Ambitious about Autism Charity – Based in London

Ambitious about Autism is a national charity for autistic children and young people and the families around them, based at the Pears National Centre for Autism Education in north London. It works on two fronts at once: it runs its own specialist schools and colleges, and it campaigns, trains and builds communities so that mainstream education, workplaces and public life make more room for autistic young people. Its language is identity-first, and its stated vision is acceptance and opportunity for every autistic child and young person.

The charity dates from 1997 and grew out of a single school, TreeHouse School in north London, now a non-maintained special school for autistic pupils aged 3 to 19. It now runs five settings across London and the South East: TreeHouse; The Rise School in Feltham and Spring School in Kingston upon Thames, both for ages 4 to 19; Ambitious College, a specialist further education college for 16- to 25-year-olds with campuses in Tottenham and Isleworth; and St John's College in Brighton, which joined in 2023 and offers further education with residential provision for the same age group. Alongside education, it offers supported internships and employment programmes, training and consultancy for employers, educators and careers professionals, and a Careers and Education Framework.

For families who are not looking for a school place, the most accessible routes in are online: an Online Youth Network where autistic young people can connect with each other, an online community for parents and carers, and toolkits on wellbeing and everyday support. Autistic young people shape the organisation through its Youth Council, and the charity runs campaigns such as Include Autism on inclusion in education. It also carries out research with autistic children and families, so parents and young people may find chances to take part in projects that feed into its campaigning.