Personal Battle Inspires School Launch
Giggs says he constantly fought for his seven-year-old son Israel, who is autistic but did not get proper support from the education system. He could not get a clear diagnosis and Israel did not receive necessary evaluations. It was chaos, and Giggs thought he had to do something. His eldest son, rapper ML, was diagnosed over a decade ago as a teenager. Last year, father and son released a track about life with autism called Own Motion. ML raps that he used to be ashamed but now declares himself autistic. Giggs says reading ML's diagnosis made him feel the description fit him too, so he went for an evaluation. He thought it absurd that a man and woman with a notebook could decide if he was autistic in five minutes. He heard nothing, but ten years later a doctor looked at his notes and said he was autistic.
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Fighting for EHCPs and Systemic Change
The late discovery of his own diagnosis coincided with Giggs' battle to get Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for Israel and his daughter Isla. Last year he appeared on Newsnight to criticise shortcomings in the special educational needs (Send) system. Israel got his EHCP the next day. However, this success is not accessible to most parents facing the complex and opaque special education system. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently said the overstretched system is broken and promised more help for parents navigating the bureaucratic maze. Giggs' struggles to get crucial evaluations for his children motivated him to launch St James House. He co-founded it with Jamal Miah, CEO of OMG Foundation, whom he has known for twenty years since recording in a South London studio Miah ran. They stayed in touch and, by coincidence, both moved to Kent. They saw many disadvantaged children in Gravesend and decided to act.
School and Assessment Centre Details
OMG Foundation already runs a school in east London. When Miah and Giggs decided to open one in Kent, Giggs insisted an assessment centre be part of the structure because many parents do not know how to get EHCPs, and without them it is hard to offer other support. The school and assessment centre will be led by Frances Akinde, executive director and neurodiversity education specialist who values art and music therapy. She previously worked as a parent advocate, and one of the parents she advised was Giggs. She says what he is doing with St James House is wonderful. The assessment centre, employing educational psychologists, occupational therapists, and speech and language specialists, opened this month. The school will follow in January. Miah says OMG Foundation is raising the £930,000 needed to start operations, boosted by Giggs bringing big names to a recent charity auction.
Vision for St James House
He contacted colleagues he knows from wrestling. Damien Hirst offered seven artworks. Dynamo agreed to two private shows. Stephen Fry, Ed Sheeran, and Robbie Williams donated items. All wanted to get involved. He calls them wonderful people.
When St James House opens its doors at the start of next year, Giggs knows exactly what he wants to achieve for autistic and ADHD children who walk through. He wants to be Professor Xavier for the neurodivergent universe, referencing the founder-educator from X-Men comics. He notes that X-Men started as a school before becoming superheroes. They can help autistic children realise they are geniuses and show them how to use their superpowers.