Frequently asked Questions
For families
We work specifically with the young people other settings find “too complex.” We’ve onboarded learners who have been out of education for up to five years, who may not have left the house in months, who can’t turn their camera on or speak out loud when they start. We don’t ask them to be ready for school as it currently exists, we meet them exactly where they are and build from there. We can’t promise a timeline, because every young person is different, but re-engagement often happens far more quickly than families dare to hope.
Yes, completely. Cameras off and microphones off are not just allowed, they’re normal and welcomed at first. Many of our learners begin by typing in the chat, or simply by being present and listening. There is no pressure to perform, no “you must unmute to participate.” Over time, in their own time, many do begin to speak and show their faces, but that’s their choice, never a condition of belonging.
No. The Haven is a community, not a content library. Learners have live lessons with neurodivergent educators who know them, a personal mentor, clubs, and shared spaces with other young people who understand what it’s like. Friendships form here and in our Autistic Girls Network F2F groups, we have young people who had never had a friend make their first ones with us.
No young person is too much for us. The combination you’ve just described is one we see often. Our model is built around relational safety first and academic progress second, because we know learning can’t happen until a young person feels safe.
We won’t ask your child to mask, conform, or pretend to be someone they’re not. The Haven exists precisely because forcing neurodivergent young people into a system that doesn’t fit them is what caused the harm in the first place. Progress here looks like a young person becoming
more themselves, not less.
The school day & how learning works
Learning is live and led by a real educator who knows your child. Depending on the route your child is on, a week blends live lessons, mentoring, and enrichment such as clubs, entrepreneurship, our Neurodiversity University sessions, and Preparing for Adulthood. We offer both part-time and full-time options, so the shape of the week flexes around what your child can manage.
Both. A young person might begin part-time – perhaps with our Back to Balance course – and build up to a full-time curriculum over time. Others come in ready for more. The pace is set by the child, not by a fixed expectation.
Lessons are live and timetabled, which gives structure and the human connection that recordedcontent can’t. That said, the timetable is designed to be manageable, and mentoring helps eachyoung person find a rhythm that works for them.
Our neurodivergent-led approach
Two things, above all. First, most of our educators are neurodivergent themselves — your child is taught by people with genuine lived experience, not people who’ve read about neurodivergence in a training manual. Second, we are part of Autistic Girls Network, the UK’s only national, neurodivergent-led charity of its kind. We are on the side of families, not systems. We are a non-profit; we exist to serve our young people, not shareholders.
It means we treat being autistic, ADHD, or otherwise neurodivergent as a difference to be understood and supported, not a problem to be fixed. In practice: no forced eye contact, no demand to mask, accommodations as standard rather than as a grudging exception, and a curriculum that includes helping young people build a positive sense of their own neurodivergent identity.
The Haven and Autistic Girls Network exist because autism in girls, women and gender-diverse young people has been so badly missed and misunderstood. Our work, and our charitable objectives, centre girls and gender-diverse young people. If you’re unsure whether your child fits, please just ask us.
Many of our families are still waiting on assessment, or have a child who is self-identified. A diagnosis is not a precondition for the support we offer, though for some funding routes an EHCP or formal needs assessment becomes relevant. Talk to us about your specific situation.
Back to Balance — our gentle re-entry course
Back to Balance is our gentle, structured reintroduction to learning, designed for young people who have been out of education and need to rebuild trust before anything academic. It’s where many of our most disengaged learners begin.
The course runs over 12 weeks (two 6-week blocks) as a self-contained re-entry pathway.
No. It’s there for young people who need a soft landing. A child who’s ready for more academic structure can start further along. Mentoring helps us work out the right entry point together.
Curriculum, GCSEs & exams
Yes. Our provision can run all the way from a gentle reintroduction to learning through to a full- time curriculum leading to IGCSEs.
Alongside lessons, every learner gets mentoring plus extras built in at no additional cost: clubs, entrepreneurship, and nurturing of a positive neurodivergent identity, and Preparing for Adulthood. These aren’t bolt-ons — they’re core to how we develop confident, self-advocating young people.
Exam arrangements for online learners are typically made through registered exam centres, with access arrangements where a young person is entitled to them. Please see our exam- specific pages for more information.
Re-engaging often comes first, and it tends to come quickly once a young person feels safe. From there, our educators set work to the right level for each individual — there’s no single pace everyone is forced into.
Wellbeing, mentoring & community
Every learner has a mentor — a relationship, not a checkbox. Mentoring is about the whole young person: their wellbeing, their confidence, their sense of self, as well as their learning. It’s one of the reasons young people who arrive unable to speak often become, as families tell us, “the biggest chatterers.”
Through clubs, shared sessions, and a genuine community of other neurodivergent young people. Many of our learners arrive having never had a friendship. Connection is one of the things families most often describe as life-changing
The shifts we see are about identity and trajectory, not just attendance: non-speaking young people becoming communicative; learners with no friendships building real ones; children out of school for years re-engaging with learning; young people growing into confident self-advocates.
We’re honest that this takes time and looks different for everyone — but this is the work we do.
Who can attend & how you pay
Neurodivergent girls and gender-diverse young people aged 11-17 who, for whatever reason, are unable to attend mainstream school — including those who’ve been out of education for a long time. Some are privately funded by families; some are placed by their school as alternative provision; some are funded by a local authority through EOTAS arrangements.
There are three main routes, depending on who funds the place:
- Privately paid — your family arranges and pays for the place directly.
- Alternative Provision (AP) — your child stays on roll at their school, and the school commissions and pays for their place with us.
- EOTAS via EHCP — Education Other Than At School, arranged and funded by your local authority through your child’s Education, Health and Care Plan.
If you’re not sure which applies to you, tell us your situation and we’ll help you work it out.
For schools & local authorities
Fees, funding & EHCPs
Fees depend on the route (private, AP, or EOTAS) and on whether your child is part-time or full- time. Please see our Fees tab.
Possibly, through the AP route (your child’s school funds it) or the EOTAS route (your local authority funds it through an EHCP). Both routes depend on your individual circumstances and on the decisions of the school or local authority. We can’t promise an outcome, but we can talk you through how each route works and what’s involved.
Not for the privately funded route. An EHCP becomes relevant for EOTAS funding. Many families begin one route and move to another as their child’s plan progresses – talk to us and we’ll help you understand the options for your situation.
Accreditation & how we’re regulated
We are applying for accreditation under the Department for Education’s Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS), for which Ofsted is the inspection body, and are currently awaiting inspection.
The Haven was launched by Autistic Girls Network, the UK’s only national, neurodivergent-led charity supporting neurodivergent girls, women, non-binary people and their families. AGN runs a 35,000-strong family support community, face-to-face groups across the country, free monthly workshops, mentoring, and training for education, health and social care services.
Still have a question?
If your question isn’t answered here, please get in touch — especially if your situation feels complicated or you’ve been turned away elsewhere. That’s exactly the conversation we want to have. Simply use the ‘Contact Us’ tab in the footer of the website
