St. John's School and College
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1886
- HeadquartersBrighton, United Kingdom
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
St. John's School and College firmographics
Firmographics- 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
St. John's School and College industry classification
Industry- 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
Where St. John's School and College is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brighton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices5 records
Markets served
St. John's School and College business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
St. John's School and College product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use St. John's School and College
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
St. John's School and College technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Feature4 records
St. John's School and College partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Amazon (Crawley)coreSupported 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)coreSt. 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 UniversitiescoreChartwells 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 AutismcoreSt. 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 SEARCHcoreSt. 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
St. John's School and College competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional 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
St. John's School and College compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
St. John's School and College financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
St. John's School and College leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
St. John's School and College subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
St. John's School and College funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
St. John's School and College M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does St. John's School and College do?
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.
Is St. John's School and College a public or private company?
St. John's School and College is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was St. John's School and College founded?
St. John's School and College was founded in 1886. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is St. John's School and College based?
St. John's School and College is headquartered in Brighton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does St. John's School and College make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Government-Funded Education Placements are the primary driver. The others are social Care and Health Funding and personal Budgets.
Who are St. John's School and College's main competitors?
Hft (Home Farm Trust) Learning Disabilities services is listed as a regional player. Others are Chartwells Universities (Compass Group), Brighton MET (Chichester College Group) and DFN Project SEARCH. Direct peers are Prior's Court Foundation, Ruskin Mill College, Ambitious College (London), MacIntyre Academies and Further Education and Sunfield School and College. National Autistic Society (NAS) Schools and Colleges is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does St. John's School and College have an API?
No public API is recorded for St. John's School and College.
What industry is St. John's School and College in?
St. John's School and College's product category is Specialist Autism Education and Residential Care. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHADAE, Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce), with a secondary code of EDAHADAB, Private/Independent Community & Junior Colleges. Its NAICS code is 61131 and its SIC code is 8200.