Empowering Families, Inspiring Futures
Embracing Neurodiversity
Welcome to Havenswood Trust
Building a future where every neurodivergent child and family can access the education, care and opportunities they need to thrive.
We are an independent charity committed to improving the lives of neurodivergent children and their families. Together with the national charity, Oasis Charitable Trust, we are building a supportive village community in Scarborough, for children, young people and families from the coastal regions of North Yorkshire - a place where everyone can belong.
We want to address the challenges many SEND children and their families have faced for far too long - including absence, exclusion, mental health struggles, social isolation, and a system that can feel fragmented and difficult to navigate.
“ It takes a Village to raise a Child”
WHAT IS AN OASIS “VILLAGE”?
When you walk into Oasis Village, Havenswood, you won’t find a traditional school or additional provision facility. Instead, you’ll find a collection of calm spaces with different things happening side by side and groups of trained professionals and charity village partners working together.
In the learning community hub, small groups of children might be learning with teachers or teaching assistants in a quiet, low-pressure environment - learning through enrichment activities, catching up on missed school work self -regulating or recovering from burnout. Nearby, a young person could be building confidence through a practical life skills session in a kitchen or workshop - or they might be outdoors, taking part in a forest school session or learning about tree planting and woodland regeneration. Down the corridor, a speech therapist might be meeting with a family, or a child may be attending an appointment with a CAHMS specialist. In a shared café area, parents are having a coffee, chatting, and accessing informal support. There are quiet rooms for regulation, activity spaces for creative or physical sessions, and outdoor areas for fresh air and nature-based activities.
The same families might move between these spaces across the day or week, accessing the right support at the right time, all in one place where everything feels joined up, flexible and accessible.
The village works through a collaborative partnership of schools, health professionals, volunteers and charities working together, rather than in competition with one another - all within a shared community covenant. Spaces and facilities are shared, enabling collaboration and the development of best practice to provide the holistic, research driven support that children and families deserve and desperately need.
This is what our Village will be like.
The Village model is a form of integrated community provision, an approach that is increasingly being developed and used across the UK today. It is designed to support the growing number of children who struggle in, or are excluded from, mainstream school environments due to trauma or burnout.
OASIS UK and HAVENSWOOD
Shaping the Future of SEND Support
To build our village community, we’re partnering with Oasis Charitable Trust (Oasis UK), one of the UK’s largest charities and an organisation with over 40 successful years of experience in setting up schools and delivering national and international community projects. Given Oasis’ long-established links with education and their influence on driving government policy, this is a huge opportunity with national relevance and aligns with the growing government interest in new, integrated, community-based approaches to support young people with additional needs.
The Oasis “Village” model we’re adopting has been piloted in Brixton, London and has received high acclaim at government and national level as a pioneering, ‘new way’ forward - a powerful example of how bringing together education, family support and community services in one place can significantly transform outcomes.
Based on the principal that “it takes a village to raise a child,” the aim is to deliver a wide range of support that is easily accessible to those who need it.
Take a look at Oasis’ St Martin’s Village in Brixton, London to see the flagship village in action.
This is an exciting local project of national relevance, with the potential to help shape more effective SEND support and inform future provision across the country.”
“A Village is more than co-location or even partnership. It is the complete coming together and integration of our energy and resources – a new civil society covenant to create the opportunity for children and young people to raise their aspirations, set ambitious goals, and unlock their potential. It’s time to think like a forest rather than a group of individual trees. That is the only way we will get the job done!”
Steve Chalke - Founder of Oasis UK
Ages 9-16 Provision
Community Village
A Centre for Excellence
Havenswood Village hopes to become a recognised research centre in SEND and neurodiversity. We believe it is important to keep learning about what helps children and young people with SEND to thrive, and to be honest about what doesn’t work for them. Our SEND research programme will help us do exactly that.
By listening to children, families, and professionals, and by carefully trying out new ideas and approaches, we can understand what truly supports wellbeing, confidence, and learning. This ongoing learning means we are always improving what we offer, rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions. Our goal is to build knowledge that not only strengthens our own provision, but that also shapes best practice across the country.
Discover more about our research ambitions by clicking below.
Laying the foundations for a SEND village built on understanding, partnership and hope for neurodivergent families.
Get Involved
We know we can’t do this alone, and need your support! There are so many ways to get involved with our mission – so take a look and discover how you can help us make a real difference.
Contact Us
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Email
info@havenswoodtrust.org
Phone
07788114559
