Galliford Try Wins £39m SEND School Contract Gidea Park 2026

Key Points

• Galliford Try has been awarded a £39m main works contract for the Balgores SEND School at Gidea Park by the London Borough of Havering
• The new school will accommodate up to 300 children and young people aged 4–19 with autistic spectrum disorder, severe learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs
• At more than 6,000 sq m, the development will become one of the largest SEND schools in the UK
• The facility includes 38 classrooms, a hydrotherapy pool, enterprise hub, performance space, café, sports hall, and multi-use games area
• Several facilities will be available for community use outside school hours, including the hydrotherapy pool, sports hall, and games areas
• Planning permission was granted by Havering Council’s Strategic Planning Committee on 11 December 2025
• The school is scheduled to open for the 2027 school year, specifically September 2027
• Funding of more than £38million will come from a Department for Education grant
• The project addresses critical SEND needs within Havering and will help reduce the £3million cost of sending children to schools outside the borough
• The contract was awarded through a call-off from the Southern Construction Framework 5, Lot 3 – London

Havering (East London Times) June 9, 2026 – The London Borough of Havering has awarded contractor Galliford Try the main works package for the Balgores SEND School at Gidea Park, sealing a £39m contract to build one of Britain’s largest specialist schools after successfully completing the project’s pre-construction phase.

Why Is This SEND School Being Built in Gidea Park?

As reported by Sebastian Mann of The Havering Daily, proposals for the Balgores Lane special education needs (SEND) school, situated on a playing field, were green-lit last night by Havering Council’s strategic planning committee. The new school will provide places for up to 300 children and young people aged four to 19 with autistic spectrum disorder, severe learning difficulties and social, emotional and mental health needs.

At more than 6,000 sq m, the development is set to become one of the largest SEND schools in the UK and will help tackle growing demand for specialist education places across East London. The London Borough of Havering awarded the contractor the main works package through a call-off from the Southern Construction Framework 5.

What Facilities Will the Balgores SEND School Include?

Plans for the Balgores Lane site include 38 classrooms alongside a hydrotherapy pool, enterprise hub, performance space and café. Several facilities are intended to be available for community use outside school hours.

External works will include dedicated pupil drop-off areas, staff parking, extensive landscaping, outdoor play areas and a multi-use games area. According to Havering Council’s strategic planning committee documents, the following facilities will be made available for community use: Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), grass sports pitch, Sports Hall, hydrotherapy pool (for supervised, pre-booked sessions), and enterprise hub (learning kitchen) for school-run community events.

How Will This Address Havering’s SEND Place Shortage?

As reported by Sebastian Mann of The Havering Daily, in some instances, the council pays for SEND children to attend specialist schools outside the borough due to a shortage of places. Funding of more than £38million will come from a Department for Education grant.

The new facility will help many of the children with SEND to attend school within the borough instead of being educated outside the borough or placed in other inappropriate settings. It will also help the Council to reduce the £3million cost in sending children to schools outside Havering.

As stated by Havering Council: “A new school for children with SEND will complement and expand on this provision and help local children and families to overcome the challenges of finding a suitable placement or having to attend a school across or outside of the borough due to limited places”.

When Will the Balgores SEND School Open?

Balgores SEND School opens for the 2027 school year, providing much-needed specialist education provision in Havering. The construction phase is expected to take 18 months with the school anticipated to open for the start of the school term in September 2027.

Work is scheduled to start on site in October 2025. Subject to securing planning permission, it is hoped that construction of the new school will commence Autumn/Winter 2025/2026. Planning permission for the scheme was granted by the Strategic Planning Committee on 11 December 2025, subject to conditions (ref: P.1087.25).

Why Has Demand for SEND Places Increased So Dramatically in London?

As reported by BBC London, the number of autistic pupils getting support in London schools has increased by 158%. This observation is corroborated by BBC London’s findings, which show that the quantity of autistic students receiving support has surged by 158%, rising from 17,832 in the 2015-16 academic year to 46,095 in 2024-2025.

One contributing factor is the heightened awareness surrounding neurodevelopmental disorders, which has led to an increase in autism diagnoses among children. Over the last ten years, the figure of children with special educational needs in London has risen by nearly one-third, climbing from 205,309 in the 2015-16 academic year to 267,368 in 2024-25, according to data from the Department for Education (DfE).

