Recommendation 16

The 2016 Taylor review called for education to be at the heart of dealing with children in custody and outlined a new model of provision called secure schools. The Ministry immediately accepted the findings of the Review and committed to creating two secure schools. HMPPS originally planned for the first secure school to be open by autumn 2020, but there have been recurrent delays, partly because of unrealistic timescales at the start of the project.51 HMPPS told us that it is now aiming to open the first secure school at the former Medway STC site in November 2023, but has built in another three months contingency on top, so the secure school may not open until February 2024.52 This would be more than seven years after the Taylor review. HMPPS told us that upon opening the secure school will build up to full complement slowly and that it would avoid moving children around Christmas time as this would be too disruptive.53