Phoenix Autism Trust is embarking on the next stage of its journey as a college for 19-25-year-old students with special educational needs. The Trust is looking to appoint a dynamic Principal to lead the organisation’s ambitious growth strategy to meet the needs of increased demand for places. To get there, we’re looking to solidify our foundations and strengthen our curriculum, systems and structures so that we are ready to meet this growth.

The Trust was established by Phoenix School in 2015 to meet the needs of their students who were unable to continue in mainstream FE colleges. It had been operating with the local FE college for five years. In September 2019, it started the Project Search programme in collaboration with Queen Mary University and in September 2020 it was designated by the EFSA as a Special Post-16 Institution and opened ‘Phoenix College’.

In January 2021, the college moved to its new premises and we will seek to develop the space so that it can meet the needs of its evolving curriculum. The building will be shared with the Phoenix Outreach Research & Development Centre and will provide opportunities for work-related learning for our students. The curriculum is designed to support young people towards independent living and/or employability and the timetable is reflective of these pathways.