The creative education provider has opened its largest college yet, offering music and industry-focused courses for young people with SEND as demand for specialist post-16 provision continues to grow.
Specialist education provider SupaJam has opened the doors to a new college in Earl’s Court, its fifth campus in the UK and its largest and best-equipped site to date.
The new London college will support young people aged 16 to 25 with Education, Health and Care Plans, combining traditional learning with music, production and practical experience across the creative industries.
It joins existing SupaJam colleges in Swanley, Canterbury, Brighton and Wandsworth, with more than 250 students now studying across the five sites.
At the centre of the approach is the idea that education does not have to follow a conventional route. Students come to SupaJam from a wide range of backgrounds and with differing needs, including autism, ADHD, trauma, PTSD and other social and educational challenges. What connects them is often an interest in music and the wider creative industries.
“We are thrilled to open SupaJam’s fifth college in Earl’s Court, giving more young people in London access to our specialist educational curriculum, support and services,” says founder and joint CEO Nick Stillwell.
“We believe that learning through music and first-hand experiences can build confidence, engagement and skills that benefit students throughout their lives.
“Traditional education often focuses on what students can’t do, but at SupaJam, we focus on what they can do. SupaJam isn’t just about teaching; it’s about giving young people the confidence and opportunity to strive and thrive.”
The Earl’s Court college has been purpose-built across three floors and includes recording studios, Apple Logic Pro suites, podcast and radio facilities and a sound-proofed rehearsal room.
There are also dedicated teaching spaces, communal areas, a common room and kitchen, plus a large outdoor courtyard.
Students will be able to work towards RSL Creative Industries Diplomas at Levels 1, 2 and 3, covering areas including music performance, production, songwriting, event management, marketing, careers and entrepreneurship.
English and Maths Functional Skills will also be available from entry level through to GCSE, alongside SupaJam’s own Preparation for Adulthood programme, designed to develop practical skills and confidence for life beyond college.
Much of the learning also takes place outside the classroom. Students regularly attend festivals, gigs, concerts and musical theatre productions, while work experience opportunities are designed to give them direct exposure to the industries they may eventually want to work in.
Recent placements have included The Great Escape and Festival Republic, while SupaJam also has an ongoing partnership with professional audio and AV company d&b solutions.
The organisation itself began on a considerably smaller scale.
Founders and lifelong friends David Court and Nick Stillwell both came from careers in film and television and had shared difficult experiences of mainstream education, leaving school without qualifications.
In 2013, they left their jobs after deciding they wanted to create a different kind of educational environment for young people struggling to find their place in the conventional system.
SupaJam started with just seven students in the basement of a pub in Tunbridge Wells.
“When Nick and I started SupaJam in a pub basement in Tunbridge Wells with just seven students, we never imagined that 13 years later we would be supporting more than 250 young people,” says Court.
“We know from our own experiences how difficult it can be to find your place in traditional education, so creating an environment where young people feel understood, valued and able to discover what they are capable of has always been at the heart of what we do.”
Today, the organisation employs around 120 people and receives funding from the Department for Education and 13 local authorities.
Its model is centred around re-engaging young people who may have found mainstream education difficult, using their individual strengths and interests as the starting point rather than attempting to force everyone through the same system.
According to SupaJam, more than 70 per cent of its leavers progress to university.
The Earl’s Court expansion also arrives at a significant moment for SEND education in the UK, with growing pressure on local authorities and education providers to find suitable placements for children and young people who require additional support.
The Government’s recent Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper set out proposals aimed at creating a more inclusive education system, offering earlier support for children with SEND and improving the transition from education into adult life and employment.
While much of the wider discussion centres on allowing more pupils to receive the support they need within mainstream education, there remains a role for specialist settings for young people whose needs cannot be fully met there.
For SupaJam, the opening in Earl’s Court represents both an expansion and a continuation of the idea it began with 13 years ago: that a difficult experience of school does not have to determine what happens next.
And for students whose route through education has not always been straightforward, a recording studio, rehearsal room or festival site may prove just as important a classroom as anywhere else.
SupaJam has five colleges in Brighton, Canterbury, Swanley, Wandsworth and Earl’s Court.
All students are aged between 16 and 25 and have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), and share a passion for music or learning about music. The majority have previously struggled in mainstream education.
