Ages
Dedicated staff and focused but flexible learning opportunities make this college an example of good practice and a place for students to continue to learn and grow. The constant aim for practical independent skills is what parents find invaluable and the only complaint we heard was that ‘the college should go on forever!’
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 39 ·
- Local authority
- London Borough of Haringey
- SEN provision
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· ASD
· SLD
Headteacher
Head of College
Nicola Hawkins
Since 2024 Nicola Hawkins. Joined Ambitious College in 2015 bringing her long experience in developing and managing complex services and teams within a variety of post-16 SEN settings. Holds a Level 5 qualification in leadership and management
Entrance
A college for young adults with autism and complex needs. Pupils must have an autism diagnosis, many are non-verbal, many have occupational therapy needs and most have learning disabilities. They do support pupils with personal care support needs
- Open days
- Check school website
Exit
The college is working hard to organise supported internships for each pupil and the aim is to build up relationships with local employers so that there can be mentors at work who carve up parts of their job and give it to mentees. An employment s
Latest results
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Teaching & learning
Parents spoke about ‘high expectation of progress’ which can be seen in focused teaching. ‘They listen and take on board things we would like him to do, as well as being proactive about challenging him to move his levels up and not leaving room fo
Arts & extracurricular
Art includes a range of media and the music room is well equipped to enable pupils to use both art and music in a therapeutic manner. There is an artist in residence to inspire pupils, and Nordoff Robbins attend to present music workshops with pup
Sport
The local sports centre is used for swimming and pupils are taken to join in community Pilates and spinning classes. One pupil chooses to go to the pool every day for the exercise and sensory stimulation. Another can’t manage the journey to the po
Ethos & heritage
Currently the college has two campuses - co-located with the College of North East London and West Thames College - and plans for a third campus are underway.
The Pears Campus, based at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London
Therapy & staffing
There is a full-time occupational therapist and full-time speech and language therapist on each campus as well as two behavioural analysts. Parent said: ‘We really appreciate that all the support staff are on site and no lengthy referrals are need
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
A common problem of staff turnover and burnout is addressed at Ambitious College with excellent training, continuous professional development and even support with the costs of masters degrees. This is symptomatic of a college that looks after th
Pupils & parents
Pupils come from a wide geographic area. Not ideal in terms of travel for both pupils and parents, and parents said ‘it means friends are far apart and it is quite hard to involve parents’. Local authorities can be reluctant to fund students sen
Money matters
The college is supported by Ambitious about Autism charity which raises huge amounts of money to help develop education for people with autism. The college is paid by local authority funded places but the extra money it raises can be felt in high
The last word
Dedicated staff and focused but flexible learning opportunities make this college an example of good practice and a place for students to continue to learn and grow. The constant aim for practical independent skills is what parents find invaluable
