Legendary UK rapper Giggs has revealed he is building a new school and assessment centre for neurodivergent children, giving supporters a first look inside the ambitious and impactful project.

The musician is launching St James House in partnership with OMG Education, creating a specialist learning environment for children with a range of additional needs, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and other neurodivergent conditions.

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The project is deeply personal for the rapper. Giggs, who has spoken publicly about his own autism diagnosis, revealed in a BBC interview that he was labelled a “troublemaker” during his formative school years. He stated:

“I always used to answer back all the time and get kicked out of class every single day — until I just thought, well, I’m bad…

You take that through life… I ended up in prison twice. Obviously, I’m grateful enough to have a career now, and that saved my life.”

The 45-year-old father of three is now navigating similar experiences with his own children, all of whom he has described as autistic. Giggs said his experiences navigating the education system for his autistic children, Israel and Isla, inspired him to help create better support for other families. He previously revealed that he and his family struggled to secure appropriate educational provision and Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) for them.

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In July 2025, describing the process as lengthy and frustrating, he said:

“It’s frustrating for the kids as well, man, because they don’t even know what’s going on…

We’ve been dragging them up and down the country, taking them to different places to do the assessments. I feel bad for them.”

Giggs recently shared footage from inside the building as renovation work continues, with the project aiming to provide tailored educational support and specialist assessments for children and families. Standing proudly in one of the school’s classrooms, Giggs joked that he wanted the space to be like Professor Xavier’s X-Men school for neurodivergent children. Explaining his vision for the school, he added:

“We get the greatest teachers who understand autistic minds, ADHD and can bring out the genius. Because me being autistic myself, I know we all got super powers.”

In the video tour, Giggs also echoed comments he made last year in response to the potential cuts to EHCPs announced by School Standards Minister Catherine McKinnell.

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In that 2025 interview, he stated:

“It would be actually smart for the government to throw all their money to autistic people and let us be the super genius or super heroes that we are.

“And then you can have all your tax money, it’s a win-win!”

The school is being developed in Gravesend, Kent, by the OMG Foundation, which is working to transform the site into a dedicated SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) school. The charity is currently attempting to raise £930,000 to complete the refurbishment before welcoming its first pupils.

The Peckham-born rapper, often hailed as one of the pioneers of UK rap and even branded the UK’s Jay-Z by the hip-hop mogul himself, has described St James House as an opportunity to create lasting change beyond music by improving educational opportunities for neurodivergent young people aged 11 to 18 and supporting families navigating the SEND system.

Giggs ends the video tour with his trademark charisma, proudly saying: “Yeah, we’ve got classrooms on classrooms.”

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