Our ‘hand-me-down’ history

Although only in existence since 2018, the Kingsley Learning Foundation lays claim to over 100 years of service to the families of Corby and Kettering. The Kingsley Learning Foundation was built on, and from, the legacy of Kingsley Special Academy which opened in Beatrice Road Kettering in 1912, moving to its current location on the Ise Lodge in 1974. In 1912, Kingsley was an open-air school designed to accommodate young people suffering with tuberculosis. Over the next century it evolved through being an all-age provision and on to its current incarnation as a primary special school. We like to think that there is a nod to our 'open-air' origins in our concept of 'school without walls' whereby the school is never defined by its building but by its presence across the community.

For over a century Kingsley forged an enviable reputation in the locality. Our centenary celebrations in 2012 brought together Kingsley-ites from many generations celebrating the warmth and dynamism of a remarkable institution. Re-kindled memories from as far back as 60 years ago described an ethos that was familiar and reassuring, reminding us that we are temporary custodians whose duty it is to pass along a precious resource that we hold in trust for future generations.

By 2015, and overwhelmed with demand for places at the school, it was clear that one Kingsley was not enough and that the time had come for Kingsley-in-Corby and we submitted a bid for the free school that would become Red Kite Special Academy. This stunning and utterly bespoke building, entirely constructed from the concepts and values that had accrued over a century (the bricks and steel being mere decorative flourishes), opened its doors in September 2018.
 

Current history

An unintended, but thoroughly welcome, consequence of creating the new school was the necessity to generate a governance structure to oversee the fortune of both schools and this structure is the Kingsley Learning Foundation, a congregation of
like-minded educational gallowglasses, dedicated to serving the most vulnerable in our society, the families of children with special educational needs. It is an organisation which embraces innovation and collectivity to seek advantage for, or reduce disadvantage to, those we serve. Our 'bread-and-butter dreams' philosophy acknowledges that disability in the family makes even the most basic undertakings (a night's sleep, a meal in a restaurant, etc.) highly improbable.  

This leads us to our mission statement:

Helping people living in extraordinary circumstances 
to live ordinary lives

Future history

We cherish the past which has created our KLF present, we treasure the achievements of a century of passionate educators and the legacy of success bequeathed to us by them. However, our focus now is not on retelling this past, but on making new history. In a world of giant Multi-Academy Trusts ours is a small but perfectly formed entity, nimble enough to act and react to the changing times, deft enough to adopt and adapt innovative practice and emerging science and set it to our purpose. One hundred years from now when the KLF story is once more retold we expect it to chime with our shared values, to reverberate with the dynamism of our communities, to ring with the voices of our families through the ages. To be KLF is to be part of something much greater than we are.