Brand-new school for students with special needs set to open soon at Grade II listed building in Northampton

Hampton Bridge School, an independent special school for pupils aged 6–19, is due to welcome students in Spring 2025 at Nazareth House on Barrack Road.

The school, run by Spaghetti Bridge, which bought the site in February 2024, will cater to children with social, emotional, and mental health needs, autism spectrum conditions, and associated learning challenges.

The site, formerly home to Bosworth Independent College, consists of 17 classrooms, an exam hall, a common room/café, a staff room, tutorial rooms, office spaces, toilets, and the main school reception. A car park at the rear, accessed via Marriott Street, provides 18 spaces.

Spaghetti Bridge is an independent school group specialising in education for young people with Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCPs) who struggle in mainstream settings. They say their project-based approach encourages students to collaborate on real-world problems in small groups, supported by a structured three-stage curriculum. They add that their model prioritises safety, relationship-building, and trust to foster learning, while offering qualifications ranging from functional skills to GCSEs. According to Spaghetti Bridge, their unique approach has been recognised and praised by Ofsted.

As the school prepares for its first intake of students, Spaghetti Bridge is actively recruiting teachers.

In a job advert, the school said: “We are looking for enthusiastic and dynamic class-based teachers who are open to learning a modern approach to teaching pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs.

“Our creative, individualised approach to learning is centred around well-being and skills for independence. From the time our students arrive, we assess their individual interests, passions, and desires to build a project-based curriculum to meet their needs. In doing so, we ensure they are well-prepared to achieve their goals and succeed.

“We understand the importance of building meaningful relationships with pupils and families to nurture growth and development of relational milestones, such as building trust and sharing enjoyment. Care and making connections are at the heart of our ethos, and we work hard to ensure that all staff feel cared for too.

“The successful candidates will be part of the initial team preparing for the school’s first intake of students and, as such, will follow an induction programme during which they will spend time at our other schools.

“We are constantly reviewing our practices to ensure that our staff can focus on what matters: providing a rich environment in which children and young adults can learn and thrive.

“We recognise that our schools all serve their own communities and are unique, but we also insist that our schools follow Spaghetti Bridge ways of working, ensuring high expectations and equality of opportunity for all our pupils.”

Spaghetti Bridge currently operates six schools across the South West, including Preston Bridge School (which runs across two sites), Chapel Bridge School and Heather Bridge School in Devon, Silver Bridge School and Chilton Bridge School in Somerset, Meadow Bridge School in Wiltshire, and Valley Bridge School in Gloucestershire.