CYP Now - ‘Get a grip’ on delayed plans for secure school, MPs tell government

MPs have urged the government to “get a grip” on plans for the UK’s first secure school amid almost four years of delays in opening the setting.

Oasis Restore was first due to open in 2020. Picture: Oasis Restore

In a new report, the public accounts committee (PAC) questions the “commitment” of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and HM Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) in delivering the school which was first due to open in autumn 2020.

Despite assurances that it will open in November 2023, the PAC has said it expects the setting to be ready closer to February 2024.

MP Meg Hillier, PAC chair, said: "It’s time for the department to get a grip on the programme it announced its support for seven years ago."

Its report on secure training centres (STCs) and secure schools says the delays could “condemn vulnerable children to unsafe conditions” in STCs with the number of children in custody expected to double by 2024, with vulnerable girls badly impacted.

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