What Chailey Heritage Foundation does

Chailey Heritage Foundation is a registered UK charity (No. 1075837) and Company limited by Guarantee, founded in 1903 by Dame Grace Kimmins, operating from a single rural campus in North Chailey, East Sussex. It serves children and young people aged 3-25 with complex physical disabilities, medical needs, and communication difficulties through an integrated portfolio: an Ofsted Outstanding-rated special school (Chailey Heritage School), a children's residential home, the Futures young-adult residential service (rated Good by CQC in June 2026), short breaks/respite care, and community-facing services including the Activity Place leisure centre, Aquamovers preschool therapy, Patchwork Farm, and the newly opened Bradbury Den (June 2026). The service platform is built around the proprietary CHILD Curriculum (Chailey Heritage Individual Learner Driven), the in-house Chailey Communication System, and an award-winning Rehabilitation Engineering team producing bespoke assistive technologies (Versatile Magnetic Track System, Universal Power Base, Effort Reduction Wheelchair, eye-gaze and voice-activated platforms). A unique on-site partnership with Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (Chailey Clinical Services) delivers 24/7 nursing, consultant paediatricians in neurodisability, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, and rehabilitation engineering on the same campus — an integration of health, education, and social care that is rare in the UK special-education sector.

Revenue is generated through multiple streams rather than a single channel. The dominant mechanism is Local Authority and Integrated Care Board placement funding via EHCPs, continuing healthcare, and social care budgets, governed by a formal referral-to-assessment-to-funding-agreement process. Secondary streams include private/personal-budget payments for short breaks, donations and legacies, a weekly lottery (£1/entry, up to £25,000 jackpot, ~1 in 63 odds), animal sponsorship subscriptions (£4-8/month), pay-as-you-go community access (Activity Place, Aquamovers at £12/session), facilities hire (Dream Centre, Chapel, meeting rooms), and corporate fundraising partnerships. Distribution is direct: all clinical, educational, and residential services are delivered on the North Chailey campus; community engagement and donor recruitment occur via the website, social channels, community fundraising events (Brighton Marathon, Sahara Trek, Woolly Hat Wednesday), and partnerships with JustGiving, easyfundraising, Give as you Live, and TopCashback. Royal Patron HRH The Duchess of Gloucester (since 2003) provides high-profile endorsement. The organisation employs approximately 185-190 staff across teaching, care, therapy, engineering, fundraising, and administration functions.

Name

Chailey Heritage Foundation

Legal name

Chailey Heritage Foundation

Website

https://chf.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Chailey Heritage Foundation is a UK charity (founded 1903) operating from a single East Sussex campus that delivers Ofsted Outstanding special education, residential care, short breaks, and community services for children and young people aged 3-25 with complex disabilities, integrated with on-site NHS clinical services and bespoke assistive technology engineering.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Special Education and Disability Care Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Child and Youth Services (62411), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Facilities (6232)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Residential Special Education Programs (EDAKAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education Vocational & Transition Programs (18–22) (EDAKAAAG), Family/Caregiver Transition Training & Planning Support (EDAKANAL), Respite Care for Families of Children with Disabilities (HSAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Special needs education
• Disability residential care
• Complex needs therapy
• Assistive technology services
• Community disability access

