More than half of free specialist school projects put on hold by the government are set to go ahead, as councils turn down alternative funding offers. Ministers gave town halls the choice to open 59 special or alternative provision schools or take a three-year, 拢50,000-per-pupil cash alternative to create new places in existing schools. A further 18 special schools and 28 mainstream schools were cancelled altogether. Councils had until last Friday to submit their responses to the Department for Education. Thirty-four schools have been green-lit by councils. A further 18 are in areas where councils decided to accept alternative funding. One council, Leeds, said it had agreed a “short extension” to the response deadline with the DfE. A spokesperson did not say why or how much extra time they have. For the remaining six schools, the councils refused to reveal their decision. See below for the full list. ‘Disappointed’ Broken down by school type, councils have decided to go ahead with 25 special schools. Eleven look set to be cancelled. The future of three schools is unknown. There is potentially a more even split for AP. Nine are going ahead, seven will be cancelled and a decision about four schools is yet to be confirmed. The Youth Engagement Trust was due to support Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire East with two alternative provision schools. Chief executive Nic Brindle said the organisation was “disappointed” the schools are not going ahead. He believed the schools “would have made a significant difference both in meeting the needs of vulnerable students and in helping mainstream colleagues to develop more inclusive practice”. But he “understood the rationale behind the decision” given the schools were due to open in September and there is “no clear guidance on revised delivery timescales”. ‘No further clarity’ Councils including Wokingham, Windsor and Maidenhead, Barnsley, Hounslow and Sheffield have opted to scrap the schools in return for expansion funding. Many argued that cancelling projects will deliver SEN provision more quickly. Windsor and Maidenhead council accepted 拢5.4 million funding, with council documents saying their planned 100-place school for pupils with SEMH would be 鈥渁lmost a decade later than originally anticipated鈥�. Wokingham Borough Council officers recommended two special schools be cancelled as the 鈥淒fE has provided no further clarity in relation to the delivery timetable鈥�, which could have 鈥渟ubstantial financial implications鈥� on the council. ‘A false choice’ Other councils, including Enfield, Birmingham, Darlington, Kent, and Dorset have pressed on with special school projects. Enfield said it was going ahead with a 96-place school for children with complex and additional needs as 鈥渞ejecting DfE delivery would mean forfeiting a significant investment and the provision of a modern, sustainably designed high-spec building鈥�. Meg Powell-Chandler, director of the New Schools Network, said: “Where projects have not been taken forward, many councils faced a false choice, with DfE delays meaning schools approved in 2024 would not open until the end of the decade. “Families and communities have waited long enough – the priority now must be getting these schools built and open quickly.” The DfE declined to comment. Full list of decisions so far Current project nameSchool typeCouncilTrust name DecisionDelta Barnsley AP Free SchoolFS – APBarnsleyDelta Academies TrustAlternative fundingSulis AcademyFS – APBath and North East SomersetMidsomer Norton Schools PartnershipBuild schoolGreen Ways AcademyFS – Special Bath and North East SomersetThree Ways SchoolBuild schoolFrankley Hill SchoolFS – SpecialBirminghamOpen Thinking PartnershipBuild schoolSpringwell BirminghamFS – SpecialBirminghamWellspring Academy TrustBuild schoolThrive Learning PartnershipFS – SpecialBlackpoolThe Sea View TrustBuild schoolMansfield Health AcademyFS – APBlackpoolThe Sea View TrustBuild schoolForest View SchoolFS – SpecialBracknell ForestThe Propeller Academy Trust Build schoolBristol Specialist ProvisionFS – SpecialBristolEnable