A specialist school in the South Hams remains without a permanent solution more than three years after being placed in the government’s Schools Rebuilding Programme, despite being classed as a Priority 1 project and facing ongoing safety concerns.

River Dart Academy, which provides education and care for children permanently excluded from mainstream provision, was added to the programme in 2022 under the fourth set of applicants. Rebuilding work was scheduled for completion by April 2025, but that deadline has passed with no replacement school delivered and no confirmed timeline in place.

The delay comes as the government prepares to expand the Schools Rebuilding Programme further. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced that applications will be invited from an additional 250 schools, despite nearly 520 schools already on the national list since the scheme launched in 2021.

River Dart Academy has again recently been forced to close after the nearby river rose and flooded the only access point to the site, creating significant safety risks. The Environment Agency has previously designated the location a flood risk and a “danger to life”.

The school is one of nine in Devon still awaiting rebuilding under the programme, which aims to address schools in the poorest condition across England.

Rob Gasson, Chief Executive of the Wave Trust, which runs River Dart Academy, said progress towards a solution has been slow.

“We have been in extensive discussions with Devon County Council and the Department for Education but remain frustrated that to date we are still only inching towards a solution,” he said.

“We require a new-build school on a suitable site, and have been in these discussions for nearly two years. The pupils and staff at River Dart Academy deserve better and I am concerned that this required new-build has slipped off the ‘urgent pile’ into the ‘too difficult’ pile.”

The Department for Education has said that schools with the “most severe need” will be prioritised as the programme expands. However, River Dart Academy’s continued use of a site deemed a “danger to life” has raised concerns locally about how urgency is currently being assessed.

Alongside the expansion of the rebuilding programme, Ms Phillipson has also announced a £3 billion national investment to create 50,000 specialist places for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools.

While it is not yet known how much of the funding will be allocated to Devon, the investment applies only to mainstream schools and will not benefit River Dart Academy.

River Dart Academy’s work with some of the county’s most vulnerable pupils makes the ongoing delay particularly concerning, with leaders warning that continued uncertainty risks further disruption to education and staff retention.

Despite being designated a Priority 1 project, no timeline has yet been confirmed for a replacement school on a safer site. For families and staff at River Dart Academy, the wait for a definitive, long-term solution continues.