Beormund Primary School in Bermondsey is to move to Peckham after Southwark Council approved the plans, Southwark News reports. The council's executive signed off the relocation at a meeting on Tuesday morning, October 13. The school will leave its current home on Crosby Row and move to a purpose-built site on Reedham Street, where Bellenden Primary School stood before it moved to Dewer Street in Peckham Rye in 2018.

Key points

  • New home — Beormund Primary will move from Crosby Row to Reedham Street in Peckham.
  • More places — the new site will hold 56 pupils, up from the 35 the school is commissioned for and the 38 currently on roll.
  • Opening date — the school is due to open in January 2027.
  • Approval — Southwark Council's executive agreed the recommendations on Tuesday, October 13.

Beormund is a mixed-gender community special school for children with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs, and is rated Outstanding by Ofsted. The council says the existing building is no longer fit for purpose, is not thermally efficient and suffers from both underheating and overheating. It also falls short of revised national guidance on space and conditions for pupils with Special Educational Needs, particularly those with SEMH needs.

The council has said the school is over capacity and that demand for primary special places is expected to keep rising. It says the number of pupils needing special school places in the borough is greater than the places available, leaving some children in provision that does not best meet their needs, waiting for a local place, or travelling to schools in other boroughs.

Lisa Noel, headteacher of Beormund Primary School, told executive members the relocation and expansion would be "transformative". She said many pupils have had significant adverse childhood experiences, and that the new building will include bespoke therapy spaces for art therapy and music therapy alongside classroom teaching. Cllr James McAsh, leader of Southwark Council, said he was pleased the plans had finally been signed off after many years. The new school is set to open in January 2027.

Editor's comment

What it means in practice

For families in Southwark with a child who needs a special school place, this is a change to watch rather than one to act on now. The move does not affect Beormund's current pupils until the new building opens, and the extra places are aimed at children who would otherwise travel outside the borough or wait for a local spot.

  • Parents — if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, the extra 21 places could mean a shorter journey to school once the Peckham site opens.
  • Timing — nothing changes on Crosby Row before January 2027, so current arrangements stand.
  • Getting answers — for questions about places or transport, contact the school or Southwark Council's SEN team directly.