Specialist therapeutic school for 85 pupils planned in Maidstone church hall
Octavia House School Kent plans to open in Brewer Street in January 2027 for children aged 5 to 16 with special educational needs, subject to Department for Education registration.
A specialist therapeutic school for up to 85 pupils aged 5 to 16 is planned to open in a former church hall in Brewer Street, Maidstone, in January 2027, subject to the successful completion of the Department for Education’s registration process.
Who the school is for
Octavia House School Kent is being developed for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities who require a therapeutic approach to education, with teachers and therapists working together around the needs of each pupil, the school says. The school says it will support pupils with an Education, Health and Care Plan, including those with social, emotional and mental health needs, neurodivergence and experiences of trauma or adversity. Placements will typically be funded through local authorities following the statutory EHCP consultation and placement process, according to the school, which says families, professionals and local authorities are welcome to contact its referrals team.
The founding headteacher is Liz Brown who, the school says, has more than a decade of headship and executive leadership experience across specialist and mainstream education. Ms Brown said: “Every child deserves to feel that they belong at school, regardless of the challenges they may have experienced. For some children, simply getting through the school gates can feel overwhelming, and we need to understand what sits behind that before we can expect learning to happen.”
She added: “Teachers and therapists don’t operate as separate services – they work alongside one another, sharing their understanding and creating an environment in which pupils can feel supported and ready to learn.”
Staff, visits and registration
The school says it is building a team of specialist teachers, therapists and support staff and particularly welcomes applications from local professionals, with further roles expected in teaching, therapy and operations as pupil numbers grow. Rather than a single open day, the school says it is offering tours throughout November and December for families, local authority representatives and education professionals, with details available on the Octavia House Schools website at www.ohs.uk.
When Kent Local News checked the Department for Education’s Get Information about Schools register on 13 November 2026, no Octavia House school in Kent was listed. The register lists two open Octavia House Schools, one in Kennington Road, Lambeth, in London, and one in High Street, Great Baddow, in Essex.