Polly has posted her petition to Kent County Council (KCC), calling on them to step in and save the Bradstow Special School from closure.

The petition, signed by 941 East Thanet and Kent residents, calls on the Conservative-run council to take action to ensure the school can continue to care for some of Kent’s most vulnerable children with complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The school is faced with closure after its operator, Wandsworth Council, said it could no longer run the school. Wandsworth is offering to transfer ownership of the school to KCC, including all of its land, but KCC has so far refused the request. KCC also owes Wandsworth more than £2 million in unpaid bills.

Polly has been supporting the campaign for KCC to take action to save the school, including by launching her public petition. The MP’s letter to KCC about the issue, published on Facebook, was subsequently shared more than 100 times and seen by more than 20,000 people.

Polly said:

 “

With nearly one thousand signatures from concerned residents, this petition demonstrates the strength of feeling in East Thanet that Kent County Council must take action to save Bradstow School.

 

Bradstow supports and educates some of the most vulnerable young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Kent. The impact on families of the pupils being educated at Bradstow if the school were to close would be enormous, forcing vulnerable children into a SEND system that is currently not fit for purpose and leaving parents having to cut down their working hours or exit work altogether due to their caring responsibilities.

 

In the conversations I’ve had with Bradstow school, Wandsworth Council, and the families, it is clear that all three want to work with KCC to resolve this issue and keep the school open – and are willing to work flexibly to make that happen. It’s really troubling that KCC is currently blocking this from progressing.

 

I would urge KCC to listened to all of those who signed the petition and act to save this vital community asset.”