St. John's School and College

What St. John's School and College does

St. John's College is a non-maintained independent specialist further education college based in Brighton, United Kingdom, providing day and residential education, care, and therapy for autistic young people aged 16-25, many of whom also have learning disabilities and hold an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. Founded in 1886 by Sister Jane Borradaile as a seaside convalescent home and converted to a school for disabled children in 1956, the college has operated continuously for nearly 140 years and merged into the national charity Ambitious about Autism effective 1 September 2023, sharing governance with TreeHouse School, The Rise School, Spring School, and Ambitious College.

The college's core offering is a portfolio of five curriculum pathways (Skills for Life, Explore Employment, Prepare for Employment, Integrated Studies, and Supported Internships) delivered through a trans-disciplinary team model that combines autism-specialist teachers, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, positive behaviour support practitioners, employment specialists, and care staff under a documented 'Ambitious Approach' philosophy. Residential provision spans five registered houses (three on-site in Brighton and two in Peacehaven), providing 24-hour support aligned with a 'waking day curriculum' that extends learning into evenings and weekends. Workplace immersion is delivered through partnerships with Amazon (Crawley), Chartwells Universities (University of Sussex), and Brighton MET, using the DFN Project SEARCH supported internship model.

St. John's operates as a registered charity with funding drawn from three recurring streams: ESFA-funded education placements, social care and health-funded residential placements, and personal budgets. Placements are commissioned by approximately 20 UK local authorities through EHC plan processes. The college was rated 'Good' overall with 'Outstanding' for learners' personal development following its June 2024 Ofsted inspection and is registered with the Care Quality Commission for residential services. Headcount is reported in the 251-500 band, and revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

St. John's School and College

Legal name

St. John's College

Website

https://st-johns.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

St. John's College is a Brighton-based non-maintained specialist further education college delivering day and residential education, therapy, and care for autistic young people aged 16-25 with EHC plans, operating five curriculum pathways and five residential houses within the Ambitious about Autism charity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialist Autism Education and Residential Care

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges (EDAHADAB)

Keywords

• Specialist autism education
• Further education provision
• Supported internships
• Residential care services
• Trans-disciplinary therapy

Headquarters

HQ city

Brighton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Education Placements: Funded by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for education provision. Local authorities typically fund day and residential placements from education budgets.
2. Social Care and Health Funding: Residential placements are generally funded by social care or health budgets, depending on what best meets the learner's needs.
3. Personal Budgets: Personal budgets can also be used to contribute toward a placement at St. John's College.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. John's College is a non-maintained independent specialist further education college delivering day and residential placements for autistic young people aged 16-25, many with co-occurring learning disabilities and Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. The college offers five curriculum courses (Skills for Life, Explore Employment, Prepare for Employment, Integrated Studies, and Supported Internships), supplemented by five registered residential houses providing 24-hour support under a waking day curriculum model.

