Our ‘hand-me-down’ history
Although only in existence since 2018, the Kingsley Learning Foundation lays claim
to over100 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 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.