New classrooms have not been built at a special educational needs school Slough Borough Council has confirmed – despite its leader’s claim that they had.

Writing in the Slough Observer earlier this month councillor Dexter Smith claimed the council had successfully built four new classrooms at Arbour Vale School within three months ‘in time for the new school year’.

This came after the council found it needed to accommodate 38 children with special educational needs urgently or find places for them outside the borough.

Leading councillors agreed in June to a ‘challenging’ plan to build the new classrooms with the goal of having them open by September. They agreed to hire a contractor that specialises in quickly-constructed buildings using insulated wooden panels.

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Writing in the paper on October 12, cllr Smith said the council had managed this.

He said: “Despite the limited time available, we built four new fully equipped classrooms at Arbour Vale School in time for the new school year.

"This means that the group can start and finish their entire secondary education in Slough.

“The whole council had to work together to build and ensure the functionality of these four classrooms within a very short time frame.”

But the Observer has now learned that, although the children have started their year at Arbour Vale, the classrooms won’t be built until January.

The Observer understands that this means the new children are having to be taught in temporary classrooms and in larger classes inside the school’s main building.

Slough Borough Council said cllr Smith’s article had been the result of a misunderstanding, and that the new aim was to have the classrooms open by January 2025.

The council said the delay was due to the unexpected discovery of underground utilities, meaning the foundations had to be redesigned.

A spokesperson said: “The plan is to build and fully-provision four new classrooms at Arbour Vale School for the start of the new year. We are aiming to get them ready for January 2025.

“The school admitted all the children using existing accommodation and have been very understanding, knowing that we are working to get this delivered as soon as possible.”

The council also said that it had originally planned to open the classrooms in the autumn term, but not in September.

But plans approved by the cabinet in June include a timetable that said the target date for the classrooms to be completed and handed over to the school was September 1.

However the plans also say that this would be ‘a very challenging timescale’ and that ‘any delays will push the handover date back’.