A former private school which shut without warning back in the summer will be brought back into use as a much-needed special needs provision.

Elliott Park on the Isle of Sheppey emailed stunned parents out-of-the-blue in August to say it had "permanently closed".

At the time, director Stacey Phillips said bosses had "with heavy hearts" reached the "extremely difficult decision" to cease trading.

In a statement, she added: "Everyone has worked hard to find a way to keep the school open but the ongoing losses are too high to be sustained."

However, three months on, it has now been revealed that The Autism Apprentice is taking over the former school in Marina Drive, Minster, and bringing it back into use as an educational facility focussing on young people with special educational needs (SEN).

The new school, which will be called The Stefan Taye School, will cater for up to 69 10 to 19-year-olds and is set to open next summer.

Sarah Aldridge, The Autism Apprentice's operations director, said: "The lack of specialist placement and the right provision for youngsters across the county is appalling.

"As a result, we are seeing an increase in anxiety, mental health and autism in young people, while there are secondary school-aged children who just cannot access school at all.

"It has been a lot of hard work to see if we can pursue our dream to help these children and their families, but we are proud to be able to now introduce The Stefan Taye School.

"We've got a team together ready to go and we've already identified a head teacher so it's quite exciting."

Mrs Aldridge added: "We all live in Swale and we just really want to make a difference to the area. Having children on the spectrum ourselves, it just gives us that drive and determination to try and improve things for others.

"My daughter, who is 16, has had to travel all over the county to go to a specialist provision: in Maidstone, Ramsgate and, now, Rochester, but you want your child to feel part of their own community; it's so important."

The Stefan Taye School will be an independent school, but under a Community Interest Company (CIC), so it will be not-for-profit. This means any profit made will go towards benefitting the wider community.

Mrs Aldridge said: "For example, we'd like to set up a grant pot for families to enable them to be able to pay for a private diagnosis. The wait time for an autism diagnosis in Kent is four to six years; it just isn't acceptable and we want to help children and their families get the support they need."

When asked how the new school got its name, Mrs Aldridge said it had been named after Stefan Taye, a 15-year-old boy, with SEN, who took his own life in March this year.

"We don't want any other children, especially our students, to feel like there is no other option than to take their own life. That's why we're doing this," Mrs Aldridge said.

She added: "We have already received such wonderful, positive comments about the new school, which we have been so pleased to see. One mum said this was life-changing, and it really will be for many families in Swale."

Desperate need for places

While Sittingbourne has two SEN schools – Meadowfield School and Aspire School – the need for special facility on Sheppey is increasingly in need.

However, calls for much-needed provision on the Island are finally being answered.

In addition to The Stefan Taye School, a new special primary school

–

the first of its kind on the Island – is proposed to open on Sheppey in 2025/26.

It was revealed last December that it will cater for 50 young people with SEN and will either be an expansion of an existing school or a standalone “satellite” site.

Meanwhile, in September this year, plans for Sheppey's first secondary special school were approved.

It will be built on the former Danley Middle School site, next to the existing Halfway Houses Primary School at Halfway.

It will provide places for 120 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) needs and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs from ages 11 to 16. The school is aiming to open in September next year.

Cllr Cameron Beart (Con), who represents Queenborough and Halfway on Swale council, has supported calls for more suitable, local SEN provision to meet growing needs on the Island and reduce the demand for out-of-area school transport for a number of years.

Welcoming the news, he said: "It is wonderful that we will be getting, not one but, two new SEN secondary schools here on Sheppey, providing for and meeting the growing needs of our local children.

"This is something I have been committed to delivering on the Island and will continue to push for more improvements through delivery of our forward plan, including much-needed SEN primary school places.

"I am also overjoyed that it is the fantastic team at The Autism Apprentice who are behind this latest announcement. I know the great work they do already in Swale and I wish them every success with the new school."