Kent Online Article: Leigh Academy Minster, on Sheppey, set for £2.5m transformation of unused block into Snowfields SEND unit

Inside the building will be five classrooms, four break-out rooms, a library and meeting and staff spaces.  The break-out spaces can be used by teachers or staff to separate students from the main classroom if they are distressed or are being disruptive.  Outside there would be play spaces, a vegetable garden, an outdoor gym and trampoline, and new provisions for a sports field.

A new ‘drop-off zone’ is also included in the proposals with a speed ramp and six additional parking spaces – two of which will be disabled bays.  The building had previously been used by the Oasis Academy, which had run the school until earlier this year, for construction courses.

The school has now been taken over by Leigh Academies Trust.  The trust says the construction courses are not part of the current long-term curriculum offer, so the changeover will not affect students.  The whole school premises has already undergone a major transformation.  Strict rules on lateness and behaviour, a no make-up policy and the introduction of a library – something pupils were previously without – are among the changes.

There are already two Snowfield sites, one in Bearsted and the other in Cranbrook.  The trust says the new centre will provide a purpose-built facility adapted for students where it can offer a “comprehensive, SEND-focused curriculum” through the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme.

It added that both Snowfields and academy students will benefit from the scheme.  The project will be paid for by Kent County Council (KCC), which is facing increasing demand for SEND services.

This week the SEN crisis was laid bare with the authority expecting an £46.3 million overspend on the services, taking the total cost to the taxpayer to £389 million this year.  The new provision is expected to be open for the next academic year in September 2025, with building work starting in January.

Thirty-six places across Years 7, 8 and 9 will be offered in the first year the building is open.  There will be space for one class per year group.