Brand new Free School in Sidcup given the green light to proceed

4 May 2018

Proposals for a new Secondary school in Sidcup for children with special educational needs has been given the green light by the Department for Education, and is due to open in September 2019.

Cleeve Meadow School will provide highly specialised education for 120 pupils aged 11 and 19 years and will be  supported by Marlborough Special School, Sidcup. Pupils with moderate learning difficulties, which could include speech, language and communication difficulties, behavioural difficulties, physical disabilities and sensory impairments will benefit from bespoke learning packages, specialised teaching and state-of-the-art facilities.

The Kemnal Academies Trust (TKAT) will manage the school as part of its family of 44 Academies across London and the South of England. Cleeve Meadow School will work in partnership with Cleeve Park School and be based on the same site.

Part of the school’s ethos is to minimise the barriers to learning that young people with learning difficulties can have, and maximise the inclusivity of pupils into mainstream teaching by sharing facilities together with Cleeve Park School.

There will be public consultation about various aspects of the development of the school in the coming months. A website has been set up, to give updated information about the school as it progresses and provide a feedback channel for local people. 

Karen Roberts, TKAT CEO said:

“This is fantastic news for the local community. TKAT is delighted to have this unique opportunity to create a centre of excellence in Sidcup and work collaboratively to improve the life chances of all our pupils.”

Jenni Tyler-Mayher, Headteacher of Cleeve Park School said:

“I am so pleased to extend Cleeve Park’s inclusive ethos to welcome pupils to the new school on our site.  We are entering into an exciting partnership that will bring a variety of opportunities to both students and staff. We look forward to seeing the progress of the new school, and growing and nurturing our new community’