Jess Brown-Fuller Visits Crimsham Farm to Champion SEND Education

On Friday 5 June, Jess Brown-Fuller visited Crimsham Farm CIC in Pagham, to meet the team behind one of West Sussex's largest providers of alternative education for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). 

Founded by Armed Forces Veterans, Crimsham Farm is a not-for-profit organisation that works with over 50 children and young people every day, with a particular focus on those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and challenging behaviour. The farm provides a unique learning environment where young people who struggle in traditional classroom settings can thrive. 

Jess visited Crimsham Farm in Pagham, to meet the team behind one of West Sussex's largest providers of alternative education.

Alongside its core education provision, the farm also runs adult learning courses, community-based programmes supporting drug and alcohol rehabilitation services, and, in partnership with Royal British Veterans Enterprises, four-day residential courses for veterans of the Armed Forces experiencing mental health difficulties, substance misuse, or homelessness. 

Jess and the team discussed the growing pressures facing SEND provision across West Sussex, the vital role alternative education plays for children who cannot access mainstream schooling, and the importance of joined-up support for veterans and vulnerable adults in the community. 

Speaking after the visit, Jess said: 

"Crimsham Farm is doing something truly remarkable. The dedication of the team, many of them veterans themselves, to the children, families, and adults they support is evident in everything they do.  

At a time when SEND provision is under enormous pressure, organisations like this are finding creative, compassionate ways to fill the gaps. I am proud to represent a constituency that is home to such an inspiring community asset, and I will continue to advocate for the funding and recognition they deserve."