A new £22 million SEND school in Wembley nears completion

Teachers, councillors and construction workers celebrated a significant milestone in building a new £22 million school in Wembley this week.

The celebration marked the final installation of the modular units used to construct the classrooms in the ultra-sustainable Wembley Manor School in London Road. The special school will create an additional 150 SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) places in Brent to give children more options locally, rather than having to travel outside of the borough.

The new school has been built to meet the growing need for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) places in Brent and will provide much-needed specialist support for families.

The number of local pupils needing special educational, health, and social care plans has risen around 10 percent every year over the past decade, and numbers are predicted to increase. A recent London Councils report highlighted a similar trend across the capital.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, Leader of Brent Council; Cllr Gwen Grahl, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, and Schools; and Cllr Teo Benea, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Planning and Property, toured the newly installed ground-floor classrooms. They were joined by ward councillors and teachers from the school, including Headteacher Louise Kimber and Deputy Headteacher Andrew Chaplin.

Cllr Gwen Grahl, Cabinet Member for Children, Young People, and Schools, said: “It’s fantastic to see the work that has gone into building a top-quality school that we know is going to have a huge positive impact on local children with special educational needs. I want to thank Reds10, and everyone who has come together to work on this project. We look forward to welcoming pupils through the doors in October.”

The new site covers an area of 3,801 square meters over three stories and consists of 121 modular units, all manufactured at Reds10’s offsite facility in East Yorkshire before being shipped to London Road and installed on site.

Jayne Jardine, The Rise Partnership Trust’s CEO, said: “We are really looking forward to moving into our new site. Our students will benefit hugely from the educational environment and we look forward to building strong links with the local community as we settle into our new school. It has been a pleasure to work with Reds10 and Brent Council on this exciting joint venture. This school will support Brent as it strives to offer additional specialist places for pupils from across the borough.”

Joe Shepherd, Director and Education Sector Lead for Reds10, said: “Wembley Manor school will provide an incredible SEND facility for Brent, and we are extremely proud of the progress we’ve made to bring the new school to fruition. The successful installation of the modular units ahead of schedule is testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and our commitment to delivering high-quality and sustainable educational facilities for pupils to learn and thrive.”

A key achievement of the project has been securing BREEAM certification with an impressive design score of 98.9, positioning the school on track to achieve an overall BREEAM Outstanding rating. Additionally, the project has also earned a perfect score of 45 out of 45 for the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and has been nominated for a CCS award.