United Kingdom

Welcome to Swan. We’re putting outcomes at the heart of residential care for children with specialist needs. Giving children with unique circumstances, needs and strengths the chance to live their best life Our specialist residential service has been developed drawing on multidisciplinary knowledge, research and expertise to provide the best possible response to the complex needs of children in our care - including Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Learning Difficulties, recovery from trauma and challenging behaviours. Behind Swan Children’s Homes is a highly-experienced team committed to positive outcomes through individualised care for every child. Swan Children’s Homes was founded in 2018, drawing on 11 years of experience working in partnership with local authorities to provide residential care and support for young people. Our vision for our first children’s home, Biggle Corner, was to develop - in partnership with leading experts and specialists - an innovative, residential service specifically designed to meet the needs of children with specialist/high needs (including Autism, Learning Difficulties, challenging behaviours and recovery from trauma). We are absolutely committed to working in an evidence-based and holistic way, based on clearly defined needs, strengths and outcomes for each child in our care. We believe in forming a shared vision for each child, where partnership working is key to ensuring the best possible opportunities for each child and providing the foundations that will support them through transition to permanence in a family environment.

Hope and Homes for Children was the creation of two extraordinary individuals who believed that every child had the right to grow up in a loving family. Today, the organisation that Mark and Caroline Cook started at their kitchen table in Wiltshire in 1994, is at the forefront of a growing global movement to eliminate the institutional care of children. Our mission is to be the catalyst for the global elimination of institutional care for children and our vision is a world in which children no longer suffer institutional care. In 1994, Mark Cook, a retired British Army officer, read about the plight of a group of children, struggling to survive in Sarajevo’s main orphanage at the height of the Bosnian War. He told his wife Caroline, and within weeks the couple had boarded a plane to the city to see what they could do to help. When they first set eyes on the Bjelave orphanage, the building was in a terrible state. It had sustained hits from mortars and heavy weapons in its exposed position on top of one of the city’s hills. The teenagers who lived there had been left to run wild, living a semi-feral existence in the ruined building and scavenging food and supplies out in the streets. The babies were down in the basement, crammed inside the only warm room in the building. The Cooks visited the orphanage for a week and promised the children that they would find a way to rebuild their home. “In order to keep that promise, we decided to start our own charity to provide homes for orphans of war or disaster”, Mark says. “We wanted to give them hope, hence Hope and Homes for Children.” The Cooks set up an office in a converted hay barn on a farm near their home in Wiltshire and this site remains the headquarters of Hope and Homes for Children today. In the early days, Mark and Caroline’s plan was to create a worldwide network of small, well-run orphanages but, by listening to the children that they were trying to help, they soon realised that they were on the wrong track. It did not matter what race, colour or creed the children were, or whether they were living in an orphanage, on the streets on in the sewers, whenever they were asked what they really wanted, their answer was always the same, “Please, please find me a family.” Mark asked one small boy on the streets of Khartoum what he thought a family and a home were and his answer was “Love”. That response was to have a defining influence on the future focus of Hope and Homes for Children. “We had presumed that what these children needed was food, a roof over their heads, a safe place to sleep and an education”, Caroline says, “but the children themselves guided us to their heart of our mission – they desperately wanted and needed to be loved. “Over the years we have visited numerous orphanages in many countries. Some were awful and smelled so bad that we felt sick and wanted to leave; others were better, being reasonably equipped and staffed. But the one thing we never found in any orphanage was the feeling of unconditional love that is at the heart of a caring family. “Love became the key to our work and we have quite unashamedly focused on and talked about it ever since.”

In 1869, the Reverend Thomas Bowman Stephenson saw some children living rough under the arches of Waterloo Station Instead of walking by, he stopped to listen to their stories. Then he worked out the most practical way to help. Stephenson was a Methodist minister from the North East of England. He was also passionate about social justice. So when he moved to London, he challenged the Methodist Church to take action to help children living on the streets. Stephenson’s work led to the creation of the National Children’s Home (NCH). In 1994, we became NCH Action for Children. We’ve been Action for Children since 2008. Our vision is that every child and young person has a safe and happy childhood, and the foundations they need to thrive. We put children at the heart of everything we do. That includes our mission and values. They’re our blueprint for the way we work. We protect and support children and young people. We do this by providing practical and emotional care and support. We make sure their voices are heard. And we campaign to bring lasting improvements to their lives.

