In the House of Commons during Education Questions, Mark Francois MP pushed for the new special needs school in Rayleigh to grow from its original plans of “100 plus” pupils, to accommodate a greater number of pupils at the new site.
In his question to the Education Minister, David Johnston MP, Mark said:
“Last July, standing here I launched a campaign for a new special needs school in South Essex. In February this year, working very closely with Essex County Council, who I commend for their efforts, we were able to announce a consultation to build a brand-new special needs school in Rayleigh, for 100 plus pupils, a through school for 3-18, to open in the 2025-26 academic year. It has gone down very well locally, but the one concern is at the moment it is 100 plus pupils, given the great demand for places, a lot of people would prefer something nearer 200, is there anyway perhaps with a little help from the Department, we might be able to achieve that too?”
In a positive response to Mark’s question, the Education Minister, said:
“My Rt Hon Friend is running an excellent campaign and we are very impressed with the speed with which Essex has moved to consultation. While I cannot preempt the decision the Department will make, what we have heard suggests a very strong case that he has put to the Department and we are also about to allocate the remaining £900 million of capital funding for special educational needs schools, of which Essex will of course benefit.”
