Orchard Hill College Academy Trust and Merton Council are delighted to announce that they have been given the go ahead by the Department for Education (DfE) to open a new provision for children with special education needs in the borough from September 2025.
The DfE has granted permission for Bedelsford School to open a temporary satellite site in Morden to provide an additional 40 places in the first instance. Bedelsford School is an outstanding special school in the neighbouring borough of Kingston upon Thames.
The school has been given approval to open a satellite site on a temporary basis in The Chaucer Centre, a former school building located in the St Helier neighbourhood. The Centre is currently used by the Council as a training centre but will be adapted to meet the need for specialist education places in the borough. In the first year the centre will be able to provide 40 places and will have the potential to increase up to 80 children over a three-year period.
Pupils and staff will transfer from this temporary site to a brand-new Free School which is scheduled to open in the borough in September 2027. This school will be operated by Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (OHCAT), a specialist multi-academy Trust and home to 14 schools including Bedelsford School. When the new Free School opens it will provide up to 120 places for pupils with an age range of 4-16 and will be co-educational.
Both the temporary provision and the new Free School will provide places for children who have a range of moderate to severe learning difficulties and complex needs. This is likely to include Speech Language and Communication Needs and may also include Autism Spectrum Conditions and other associated areas of need.
Councillor Sally Kenny, Cabinet Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, said:
“This will make a huge difference to pupils with SEND, who currently travel out of the borough for the extra support they need with their education. We are delighted to welcome OHCAT to the borough and look forward to working with them on the opening of the temporary school next September. The Chaucer Centre, which is a former school building, will make a great temporary location for our SEND pupils.
Both the satellite site and the new special free school represents a significant investment in the future of our children with SEND, ensuring they have access to high quality education tailored to their individual needs.”
Councillor Usaama Kaweesa, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, said:
“This partnership will offer more spaces for children and young people with SEND needs to get their education within the borough. This is an exciting opportunity and signifies the work we are currently doing to offer outstanding education provisions for children with specific needs.”
OHCAT CEO, John Prior said:
“This is an exciting time for OHCAT as we work with our colleagues in Merton to expand our established SEND expertise to reach more children and young people.”
Emmet Murphy, Principal of Bedelsford School, said:
“Bedelsford School is incredibly proud to establish a satellite site in Merton to meet the significant demand for high quality special education needs places. We are confident that we can successfully maintain the high standards of education and care for all our pupils, both at the existing Bedelsford site and the new Chaucer Centre satellite site.”