Havenswood Learning

Community

Welcome to the future - and to Havenswood Learning Community - a warm, inclusive education and support facility designed for neurodivergent children. Here, learners can thrive without the overwhelm of multi-storey buildings, crowded classrooms, long corridors, or overstimulating spaces. Instead, we’ll offer calm, nurturing environments where every child feels safe, supported, and ready to learn.

A bright, spacious communal room with large windows, multiple seating areas including blue sofas, dining tables with chairs, individual study cubicles with green and wood accents, and a cozy tent with a bean bag chair in a corner. The room has a modern, minimalistic design with light wood flooring and ceiling with cloud-shaped lighting fixtures.
A group of young adults in a modern, bright lounge or study area with large windows, sitting and working on laptops, reading, or chatting.

Havenswood Learning Community will be an alternative provision education hub designed for neurodivergent learners (those with Autism, ADHD, Tourette Syndrome and other related conditions) who are capable of studying at age-related levels.

Our learning community will provide space for the many students who don’t require learning disability support for complex needs, but who cannot thrive without personalised teaching and accessible, specialised environments.

Right now in Scarborough and the coastal regions, these children have no access to a local, full-time, comprehensive education, many having to travel out of the area to access a school that meets need, or are forced into homeschooling.

Our tailored environment will be designed to provide accessible spaces for those who ( despite every effort) cannot tolerate mainstream environments and bring together a more comprehensive curriculum, with the right resources, teaching styles, and wellbeing support to help students succeed. This will open up fairer opportunities for children and families, while also filling a much-needed gap in local special-education provision.
A young girl with long brown hair wearing purple and pink headphones, sitting at a wooden table, watching a laptop screen intently with her hands clasped under her chin.
Three children working on a robotics project with wires and electronic components at a table in a classroom or maker space.
Close-up of a young boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, looking at the camera near colored pencils, with two children and a woman smiling in the background.

‘NO’ to long journeys and out of area placements!

Many learners who live on the coast are forced to travel 30–50 miles both ways, daily to Thirsk, Ripon, or Harrogate to access schools with specialist facilities and an ambitious curriculum. This means aound 3 hours of travel daily on slow, country roads. For neurodivergent students, these long journeys are exhausting, disruptive, and for many, impossible. 

Instead of long, difficult journeys, Havenswood, will provide specialist, neurodivergent support for children and teens in their own community. 

Our learning community will be based in a peaceful environment, designed to nurture wellbeing and make learning feel accessible and enjoyable. The environment will be different to conventional school buildings and we’ll hire teachers who understand that anxiety or sensory differences are not problems to “fix,” but are an integral part of how each student learns best.

A woman and a boy working on a computer in a home office, with the woman pointing at the monitor, and both focused on the screen.
A classroom with students raising hands at their desks while a teacher stands at the front.

We’ll offer:

  • Access to a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum. From Key Stage 2 through GCSEs, with post-16 pathways into A-levels and confident transitions into further/ higher education/ the workplace OR a tailored curriculum designed to suit specific, individual needs.

  • Small classes, low stress environments and one-to-one support that blend academic learning with therapy, creative expression, and practical life skills

  • Use of our Family and community support facilities

  • Strong partnerships with families so that everyone feels heard, respected and part of the journey.

A young woman with curly black hair wearing glasses and a dark green shirt, sitting at a desk with a laptop, smiling and resting her chin on her hand, in a bright room.

Side by Side with Mainstream Education

In line with the government’s new, three-tier support framework, Havenswood Academy will provide flexible support pathways:

As well as offering permanent placements for those who really need them, we’ll also work with local schools to offer short-term placements for children who are temporarily finding mainstream environments difficult. we’ll offer specialist support designed to build confidence with a focus on successfully returning them to their mainstream classroom whenever possible.

A Bridging Team will work closely with local schools, supporting staff and sharing good practice, offering therapeutic and expert help in the classroom when it’s needed, helping children who are able, to remain in their mainstream classroom.

Because children learn best when families feel supported too, our parent support services will help strengthen the connection between home and school.

Schools that understand neurodivergence, meet need, offer flexibility, and work in partnership with families are named again and again in parent questionnaires as the single most important factor in the wellbeing of their children…and so our mission is urgent.

At Havenswood Academy, we’ll be proud to offer this rare combination of high aspirations and all round supportive care, right here in our community…. BUT we can only do it with your support. Help us lobby North Yorkshire Local Authority to commission our community village in Scarborough.

Hit the button below to see how you can help!

Support our Campaign

(* All drawings and photos are representative of the spaces we want to create)