Ambitious about Autism

November 2014

The dedication and perseverance of two mothers of autistic children, who struggled to secure places for their children in local schools, led to the creation of Ambitious about Autism in 1997.

The charity, originally called TreeHouse Trust, began as a place of learning for five pupils in a borrowed room at the Royal Free Hospital in North London. Since then, the organisation has expanded, moving to the purpose built Pears National Centre for Autism Education in Muswell Hill, North London.

Within the building stands TreeHouse School, a vibrant and colourful centre providing education for 85 autistic children between the ages of four and 19. The school offers state–of–the-art facilities and highly skilled staff with which children can develop and flourish.

Ambitious about Autism also runs Ambitious College, another specialist centre offering young people with autism the specialist education and support that they need to learn, achieve and thrive. The college is attached to Barnet and Southgate College to promote integration with mainstream education.

The charity offers training and consultancy to parents, carers, teachers and other professionals who encounter autism.

Ambitious about Autism and The Rumi Foundation share an ethos: to provide opportunity to those who otherwise would have none.