to the report, while it holds debt of more than £3m with other councils at any given time.

The council plans to launch a consultation on the proposed closure of the school in January.

Labour councillor Kate Stock, Wandsworth’s cabinet member for children, said: “The decision to consult on the closure of the school in Kent was not taken lightly. However, this proposal reflects our commitment to placing children’s needs first.

“We have invested £41m since 2021 in ensuring that children with special educational needs can access high quality support here in Wandsworth, as our priority is to keep them close to their family and friends wherever possible.

“After exhausting all other options available to us, we felt it was the right decision to propose closing Bradstow School.

“Our priority is to ensure that any transition, if the decision goes ahead, is smooth and that children continue to receive high-quality, specialised support.”

Pictured top: Bradstow School in Broadstairs (Picture: Google Street View)