A council wants to take the construction of a new special free school into its own hands to gain more “certainty” that it opens on time.
Ministers approved a 100-place, all-through school in Bracknell Forest last year, but although a site has been approved, building work is unconfirmed.
The council wants to “take responsibility for construction itself to enable certainty around the timescale,” council documents state.
Schools Week investigations have revealed the sluggish opening-rate of such schools, despite a capacity crisis. In 2022, just one of 37 new free schools announced in 2020 had opened in its permanent home.
