About Us

The Barnsley and Kirklees Special Provision Partnership is a bold new partnership, formed through the collaboration of Joseph Norton Academy, Springwell Learning Community and Greenacre School.

• Joseph Norton Academy is a special academy educating children and young people with complex Social, Emotional and Mental Health difficulties across Kirklees. The school prides itself on its use of nurture, social pedagogy and its focus on preparation for adulthood.

• Springwell Learning Community is the umbrella name for Springwell Special Academy and Springwell Alternative Academy. Springwell Special Academy provides cross-phase education for Barnsley children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Springwell Alternative Academy works in partnership with local primary and secondary schools to provide alternative education pathways.

• Greenacre School is one of the UK’s largest special schools, educating over 300 children and young people aged three to nineteen with severe and complex learning disabilities. In addition to the main site, the school has a number of satellite classes, which are based within local mainstream settings. This model supports Greenacre’s steadfast commitment to social inclusion.

Why We Exist

With Helen Keller’s words at the heart of our system, we believe that real improvement, real change and real impact can only come about when people work together. For our leaders this means not feeling isolated, having the ability to draw on the expertise of others, finding support and holding each other to account. For our staff this means seeing how different classrooms work. It means problem solving with colleagues and debating and exploring new ideas. For our pupils and parents this means experiencing the benefits of a focused and connected system. It means sharing successes and celebrating diversity. For everyone, it means navigating and shaping a rich educational landscape underpinned by our core values.