‘Huge disappointment’: new Woodlands Meed College in Burgess Hill will not be completed by autumn term

The governors said they carried out a site visit on Friday, August 18, which showed that the building would not be ready for occupation on September 7.

They said: “There is huge disappointment for students, parents and staff at Woodlands Meed.”

They continued: “Everyone had been avidly anticipating the start of the new academic year in the long-awaited college building. WSCC (West Sussex County Council) originally made a formal Proposal under the Education Acts to build a new special needs school for four to 19-year-olds, as a condition of being permitted to close Court Meadow and Newick House schools.”

But governors said they had been waiting for ‘proper facilities’ since 2012.

A WSCC spokesperson said: “We are working closely with the school and the contractor to resolve issues as quickly as possible in order to ensure that the site is safe and functional for students and staff. Our focus is on helping children and young people at Woodlands Meed fulfil their potential and we are committed to finding solutions that minimise potential disruption to their education, despite this setback.”

The completion date for the new college has been pushed back before but WSCC confirmed this July that the date was set for August 25.

The governors said the school ‘stripped down the old college buildings’ and packed everything into ‘hundreds of packing cases’ to prepare for the move in summer. But after Friday they said there was still ‘significant work outstanding’ at the site so students will now start the new term in the existing buildings.

A representative of the governors said: “We are so disappointed and frustrated for all the staff who worked so hard to enable this move to happen and for students and parents who were looking forward to a fit for purpose building at last. Reinstating the old building will not be easy as all the boxes will need to be unpacked and all the equipment and furniture reinstated. Unfortunately, at this stage we still do not have a firm completion date, and all we know is that it will not be until after the October half term.”