Inside new SupaJam music school at former NatWest in Swanley

A new £830,000 music school for youngsters with special needs has finally moved into its new home.

Post-16 specialist college SupaJam has opened at the former NatWest building in Swanley following a four-month renovation.

Swanley Town Council’s (STC) mayor, councillor Keith Mitchell, cut the ribbon at a launch event on Monday evening (April 27), surrounded by students and the team who helped to bring the site to life.

Speaking to KentOnline this week, co-founder of SupaJam David Court said: “We are so excited about the launch. SupaJam Swanley has been three-and-a-half years in the making and we are finally now in our new college, it's amazing.

“SupaJam needs to be in the county, and it needs to be in Swanley. It's a vital part of the community here, so we are absolutely thrilled.”

His business partner Nick Stillwell added: “We’re so grateful to all the people that have helped us, Kent County Council (KCC), STC, it's been truly a collaborative effort.”

David, from Crockham Hill in Sevenoaks, and Nick, from Marden, launched the post-16 specialist music education provider in 2013 – starting off with seven students in a basement in Tunbridge Wells.

For the first year, the pair, who both have backgrounds in film and TV, funded the project before being granted a government contract and opening a location at the TVOK Centre at Orchard’s Academy in Swanley.

It has also opened locations in Canterbury, Brighton, and Wandsworth, with another set to open in Earl’s Court in September.

However, in 2023, it was announced Orchard’s Academy would be undergoing a £32.8m rebuild, leaving SupaJam “homeless”. They then temporarily moved to a site next to the secondary school.

A change of use application was submitted in September 2023 to turn the former bank into the music and media college, which was approved the following month.

The bank shut in May 2022 after demand for its services fell.

Work started last September, and the building was “completely stripped”, with renovations funded by KCC.

SupaJam also got planning permission to turn the first floor of the business next door, Swanley Pet Shop, into a classroom and all the works had been completed by the end of December.

David says KCC has been “unbelievably supportive” throughout the whole process.

SupaJam offers RSL Creative Industry Diplomas and also teaches Mathematics and English courses.

The new school has several classrooms as well as a recording studio, a podcast studio, and sensory rooms where students can go if they need to take five minutes out with a tutor to calm down.

The building also features a state-of-the-art jam room in one of the bank’s old vaults.

David said: “We try to make every classroom not feel like a mainstream school, they have more of a record label vibe.

“We put sofas in our classrooms and try to have chill-out spaces, which seems to work quite well.”

They also have The Music Shelf, where professionally signed artists will come in and play to students.

He added: “They don't have to be musical, they just have to be passionate about the music industry.

“For a lot of our students, music has been with them all their lives and offered them a support network.

“We've also got a really cool preparation for our adulthood syllabus as well, which prepares them for life after college.”

The school, which began welcoming students at the start of the year, currently has 75 students, and another 15 will be joining in September.

Country singer Florence Sommerville performed at the launch event this week alongside SupaJam students.

David and Nick also set up the SupaJam Foundation last year, a charity which provides support and mentoring to young people with SEN.

A KCC spokesperson said: "SupaJam Swanley is a well‑established and valued part of the post‑16 education offer for young people with SEND and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in North and West Kent.

“When it became clear that SupaJam needed to relocate from Orchards Academy, KCC worked closely with the provider to ensure it could remain in the town.

"After SupaJam secured the former NatWest bank building, KCC supported the move by funding and managing refurbishment works at a cost of just under £830,000.”