Ascent was founded with the aim of developing a vision and strategic plan for special educational needs in Sunderland.

The Ascent Academies’ Trust was founded in 2012 and is a family of five special academies in the North of England, over four different local authorities. We are a collaborative group of academies who work closely with one another in order to achieve the best outcomes for our young people. As a result, our academies have improved year on year and all academies are currently at least Good from an Ofsted rating, with some individual areas rated Outstanding