Tiffield Academy

We are delighted to have been selected as the sponsor for a brand new special school located near Towcester for children and young people between the ages of 4 and 18 with autism and Severe Learning Difficulties. The school is set to open its doors in September 2025.

Located at the former St John’s Centre in Tiffield, which was previously used by the council for children and family services, the three-storey building will be specifically designed to create an optimal learning environment for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN), and Severe Learning Difficulties (SLD). The school will feature general and practical teaching spaces, a lift for upper-floor access, calm rooms, intervention rooms, and group rooms. Two halls will be provided for physical activities, music, drama and assembly spaces. Classrooms for younger pupils will be located close to sensory rooms, and two dining spaces will be provided for groups of pupils.

Selection process for a sponsor

Following a thorough selection process by West Northamptonshire Council, Greenwood Academies Trust was chosen as the sponsor for the school, reflecting our dedication to providing high-quality education and support for children with special needs.

We currently sponsor 37 academies across the East Midlands and East of England, including Purple Oaks Academy in Northampton, which opened as a specialist free school for pupils with autism and/or Severe Learning Difficulties in 2017.

Building works start

Leading construction firm Wilmott Dixon is underway with the development of Tiffield Academy. We commemorated the occasion on Friday 15th March 2024 with a ground-breaking ceremony where stakeholders came together to mark the start of the project, which will take shape over the next 18 months.

You can learn more about our progress here.