For some local authorities, managing the need for SEND places is more difficult than others. One local authority had a rising trend for pupils with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) needing special school places, with this trend growing at more than the national average.

They asked us to work with their in-house SEND and schools team, reviewing data on historic and current trends to create a forecast of the number of special school places that are likely to be required across the area, classified by the SEND designation of the pupils. We then reviewed the existing estate to establish how and where additional capacity could be created, and identify the scale of the future shortfall in places. Our strategy and forecasting dovetailed with the local authority's inclusion strategy, which aimed to increase the ability of mainstream schools to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

There are a lot of pressure on professionals in the education sector. When you're trying to prioritise your shrinking budgets, you need to make sure you’re getting maximum value from your investment in your estate, whilst ensuring your facilities are safe, fit for purpose and sustainable. We can help you create a plan to meet all these objectives.

We have worked with a variety of local authorities, individual schools and multi-academy trusts covering primary, secondary and post-16 age ranges, and both mainstream and SEND cohorts, so we truly understand the sector and the differing needs of each cohort.

You need to start thinking about what the future holds, and how your buildings may need to change or develop to align to your organisation's plans and prepare for the future. With changing ways of operating, advancements in technology and the journey to net zero, there's lots to think about.

We are currently supporting a local authority with strategic and project management support to create new SEND places. This involves undertaking feasibility study reviews of existing education and non-education properties to ascertain the potential capacity and viability of establishing new SEND provision in these buildings.

For those schemes that passed this initial viability test, we have worked with the LA and school to create an initial scoping and briefing document for the contractor appointed to deliver the scheme, and will continue to project manage the scheme through the handover.

Free schools can be a good solution to provide more SEND provision, but often they need central government capital to enable them to open. We worked with a Local Authority to produce a free school submission application, securing DfE capital to establish a new SEND free school in their area.

Our work included determining and proving the forecast deficit of places, by type of need, in the LA area and defining the specific requirements for the new school. We also supported identification of a preferred site for the school and demonstrated its viability for development. Once funding was secured, we went on to support the incoming MAT and LA with development of the school specific brief for the new provision.

Well, for a start, we’ve got a diverse team of over 60 skilled estates professionals, brimming with energy and ready to get stuck in.

We’re ready and willing to really listen and then work together to find a solution to your challenges, whether it’s deciding how to better use what you already have, a feasibility study or business case, an estates or infrastructure strategy, project and programme management, or you just want some friendly advice on where to start.

The education, healthcare and commercial sectors are where we excel, with experienced consultants who understand the industry and can navigate you through the complex regulatory, funding and compliance landscapes.

We’re based in the north of England, but we work nationwide, supporting customers the length and breadth of the country.