Product overview

St. John's College offers a portfolio of specialist further education programmes for autistic young people aged 16-25 with EHC plans. The core offerings include five curriculum courses (Skills for Life, Explore Employment, Prepare for Employment, Integrated Studies, and Supported Internships) designed around four preparing for adulthood pathways: independent living, community participation, friendships and relationships, good health and wellbeing, and employability. Residential services across five registered houses complement the educational programmes through a waking day curriculum approach. The college merged with Ambitious about Autism in September 2023 and was rated 'good' by Ofsted in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skills for Life A curriculum course designed to prepare autistic learners aged 16-25 with EHC plans for adulthood through purposeful educational activities that develop communication, daily living skills, community participation, and vocational skills for independent access to the world.
• Explore Employment A curriculum course preparing autistic learners aged 16-25 for adulthood by developing independence skills and exploring employment pathways, including internal work experiences, community projects, and functional skills in English, maths, and digital skills.
• Prepare for Employment A curriculum course equipping autistic learners aged 16-25 with the skills, experience, and qualifications required to enter employment or further study, focusing on communication, technical work skills through external placements, independent travel, and functional skills.
• Integrated Studies A three-year integrated studies course delivered in partnership with Brighton MET (Chichester College Group) that enables autistic young people aged 16-25 with EHC plans to experience mainstream college subjects such as sport, childcare, art, multi-trade, catering, and creative media alongside specialist support from St. John's College staff.
• Supported Internships Unpaid supported internship programme for autistic young people aged 18-25 with EHC plans, using the DFN Project SEARCH model. Interns are immersed in workplace settings at Chartwells Universities (University of Sussex, Falmer) and Amazon (Crawley) to develop competitive employment skills, with many interns moving into paid work after completion.
• Residential Services Weekly, fortnightly, termly, or 52-week residential placements across five CQC-registered houses (Pier View, College View, Ashington Gardens, Telscombe Road, and one additional) providing 24-hour support aligned with the waking day curriculum for autistic learners aged 16-25.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ofsted 'Good' overall, 'Outstanding' for personal development (2024)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Amazon (Crawley)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2026Supported Internships programme launching September 2026 at the Amazon delivery station in Crawley, West Sussex, in partnership with Amazon, DFN Project SEARCH, and local authorities. Interns aged 18-25 with EHC plans learn Level 1 Amazon Associate roles through sorting, scanning, loading, lifting, and staging parcels using handheld technologies. Interns are based at the site five days a week and supported by specialist staff from St. John's College.
• Brighton MET (Chichester College Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025St. John's College partnered with Brighton MET, part of the Chichester College Group, to deliver the Integrated Studies course aimed at autistic young people aged 16-25 with EHC plans. The course is based at Brighton MET's East Campus, with learners also able to access the Pelham Campus. Learners experience mainstream subjects (sport, childcare, art, multi-trades, catering, creative media) alongside specialist St. John's support, including speech and language therapy and occupational therapy. The aim is to help learners identify vocational areas for the following year.
• Chartwells UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Chartwells Universities internship programme is based at the University of Sussex, Falmer. It offers autistic young people the opportunity to develop skills needed for adulthood and employment through workplace immersion in university catering operations. Interns are based at the workplace five days a week and are supported by staff from St. John's College using the DFN Project SEARCH model. Many interns move into paid work after completing the programme.
• Ambitious about AutismcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2023St. John's School and College completed its merger with Ambitious about Autism on 1 September 2023. Ambitious about Autism is the national charity standing with autistic children and young people, running TreeHouse School, The Rise School, Spring School, and Ambitious College in London. The merger enabled St. John's to share best practice and resources, providing high-quality education for more autistic children and young people under a shared governance structure.
• DFN Project SEARCHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015St. John's College uses the DFN Project SEARCH model for its supported internship programmes. This model places interns in business settings for a full academic year, with total workplace immersion, continuous feedback, and real-world skill development. The model is designed to help young people with disabilities obtain competitive employment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Hft (Home Farm Trust) Learning Disabilities services: National charity providing supported living, residential care, and learning services for people with learning disabilities and autism — broadly comparable as a charity-run provider of residential and day services for a similar SEND cohort, with CQC-registered care delivery across multiple regions.

Others

• Chartwells Universities (Compass Group): Host employer for St. John's supported internships at the University of Sussex — an enabling employer partner providing workplace immersion, comparable as a major UK university catering contractor relevant to internship programme benchmarking.
• Brighton MET (Chichester College Group): Mainstream FE college partner delivering the Integrated Studies course alongside St. John's specialist support — a strategic delivery partner rather than a competitor, but comparable as a Sussex-region FE provider whose students overlap with St. John's intake.
• DFN Project SEARCH: UK charity that licenses the supported internship model St. John's uses — an enabling partner/programme provider rather than a competitor, but directly relevant for benchmarking internship outcomes and employer-partnership strategy.

Direct peers

• Prior's Court Foundation: Residential specialist school and college in Berkshire for autistic young people, including further education provision — directly comparable as a non-maintained specialist FE provider serving a similar cohort with residential placement options.
• Ruskin Mill College: Specialist further education college using a practical skills and land-based curriculum for young people aged 16-25 with learning disabilities and autism — directly comparable as an independent specialist FE provider for the same age cohort with similar EHC plan commissioning model.
• Ambitious College (London): Sister college within the Ambitious about Autism charity, providing specialist further education and supported internships for autistic young people aged 16-25 in London — directly comparable in mission, age cohort, and curriculum model, with shared governance since the 2023 merger.
• MacIntyre Academies and Further Education: Charity providing specialist education, residential care, and supported living for people with learning disabilities and autism across England — directly comparable as a charity-run specialist provider with EHC-plan funded placements and trans-disciplinary delivery.
• Sunfield School and College: Non-maintained specialist residential school and college in Worcestershire for children and young people with autism and complex needs — directly comparable as a small independent specialist provider offering both education and registered residential care for a similar SEND cohort.

Broad incumbents

• National Autistic Society (NAS) Schools and Colleges: The NAS runs multiple specialist schools, day services, and adult services across England for autistic people — broader incumbent offering overlapping specialist education and residential services at greater scale than St. John's single-site model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. John's School and College