for Families

The Haven, when school has stopped being possible

The Haven is autistic girls network’s specialist, non-profit online school for neurodivergent girls and gender-diverse young people aged 11-17. We built it for young people who cannot get to school any more, whose families have tried everything, and who need somewhere the environment finally fits.

Are you a school or local authority commissioner? The Haven for schools and local authorities is HERE

If you have been quoted attendance policy while your child fell apart, you are not alone

You have probably been told it is anxiety. Or avoidance. Or something happening at home. You have watched your daughter shrink, stop eating breakfast, stop leaving her bedroom, and been told that a reward chart or a stricter routine or a firmer hand will fix it.

Nothing about your child was ever broken

The environment was. When the noise, the masking, and the demand to seem fine are taken away, most of the young people who reach us do what they were always capable of. They learn. They make friends. They come back to themselves.

What The Haven is

The Haven is an online school where:

Nobody has to turn their camera on
Nobody has to speak out loud
Nobody is told to catch up
Lessons are small, calm, and taught by educators who are almost all neurodivergent themselves
Relationship comes before learning, never the reverse

We onboard learners who have been out of school for months. For years. Some have not left their bedrooms in a very long time. They re-engage, often more quickly than anyone expected, because the environment finally fits.

How learning at The Haven starts

Back to Balance: a gentle way back in

Most learners begin with Back to Balance, our 12-week reintroduction to learning. No pressure, no expectations about cameras or speaking, paced entirely around the young person. It is the bridge for young people whose relationship with school has been broken.

Room to grow at their pace

From Back to Balance, learners can move into part-time lessons, and on to a full-time timetable leading to GCSEs when they are ready. Not before.

What is included as standard

Live small-group lessons in English, Maths, Science, Humanities, RSHE and Psychology for KS4
Mentoring built in for every learner
Neurodiversity University, our identity-first strand
Preparing for Adulthood
Clubs and entrepreneurship
A moderated online community where learners connect with each other. For many, these are the first friendships they have ever made

Given us our child back

A year on from opening, we asked families what had changed. Every family who responded said their child’s overall wellbeing had improved since joining. Every family said their child feels safe in lessons and accepted exactly as they are. Every family would recommend The Haven to other families.

“Given us our child back.”

A Haven parent, year-one feedback, July 2026

“The feeling of safety, and I don’t feel like I need to mask.”

A Haven learner, asked what makes the difference

“Everyone’s really kind and everyone understands me.”

A Haven learner

Who The Haven is for

Our learners are girls and gender-diverse young people aged 11-17 who:

Are autistic, ADHD, AuDHD, PDA or otherwise neurodivergent, diagnosed, self-identified, or awaiting assessment
Are experiencing Barriers to Attendance, often after long periods of masking
May be non-speaking, have situational mutism, or find live groups difficult
May have autistic burnout, complex anxiety, or a demand-avoidant profile
May have an EHCP, be awaiting assessment, or be self-identified

Three ways to fund a place

Privately funded

Families arrange the place directly, either as the ongoing route or as a bridge while statutory routes resolve. Pricing is on The Haven’s fees page.

Alternative Provision

Your child stays on their school’s roll and the school commissions The Haven to deliver their education. Often the right route when a young person is still in the school system but cannot access mainstream lessons

EOTAS via EHCP

Education Other Than At School, funded by the local authority through an EHCP. The right route when no school setting can meet a young person’s needs.

The Haven is a non-profit school and we publish our fees openly. Most families arrive with a place funded by their local authority or their school, and we can talk you through which route applies to you.

See the full fee structure for families

Frequently asked

Does my child need a diagnosis?

No. We work with diagnosed, self-identified, and awaiting-assessment young people. We do not gatekeep.

What if she cannot turn her camera on or speak?

Many of our learners start that way. Cameras off and microphones off are not just allowed, they are expected at the beginning. We meet learners where they are.