Headquarters

HQ city

North Chailey, Lewes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Local Authority and ICB-Funded Placements: Core revenue from formal written referrals and placement funding by Local Authorities and Integrated Care Boards for school places, residential care, and short breaks. Parents may appeal EHCPs to name Chailey. Funding disputes are handled transparently. Short breaks can also be funded through personal budgets or private payments.
2. Private and Self-Funded Payments: Parents can fund residential overnight stays and day provisions from personal budgets or privately. Short breaks require minimum monthly bookings.
3. Donations and Fundraising: Donations from individuals (one-off and monthly), lottery (weekly draws up to £25,000 jackpot), in-memory donations, corporate partnerships, charitable trusts, and fundraising events. Sponsorship of farm animals from £4/month.
4. Session and Activity Fees: Aquamovers sessions charged at £12 per session for children aged 1-5. Activity Place operates pay-as-you-go for community visitors. Bradbury Den and facilities available for hire.
5. Lottery: Weekly lottery at £1 per entry with prizes up to £25,000. Odds of winning approximately 1 in 63. Managed via Unity Payments platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Chailey Heritage Foundation delivers integrated education, residential care, specialist therapies, and community access services for children and young people (primarily ages 3-19 and post-19) with complex physical disabilities and medical needs. Its core offerings revolve around an Ofsted Outstanding-rated special school using the bespoke CHILD Curriculum, a 24/7 nursing-supported Children's Residential Home, the post-19 Chailey Heritage Futures programme, and an outreach hub for the wider learning-disability community.

Product overview

Chailey Heritage Foundation operates as a unified charity providing integrated services for children and young people with complex disabilities. The organization offers a portfolio of connected services anchored by the Ofsted Outstanding-rated Chailey Heritage School (featuring the proprietary CHILD Curriculum) and residential care (Children's Home and Futures for young adults). These core services are supplemented by specialist therapeutic offerings including Hydrotherapy, Hippotherapy, Rebound Therapy, and Immersive Space experiences. The Activity Place (Leisure and Skills Centre) serves as a community hub for fitness, creative, and wellbeing activities. Additional services include Patchwork Farm therapy farm and The Bradbury Den educational learning space (opened 2026), Aquamovers parent-toddler group, GK's Cafe community facility, the Draw to Perform Festival arts program, and The Sex Factor RSE training course for external educators. The organization also operates a weekly lottery as a fundraising mechanism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Activity Place: A vibrant community centre offering fitness, creative, wellbeing activities, and skills development for people with disabilities aged 16+
• Aquamovers
• Patchwork Farm
• The Bradbury Den
• GK's Cafe
• The Sex Factor
• Chailey Heritage Lottery
• Chailey Heritage School
• Chailey Heritage Futures
• CHILD Curriculum

Products and services

• Chailey Heritage School Ofsted Outstanding-rated special day and residential school for children and young people aged 3-19 with complex physical disabilities and learning needs, delivering the bespoke CHILD Curriculum. Placements are typically commissioned by Local Authorities or Integrated Care Boards.
• Children's Residential Home 52-week and short-break residential care for children and young people with complex disabilities, providing 24/7 nursing, therapeutic support, and personal care in a homely environment.
• Chailey Heritage Futures Post-19 education, life-skills, and transition programme for young adults with complex disabilities moving on from school, focused on independence, communication, and community participation.
• The Activity Place Community-access day service offering leisure, social, and developmental activities for young people and adults with complex disabilities from the wider region.
• Aquamovers Bookable hydrotherapy pool sessions delivered in a specialist accessible pool, offered to Chailey Heritage pupils and external community users with disabilities.
• Patchwork Farm Therapeutic farm offering animal-assisted activities, sensory experiences, and animal sponsorship opportunities for children and adults with complex disabilities.
• The Bradbury Den New accessible leisure and activity hub on the redeveloped campus, providing a fully inclusive social and recreation space for young people and adults with complex disabilities.
• GK's Cafe Community café on the Chailey Heritage site offering work-experience placements for young people with disabilities alongside food and drink for visitors.
• The Sex Factor Training and resources programme delivering relationships and sex education (RSE) for people with learning disabilities, their families, and professionals.
• Hydrotherapy Services Standalone hydrotherapy treatment sessions delivered in the specialist accessible pool for children and young people with complex physical needs.
• Hippotherapy Services Equine-assisted therapy sessions using movement of the horse as a therapeutic tool to support posture, balance, and communication for children with complex disabilities.
• Rebound Therapy Trampoline-based therapy delivered by trained therapists to support balance, muscle tone, and sensory regulation for children with complex disabilities.
• Immersive Space Fully immersive sensory environment using projection and lighting technology to support relaxation, communication, and engagement for children with complex needs.
• Chailey Heritage Lottery Regular lottery draw operated as a fundraising product in support of the Foundation's work, with tickets purchasable by the general public.
• Animal Sponsorship Sponsorship scheme for the animals at Patchwork Farm, allowing individuals and organisations to support specific animals in return for updates and visits.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ofsted 'Outstanding' rating maintained continuously since 2007 — the highest possible regulatory outcome
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable, minor and flagship.

• Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust (Chailey Clinical Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOn-site NHS partnership integral to Chailey's service delivery. Chailey Clinical Services provides 24/7 nursing support, consultant paediatricians in neurodisability, doctors, physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, dietetics, and rehabilitation engineering services. All services are located on the same campus, enabling seamless integrated care for students and residents.
• SightsaversnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerGenerously supported the Bradbury Den sensory garden, which was featured at the Chelsea Flower Show. Partnership supporting accessible outdoor experiences for children with visual and other disabilities.
• easyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline shopping donation partner. Users shop with partner brands and CHF receives a percentage at no extra cost to the shopper.
• Give as you LiveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline shopping donation platform. Users select CHF as their charity and a percentage of purchases is donated.
• TopCashbackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCashback donation partner. Users receive cashback on purchases which can be donated directly to CHF.
• HRH The Duchess of Gloucester (Patron)flagshipOthersRoyal Patron of Chailey Heritage Foundation since 2003. Officially opened the Bradbury Den on 3 June 2026. Her genuine interest and understanding have encouraged both children and adults alike at the charity.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Livability: National UK disability charity operating specialist schools, residential care homes, and community services for children and adults with physical and learning disabilities. Comparable to Chailey in combining specialist education with residential care across the lifespan.
• Young Epilepsy: National UK charity operating a residential special school and college (St Piers) for children and young people with epilepsy and complex needs, plus diagnostic and rehabilitation services. Comparable to Chailey in providing on-site residential special education integrated with specialist clinical services.
• Treloar's Trust: UK charity providing a specialist school, sixth form, and further education college for physically disabled young people, plus on-site therapy and residential care. Most directly comparable to Chailey in serving children with complex physical disabilities through integrated education, residential, and therapy services.
• The Percy Hedley Foundation: North East England charity operating specialist schools, a college, residential care, and adult services for children and adults with cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and complex communication needs. Closely comparable service portfolio to Chailey (education + residential + adult + community).
• MacIntyre: National UK charity providing specialist education, residential care, and community services for children and adults with learning disabilities. Comparable to Chailey in offering integrated lifelong education, residential, and community services for people with complex needs.
• Camphill Communities: UK and Ireland network of intentional residential communities providing long-term home, education, and work opportunities for people with learning disabilities and complex needs. Comparable to Chailey in its residential ethos and lifelong support model for people with complex disabilities, though operating through a more dispersed community-village model.
• Henshaws: Northern England charity supporting people with disabilities including a specialist college, residential, and community services. Comparable to Chailey in delivering multi-disciplinary education, residential, and community programmes for people with complex disabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Sense: National UK charity supporting people who are deafblind or have complex disabilities, with education, residential, and community services. Comparable to Chailey in serving people with complex multi-sensory impairments but operating at national scale across broader condition profiles.
• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): National UK charity for blind and partially sighted people offering education, rehabilitation, and community services. Overlaps with Chailey's vision impairment expertise (QTVI-qualified staff, sensory impairment curriculum) but operates at much larger scale and focuses exclusively on vision rather than complex multi-disability.
• National Autistic Society: Largest UK charity for autistic people, operating schools, adult services, and advocacy programmes across the country. Overlaps with Chailey's integrated education and care model but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint, with a different primary condition focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chfcareers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chailey-heritage-foundation

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Chailey Heritage Foundation