Timeout is a family run organisation, established with the aim of making a real difference to the lives of children with complex needs. The first Timeout Home was opened in Ripponden in 2004. Timeout now has 12 homes: 8 in the North West and 4 in West Yorkshire. We have developed an integrated, therapeutic, evidence-based approach to care that has enabled Timeout to become a first-call company for many local authorities. It was decided very early that to provide the kind of care we knew young people needed, we would only offer solo or dual occupancy in our homes with a minimum of 1:1 care. Each home is designed specifically to nurture young people, so they can learn how to live a positive, independent life. A central part of the therapeutic development of a young person is their education. Although we strive to keep a child’s placement in mainstream schools, Timeout set up 2 specialist schools for those who have been excluded or require more detailed support. Our schools provide tailored educational programs for every pupil. The excellent quality of our schooling has led to local authorities taking day places for pupils unable to cope in mainstream education. An organisation can never be a true parent, however it can apply the values and principles of good parenting. Our aim is to achieve this through promoting an awareness of a young person’s perspective, and by never losing sight, within the ‘big picture’, of the small actions that make a real difference to young children’s daily lives.

John Carpenter, Town Clerk of London in the reign of Henry V, was famous as the author of the Liber Albus, a compilation of the laws, customs and privileges of the City, the memory of which had been threatened by the depredations of the plague. Property left on Carpenter’s death in 1442 was devoted to the education of four boys who were attached to the Chapel of the Guildhall, whose library Carpenter had helped to found. After the suppression of the Chapel in 1546, these ‘Carpenter’s Children’ led a wandering existence, being educated for a time at Tonbridge School. By the beginning of the nineteenth century, the accumulated funds greatly exceeded the cost of their education. Warren Stormes Hale, a future Lord Mayor, worked for the creation of a permanent school. In his negotiations in the City, Hale drew support from progressive educationalists such as George Birkbeck, and, above all, the Whig Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, a radical patrician with the vision and drive to push the necessary Act through Parliament in 1834. In the Act, the Corporation of London took over the Carpenter Estates and created a School Committee as the governing body. Unusually, there was to be no religious test for either boys or masters. The curriculum laid down by the Committee broke with the customary monopoly of classics, and specified science and a range of modern languages, taught by native speakers, and Hebrew. The new School, a neo-Gothic structure designed by J B Bunning for 400 boys, opened its doors in Milk Street in 1837. At City of London School, we understand that for boys to thrive, they must be happy. It is why we cherish individuality, shun stereotypes, and encourage every pupil to be the very best version of themselves. With a vibrant, multicultural city on our doorstep, we draw strength from difference, recognising that diverse perspectives can help answer big questions. As a result, every member of our community is keenly aware of their responsibility and capacity to make a difference, right now. Through it all, we ensure our pupils are ready for the rapidly changing demands of the coming decades. This shows in our commitment to academic excellence, but also in our restless curiosity and desire to improve in everything we do. It means our pupils are equipped to provide the kind, inquisitive and respectful leadership that our society will so urgently require in the decades ahead.

St Mary's Ascot is a leading Roman Catholic boarding school for girls aged between 11 and 18 years, set in 55 acres of beautiful grounds in the heart of Berkshire. We are a friendly, stable and caring community, proud of our academic and extracurricular achievements and dedicated to bringing out the full potential of each of our 380 pupils. It was named 2015 "Public School of the Year" at the annual Tatler Schools Awards.

King’s was founded by royal charter in 1829 as the junior department of King's College of London, and was originally located in Strand. During the early Victorian period, the school grew in numbers and reputation. Teachers included the artist John Sell Cotman and the poet Gabriele Rossetti, who taught Italian (his son, the famous Dante Gabriel Rossetti, joined King’s in 1837). King's was progressive in its curriculum and appointed its first science master in 1855, at a time where very few schools taught science. The first headmaster, John Major, served the school between 1831 and 1866, and during this time 99 King's pupils appear in the Dictionary of National Biography. In 1897, King's moved to its present site in Wimbledon and the junior school opened on the same campus in 1912. In World War I, many letters were written to the school, including some from the Battle of the Somme. During World War II, the Great Hall was damaged by bomb shrapnel; some damage can still be seen today. The archive collects and preserves records relating to the school’s history from its foundation to the present day. The archive is a fantastic resource, and through the hard work of our wonderful volunteers, provides a fascinating insight into the rich heritage of King's. In 2019, it was renamed the Bryan Stokes Archive, in recognition of the ex-teacher and long-serving school archivist who was a member of the King's community for over 60 years.

