Surrey's blended estates strategy for SEND explained

TG Escapes explores Surrey County Council’s blended estates strategy for the provision of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in schools and educational establishments.

At the recent Education Estates conference, Euan Leslie, Programme Manager for Surrey County Council, along with Chris Leese, Technical Director at TG Escapes Modular, presented “ModernMethods,InclusiveFutures”, a detailed look into a highly successful programme for expanding Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. Surrey’s forward-thinking strategy, which blends traditional refurbishment with Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), offers a powerful model for local authorities.

Surrey faces rising demand for specialist SEND places that far outstrips existing capacity. This critical shortfall was resulting in a growing number of students being placed in out-of-area independent provisions. This not only disrupted continuity of care and support but also meant some of the most vulnerable learners were being educated far from their local communities.

In collaboration with Surrey’s Education Department, an ambitious SEND and Alternative Provision Capital Programme was launched in 2021. Backed by a £260m investment, the programme aims to create 2,400 new, high-quality SEND and AP places by strategically expanding provision within both specialist and mainstream schools across the county.

A key pillar of Surrey’s success has been the adoption of a blended estates strategy. While 945 new places have been created through the refurbishment and extension of existing school buildings, the council has embraced MMC for a large portion of its newbuild projects totalling 702 places. This has been critical in accelerating delivery and overcoming the challenges often associated with construction on live school sites. Modular and panelised systems have proven particularly effective for developing specialist SEND hubs within mainstream settings. This “Specialist Resourced Provision” model allows students with specific needs to access a broad curriculum and social opportunities in a mainstream environment, while still receiving targeted support in a purpose-built facility.

The council partnered with modular timber frame specialist TG Escapes to deliver four bespoke projects that demonstrate how MMC can deliver highly specialised, permanent, quality buildings that foster inclusive and supportive learning environments.

At Woking High School, ‘The Liz Kyriacou Building’ provides a dedicated unit for visually impaired students. The design prioritised superior acoustics to ensure speech clarity and low ambient noise. Meanwhile, for Stepgates Community School, a facility was created to support primary pupils with complex social and communication needs. The panelised construction method employed by TG Escapes helped navigate the site’s constrained access.

The building at St Matthew’s CofE Primary School allows the school to expand its SEND provision to younger pupils, providing a classroom, sensory room, calming room, and an external sensory play area. An Inclusive Learning Hub for St John the Baptist School, currently under construction, will provide classrooms and breakout spaces to support multi-disciplinary teams in a biodiverse landscape, fostering a calming learning environment.

The new facilities provided by TG Escapes are all designed to be net-zero in operation, aligning with the council’s ‘Greener Futures’ strategy and ensuring long-term running costs are minimised. The biophilic design principles, which connect pupils to nature, have been shown to reduce anxiety and enhance educational outcomes.

Surrey County Council’s pragmatic and flexible approach demonstrates that by combining the creative use of existing assets with the speed and quality of modern construction methods, local authorities can effectively, efficiently and rapidly address the growing demand for SEND provision. 

Euan Leslie says: “Surrey has taken advantage of the benefits of modular and MMC as part of a flexible approach, to which TG Escapes have made a valuable contribution, with regard to suitability, sustainability, quality and efficiency of installation.”

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