The new SEN unit at Deptford Park Primary School is one way of creating more choice for Lewisham families to suit their child’s needs
A new 40-place special educational needs (SEN) unit opened at a primary school in Lewisham will help educate children closer to home and reduce disruption from travelling, a cabinet member has said.
The SEN unit is for children with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and it welcomed its first 12 children at Deptford Park Primary School last month (May 2026). The second cohort of pupils will join in September 2026.
Part of the school has been adapted and refurbished to make way for the new SEN unit, which will cater for up to 40 pupils across four to five classrooms. The school has also helped to fund the new unit.
Cllr Rotimi Skyers, Cabinet Member for Children, SEND, Youth Empowerment and Culture at Lewisham Council, provided an update on the new SEN unit to the Mayor of Lewisham, Liam Shrivastava, and Cabinet on Wednesday (June 10).
Cllr Skyers told them that it was an “important step” towards SEND provision in Lewisham, adding it was a “strong example” which showed how the council is delivering on its commitment to expanding high-quality local provision.
He added: “We know that the demand for support, particularly for children with significant cognitive and communication needs is rising. While our mainstream schools still work incredibly hard to be inclusive, they cannot always meet these complex needs in busy classroom environments.
“This unit helps with that, it provides specialist classrooms, skilled staff in a tailored environment, while still keeping children connected to their local community. And critically, it means more children can be educated closer to home, reducing long travel times and disruption that comes with out-of-borough placements.”
According to a Cabinet report, Lewisham has seen an increase in young learners with significant needs joining mainstream schools. They often have significant needs relating to cognition and learning, communication and interaction.
Later on in the meeting, Cllr Skyers presented the council’s SEND Reform Implementation Plan, which details how the borough plans to implement SEND reforms locally, as part of national policy set out by central government.
The council must submit its plan by June 19. If approved by the Secretary of State for Education, it will be implemented across the next three years and up to 2030.
As part of its plan, the council has pledged to offer more local support, provide more choice for children with SEND and their families, offer earlier help and create a more joined up system where education, health and care services will work more closely together.
The new SEN unit at Deptford Park Primary School is one way of creating more choice for Lewisham families to suit their child’s needs.
Cllr Rudi Schmidt, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Finance, Resources and Economic Development, said: “We know the pain and the difficulties that our families, both families and children who have SEND, have gone through, navigating the system and getting the support that they need.
“So we want to work really, really closely, both with the schools, headteachers, but also parents, children, and SENCOs [Special Educational Needs Coordinators] to really shape what our SEND offer looks like going forward.”
The recommendations were agreed in both the report detailing updates of the new SEN unit and the council’s SEND Reform Implementation Plan.
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