The Godolphin and Latymer School is a day school for 800 girls aged between 11 and 18. It began in 1861 as the Godolphin School, a boys’ boarding school set in fields near the River Thames in Hammersmith. Our main buildings date from this time. The boys’ school did not thrive, however, and in 1905 a new independent day school for girls was created on the same site. Support from the Latymer foundation resulted in a new name: the Godolphin and Latymer School. Following the end of the Second World War and the transformational Education Act of 1944, Dame Joyce Bishop (Head from 1935 to 1963) took the decision that Godolphin and Latymer should become a state grammar school. Thus, it was free to offer places to bright girls, totally regardless of their parents’ background or income. Dame Joyce’s vision resonates strongly with the school today: ‘Each member of this new community of schools has its own function to perform, its own gifts to offer. For us, it is to foster scholarship and sound learning, to follow knowledge like a shooting star and to offer humbly an imaginative understanding of our fellow creatures born of this pursuit of wisdom, a charity that rejoices in the truth. Surely all this must continue to flourish and to gain fresh vitality as we open wider our window of experience and share with all schools the task of educating the nation.’ In 1977 grammar school status was removed from many London schools and Godolphin and Latymer reverted to the independent sector. Subsequent years have seen a growth in numbers, much modernisation in educational outlook, and the imaginative development of our Hammersmith site. We enjoy our history, but our eyes always look towards the future!

North London Collegiate School was founded in April 1850 by Frances Mary Buss in the family home at 46 Camden Street, Camden Town. All the family assisted with the school, including her brother Septimus and her father, R.W. Buss, who illustrated Dickens' novels and whose paintings now hang in the Buss Room, in the Old House at Canons. In 1871, Miss Buss also founded Camden School for Girls for families with more modest incomes. You can find out more about her and the headmistresses who followed her in the dedicated sections below. The school, as it grew bigger, moved to Camden Road and then to Sandall Road. The site at Canons in Edgware was bought in 1929, but the school did not move there fully until May 1940. You can site in its dedicated page. North London Collegiate School is a top independent day school for girls aged 4-18. Since its founding in 1850, generations of girls have received an ambitious academic education and formed a bond with NLCS, which lasts forever. We provide a carefully judged blend of support and challenge, a friendly and warm atmosphere, glorious facilities and extensive extracurricular activities.

St Paul’s is an independent school offering an outstanding, all-round education for gifted boys aged 7 to 18 years. Our founder John Colet opened the doors to St Paul’s School in 1509 to educate boys “from all nacions and countres indifferently”, regardless of race, creed or social background. We are committed to our founder’s vision and offer financial support for any boy who is successful in gaining a place at the school on academic merit and fulfils the means-tested bursary criteria. We wish to admit highly able, committed and curious boys. We care for them in an academic environment tailored to their specific needs and to equip them with the skills to contribute to wider society long after they have left St Paul’s. Our entry points are at 7+, 8+, 11+, 13+ and 16+ and admission is following a successful examination process and interview. This is a particularly exciting time to join the school as over the last few years we have refurbished the majority of the senior school site including a new astro-turf pitch, a stunning Drama Centre, featuring the Samuel Pepys theatre, and an RIBA award-winning Science building. In March 2020, we completed the redevelopment of the Senior School. Our two General Teaching Buildings offer a central Atrium, Colet Hall and Chapel, contemporary dining, the Kayton Library and many light airy classrooms overlooking the Thames and playing fields.

When the first Headmistress, Miss A Morton, opened the school at Haydon Place on the 25 April 1887, she was greeted by the appointed caretaker with the news “there ain’t no one come yet ma'am”. Undaunted, Miss Morton had acquired two pupils by the end of her first week and with support from the Church Schools Company over the subsequent months, the school was born. We provide an inspiring, first-class education for academically able and characterful girls from age four to eighteen. Guildford High School, which is separated into a Junior School and Senior School, is a happy, purposeful, and vibrant community that centres on eight key aims. All that we do at Guildford High School is designed with our pupils in mind. We nurture our pupils as they grow up in our care, providing an environment of openness, where they feel safe and secure, where there is trust and kindness. We want our pupils to lead happy and fulfilling lives and to be positive about their own gifts and abilities.