TrustBuild schoolRedwood AcademyFS – SpecialBromleyRiverbed Inclusive TrustAlternative fundingDelta Calderdale AP Free SchoolFS – APCalderdaleDelta Academies TrustLA did not respondLime Academy MarchFS – SpecialCambridgeshireLime TrustBuild schoolGreensand AcademyFS – SpecialCambridgeshireMeridian TrustBuild schoolBiggleswade SEMH AcademyFS – SpecialCentral BedfordshireOak Bank SchoolAlternative fundingThe Engage AcademyFS – APCheshire EastYouth Engagement Schools TrustAlternative fundingCumberland Alternative ProvisionFS – APCumberlandCumbria Education TrustLA did not respondThe Garden Village SchoolFS – SpecialDarlingtonThe Education Village Academy TrustBuild schoolACE CranbrookFS – SpecialDevonTransforming Futures Multi Academy Trust LimitedAlternative fundingOsprey Quay Special SchoolFS – SpecialDorsetSouthern Education TrustBuild schoolThe North Star SchoolFS – SpecialEast Riding of YorkshireThe Education AllianceBuild schoolTurning PointFS – APEast Riding of YorkshireThe Constellation TrustBuild schoolThe MeadowFS – SpecialEnfieldSearch Education TrustBuild schoolHillingdon Special Free SchoolFS – SpecialHillingdonThe Eden AcademyLA did not respondWings AcademyFS – SpecialHounslowOrchard Hill College Academy TrustAlternative fundingWhitstable Special SchoolFS – SpecialKentFortis TrustBuild schoolLeigh Academy BirchwoodFS – SpecialKent Leigh Academies TrustBuild schoolJude’s AcademyFS – APKentAlternative Learning TrustBuild schoolDelta Kirklees AP Free schoolFS – APKirkleesDelta Academies TrustBuild schoolAspire AcademyFS – SpecialLeedsEthos Academy TrustNo decision yetAchieve AcademyFS – SpecialLeicestershireMacintyre AcademiesAlternative FundingFairfax Primary AcademyFS – SpecialMiddlesboroughHorizons Specialist Academy TrustLA did not respondUnity School Great YarmouthFS – SpecialNorfolkUnity Schools PartnershipBuild schoolThe Ryston SchoolFS – SpecialNorfolkEastern Learning AllianceBuild schoolSpringwell GrimsbyFS – SpecialNorth East LincolnshireWellspring Academy TrustBuild schoolSpringwell NorthallertonFS – SpecialNorth YorkshireWellspring Academy TrustBuild schoolBowden AcademyFS – APNottinghamRaleigh Education TrustBuild schoolRiver Tees Academy Redcar and ClevelandFS – APRedcar and ClevelandRiver Tees Multi-Academy TrustAlternative fundingCo-op Academy SalfordFS – SpecialSalfordThe Co-operative Academy TrustBuild schoolInspire AcademyFS – SpecialSheffieldEthos Academy TrustAlternative fundingMinerva AP Free SchoolFS – APSheffieldMinerva Learning TrustAlternative fundingNorth Star WellsFS – SpecialSomersetNorth Star Academy TrustBuild schoolSouth Tyneside Special Free SchoolFS – SpecialSouth TynesidePROSPER Learning TrustAlternative fundingThe Link AcademyFS – APStoke-on-TrentYouth Engagement Schools TrustAlternative fundingDelta Stockton AP Free SchoolFS – APStockton-on-TeesDelta Academies TrustLA not respondedUnity SLD SchoolFS – SpecialSuffolkUnity Schools PartnershipBuild schoolEEGT Suffolk AP Free schoolFS – APSuffolkEastern Education Group TrustBuild schoolFrimley Oak AcademyFS – SpecialSurreyLondon South East Academies TrustBuild schoolBetchwood Vale AcademyFS – SpecialSurreyThe Howard Partnership TrustBuild schoolOlive AP Academy – TilburyFS – APThurrockOlive AcademiesBuild schoolMulberry Learning VillageFS – APTower HamletsMulberry Schools TrustLA not respondedKithurst AcademyFS – APWest SussexThe Beckmead TrustAlternative fundingBeckmead Wealden AcademyFS – SpecialWest SussexThe Beckmead TrustAlternative fundingImpact Academy WiganFS – APWiganThe Bolton Impact TrustBuild schoolBitham Park SchoolFS – SpecialWiltshireBrunel Academies TrustBuild schoolAlternative Free School for WiltshireFS – APWiltshireREAch South Academy TrustAlternative fundingChiltern Way Academy Windsor and MaidenheadFS – SpecialWindsor and MaindenheadChiltern Way Academy TrustAlternative fundingRooks Nest SchoolFS – SpecialWokinghamAscendancy Partnership TrustAlternative fundingStrawberry Fields SchoolFS – SpecialWokinghamAscendancy Partnership TrustAlternative fundingEnterprise AcademyFS – SpecialWorcestershireMacintyre AcademiesBuild school