MPs urge Department for Education to continue plan

THREE of the borough’s MPs have written to the secretary of state for education over delays to a planned school in Winnersh.

Theresa May, Conservative MP for Maidenhead, and Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading East, have penned a joint letter on the matter.

They asked Nadhim Zahawi for help to “overcome a delay” in the opening of Oak Tree School, which would support children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

In their letter, Mrs May and Mr Rodda said the delay is due to the building contractor asking for an inflationary uplift of around £500,000.

“This could have a significant impact on around 50 local children whose families were due to begin discussions with the school in the next two weeks and who would start at the school in September 2022,” the MPs wrote. “The school would offer much needed new facilities for the children with high levels of need and it could make a real difference to many families.”

Both MPs believe the delay “would also have a potentially serious effect on both local authorities”, and said it could lead to Reading and Wokingham Borough Councils having to spend an additional £10 million each year on alternative placements in the private sector.

“This cost would be locked in for several years as the Year 7 pupils are expected to remain in the same school for the whole of their secondary education,” the

MPs explained.

They said: “In effect, a discussion about how to respond to a £500,000 extra cost could lead to local authorities and ultimately the Department for Education having to spend 20 times that figure for several years.”

A spokesperson for Sir John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, said he has also written to Mr Zahawi as a matter of urgency.

“As it is, places for SEN students in the borough are at a premium, with many not getting an appropriate place or having to travel farther afield to attend a SEND school,” the spokesperson said. “A place at school nearer to their homes is vital.”