Wycombe Abbey is an independent girls' boarding and day school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls schools in academic results, The school was founded in 1896 by Dame Frances Dove, who was previously headmistress of St Leonards School in Scotland. A world leader in girls’ boarding education (11 - 18). A place where academic excellence, empathy and integrity thrive. Wycombe Abbey remains committed to providing young women with the knowledge, skills and confidence to achieve and excel in their chosen field.

Westminster is an ancient school in the heart of London, the only one still to occupy its original site, immediately next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Its origins can be traced to a charity school established by the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of St Peter, and it is more than likely that this spiritual and educational tradition goes back as far as 960 AD. After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540, King Henry VIII personally ensured the School’s survival by statute. His daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, confirmed the royal patronage in 1560 whereby the Abbey and School formed the one collegiate foundation. She is therefore celebrated as the School’s Founder and her importance is marked by a statue in Little Dean’s Yard by Matthew Spender OW, unveiled by her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in June 2010. Today, Westminster is one of the leading academic schools in the country. Pupils achieve exceptional examination results and entrance to some of the top universities in the world. It is a busy, passionate and purposeful place where independent and deep thinking is enjoyed, encouraged and respected by all, and where holistic excellence is nurtured and valued. Fundamentally, we want our pupils to engage in a constructive, thoughtful process of “loyal dissent”. While we encourage them to embrace the principles of a liberal education, respect genuine scholarship and appreciate a deep and rigorous learning process, they are equally encouraged to challenge, question and explore the content of that learning, to push boundaries and overturn expectations – mindful at all times of the feelings of others. Most importantly, we want our pupils to use their skills and intelligence to help others, to build up not put down, and to benefit society. For centuries, Westminster School has been the educational cradle of some very distinguished people. Our task is to help future generations of pupils to follow in their footsteps and make a positive difference in the world.

Founded in 1904, St Paul’s was one of the first schools to believe in the importance of educating women to fulfil their potential, giving them the skills and confidence to take their place with pride in a modernising and fast-moving world. That tradition remains at our core. The academic heart of St Paul’s is enhanced and lightened by the warm relationships between staff and girls, the sheer joy they have in learning, and the encouragement everyone is given to dig deeper; to explore ideas, to challenge preconceptions and to develop their own ideas. Learning here is not just about passing exams. It is about a love of academic pursuits, inspiration and imagination. It is about the quest for ‘very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore’. From its very beginning, and in advance of its time, St Paul’s embraced a liberal ideology. We believe that true potential can only be unlocked when given the freedom to grow. Our rules are few and relationships are relaxed, yet respectful. We have no uniform and girls are encouraged to develop their own passions and interests. Our curriculum is broad with plenty of opportunity for individual research, discussion and debate. Music and drama are open to all and are performed to a very high standard. The art studio is an oasis of creative energy. Sport is played with verve and distinction, and opportunities of all sorts are magnified many times over in the clubs and societies on offer. There is never a dull moment at St Paul’s! Success here is not a collective measure. What matters to us is the happiness and achievements of each girl according to her own lights and ambitions. Our students take ownership of their lives, to embrace opportunity, and to grow in resilience and self-reliance. St Paul’s is a caring and generous community. Laughter is never far from the surface and friendships abound. The girls are encouraged to develop a strong spirit of philanthropy, and to engage with those around them who are less privileged than themselves. The school itself has links with groups at home and abroad who benefit from our support. Our bursary scheme provides us with a wonderful opportunity to offer the full breadth of our education to talented girls whatever their background, and to enrich the school beyond measure with their energy and inspiration. We are proud of our school, and also that over the years our alumnae have contributed significantly on a national and global stage. An education at St Paul’s is an extraordinary preparation for life.

Anyone can be a Heritage Ambassador. Help take our past into the future. Spread the word and generate revenue. Make heritage your business and earn with your passion for art and culture. ArtAcadia.org is an umbrella organization for everything pertaining to our heritage and respective cultures. Providing a platform for Heritage Ambassadors, to help take our past into the future. We are a passionate community that is compiling a comprehensive global directory and cultural map. Facilitating networking, training, work opportunities, events and marketplace.