One in three pupils with an EHC plan are identified with a primary need of ASD (33.6%) and one in five have a primary need of speech, language and communications needs (20.7%).

What Previous Construction Work Has Galliford Try Completed in the SEND Sector?

Galliford Try, one of the UK’s leading construction groups, has signed contracts to build new schools for SEND facilities, with its Building Southern business receiving five awards within the past few months in deals totalling in excess of £50m. Galliford Try’s Building Southern team has started construction of the SEN Rowan Wood School and sixth form campus on Hargood Road in Royal Greenwich, a £30 million project that will provide 128 places for children aged 11 to 19 with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and complex needs.

Background: The Development of Balgores SEND School in Gidea Park

The Balgores SEND School is a new-build school on a greenfield site in the London Borough of Havering at Balgores Fields, Gidea Park. When complete, it becomes one of the largest special needs schools in the UK, providing places for 300 pupils aged 4-19 with autism and other complex learning needs.

The plans include access from Balgores Lane and the construction of a part single-storey, part two-storey building to accommodate 300 pupils. The site is situated at 2 Balgores Lane, Gidea Park, Romford, Essex, RM2 5JR.

Havering Council is consulting on its proposal to appropriate (change the use of) the Balgores Fields site in Gidea Park for the development of the new SEND school. This specialist school would provide education for children and young people aged 4–19 with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD), and Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH), addressing a significant need within the Borough.

The proposal prompted concerns over the loss of a playing field, as reported by The Havering Daily in July 2025. Despite these concerns, the strategic planning committee approved the proposals.

Havering Council’s Cabinet agreed a £66 million investment in schools and early years settings across Havering to meet the rising number of children and young people in the borough, which makes up Phase 5 of a borough-wide school and early years expansion programme. These proposals are in addition to plans for the 300-place special school on Balgores Lane which was announced earlier.

Galliford Try’s Building Southern business was selected by the London Borough of Havering to deliver the new SEND school, commissioned with the support of the Southern Construction Framework (SCF) and Playle and Partners. The Pre-Construction Service Agreement for the first stage of the D&B contract was awarded to Galliford Try Building Limited on 4 September 2025, with a total value of £2,507,490.

Funding for the project comes from a Department for Education grant, with more than £38million allocated. The school will complement existing SEND provision in Havering, including SEND units at selected schools addressing rising need for additional support.

Prediction: How This SEND School Development Will affect Families, Children, and the Local Community in Havering and East London

The Balgores SEND School will directly affect 300 children and young people aged 4–19 with autistic spectrum disorder, severe learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs by providing specialist education places within Havering rather than requiring them to attend schools outside the borough.

Families in Havering and East London will benefit from reduced travel distances and the ability to keep children with SEND within their local community. As stated by Havering Council, the new school will “help local children and families to overcome the challenges of finding a suitable placement or having to attend a school across or outside of the borough due to limited places”.

The development will affect the council’s financial position by reducing the £3million cost currently spent on sending children to schools outside Havering. This reduction in out-of-borough placement costs could allow the council to redirect funds to other educational or community services.

Local residents in Gidea Park will experience the impact of construction activity beginning Autumn/Winter 2025/2026, with the 18-month construction phase occurring before the September 2027 opening. However, residents will also benefit from community access to designated facilities outside school hours, including the multi-use games area, grass sports pitch, sports hall, hydrotherapy pool, and enterprise hub.

The school will affect the growing population of autistic pupils in London, where numbers have increased by 158% from 17,832 in 2015-16 to 46,095 in 2024-25. With one in three pupils having an EHC plan identified with ASD (33.6%), the demand for specialist places continues to rise significantly.

East London as a region will see improved specialist education capacity, as the development “will help tackle growing demand for specialist education places across East London”. The school’s size at more than 6,000 sq m makes it one of the largest SEND schools in the UK, positioning Havering as a significant provider of specialist education.

Children currently placed in “inappropriate settings” outside the borough will gain access to a state-of-the-art facility with outdoor play space, sports hall, stage, and therapy pool designed specifically for pupils aged 4-19 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

The local economy in Gidea Park will experience employment opportunities during the 18-month construction period, with Galliford Try’s Building Southern team delivering the project.

Parents and caregivers will have access to supervised, pre-booked sessions at the hydrotherapy pool and community events at the enterprise hub (learning kitchen), expanding support services available to the local community.