Easter Activities for SEND Families

With the Easter holidays fully under way, many families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) will be hard-pressed to find activities that suit their children’s individual needs, let alone that of the whole family.

Luckily, we have a robust Local Offer here in Manchester, including the local authority’s SEND Community Offer, activities funded through the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF), and those that are run by the many wonderful community organisations and parent-led support groups that we have in Greater Manchester. Here are some of them:

• Sensory Rooms @ Benchill Community Centre (M22 8EJ) – Tuesday 11 April to Friday 14 April, 45-minute sessions that start on the hour between 10am-3pm

  The sensory room at Benchill Community Centre in Wythenshawe will be available between Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th April, 10am to 3pm. Families living in the Manchester City Council area can book 45-minute slots for FREE by contacting the centre on 0161 946 9520.

• Sensory Rooms @ Redbank House (M8 8QA) – Tuesday 11 April to Friday 14 April, 50-minute sessions that start on the hour between 10am-4pm

  The sensory rooms at Redbank House in Cheetham Hill will be available between Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th April, 10am to 4pm. Families living in the Manchester City Council area can book 50-minute slots for FREE by contacting Redbank House by phone on 0161 214 5959 or via email at info@redbankhouse.com.

• Play Scheme @ Moss Side Millenium Powerhouse (M14 4SL) – Tuesday 11 April to Friday 14 April, 10:30am-2:30pm

  This will be a fun-filled week for children aged 6-12, with sports, dance, music, drama, games and crafts, plus the STEM bus on Friday, and a healthy lunch each day – to be delivered by the team from Brink, MSM Powerhouse, and Odd Arts. The play scheme is for all children, with extra resources provided to those with additional needs.For booking, contact reception@msmpowerhouse.org,uk or 0161 226 4335. Please ask reception for a registration form so they can make your child’s experience the best it can be. (If your child has complex dietary requirements, you may be asked to provide their own lunch.)

• Family Forest School @ Platt Fields Market Garden (M16 6LT) – Wednesday 12 April to Friday 14 April, 10am-3pm

  This free stay-and-play style activity for SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area offers a warm welcome for all ages, including sensory play in the mud kitchen and sand pit, den building and seasonal nature crafts. It’s open on a drop-in basis but we recommend booking with Manchester Bees Forest School using this form: https://forms.gle/5bgrTek2dCTpfoAe8.  If you book but can’t make the session on the day, please let Siân know on 07506 342945 or hello@manchesterbeesforestschool.co.uk so your places can be offered to others.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Boggart Hole Clough (M9 7BR) – Saturday 8 and 15 April, 9am-12pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• Group Cycling – Weekly on Saturdays, 11am-3pm

  A collaboration between MANCCYCLES and Greater Manchester Youth Network (GMYN), these sessions are open to Manchester young people aged 11 to 16 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. The group will meet at 11am at the Procter Learning Centre (M15 5EF) every Saturday. Bikes, helmets and other safety equipment are provided for cycle routes across Greater Manchester, along with regular bike maintenance sessions. All young people take part in a pre-ride induction before attending Saturday rides but need to be competent riders. Contact Roger Newell at MANCCYCLES for more information – info@manccycles.co.uk, 07970 922132.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Wythenshawe Park Athletics Track (M23 0PH) – Saturday 8 and 15 April, 1-4pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Wythenshawe Park Athletics Track (M23 0PH) – 11 April, 9am-3pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Boggart Hole Clough (M9 7BR) – 11 April, 10am-12pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• Open Doors @ Manchester Art Gallery (M2 3JL) – 11 April, 10am-12pmOpen Doors is Manchester Art Gallery’s creative sessions especially designed for autistic children and their families.

  Each month, they explore different artworks and ideas with various artists and volunteers. You can get hands on with a variety of making activities, explore the art gallery or just spend time together in MAG’s children’s space, The Lion’s Den. A quiet room is available. The sessions are run by Nadia from Autism for the Arts, who is passionate about creating access to cultural venues for autistic people.

  You can book for FREE via Eventbrite.

• FLIP (music and skateboarding) Open Day @ Projekts MCR Skatepark (M1 2PG) – 11 April, 3-5pm

  This Open Day is for children and young with people with SEND aged 11-18 who live in the city of Manchester and is a chance to skateboard and make a bit of music with Billy and Andy’s Music School – and siblings can join in the fun too! There will be a free hot/cold drink and healthy snack for everyone taking part. Families are welcome to hang out in the cafe during the sessions or watch the skateboarders from the viewing balcony. You can drop in at any time but please email info@billyandandy.co.uk with a bit of information about the young person taking part, including name, age, contact details and any information that is important to know.The regular FLIP sessions run every Tuesday evening at 4.30-6.30pm at Projekts MCR. Please book by contacting info@billyandandy.co.uk, 07429 826053.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Wythenshawe Park Athletics Track (M23 0PH) – 12 April, 9am-12pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• Early Years Family Fun Day @ Martenscroft Children’s Centre (M15 6PA) – 12 April, 10-11:30amIt will be a morning of absolute fun for families of children with SEND aged 0-5 years living in Manchester!There will be loads to do – outdoor play, bubbles, tactile and messy play, music and art, plus a pop-up sensory room for children who just want to relax. Plus an Easter Egg Hunt to finish, with some treats to take home!

  There will be healthy snacks, nibbles, and refreshments for all to share.

  Siblings and other family members without SEND are also welcome to join.

• Community Kitchen @ Procter Learning Centre (M15 5EF) – 12 April, 3:30-6:30pm

  These sessions are for young people with SEND (including SEMH) to come with their families and cook (and eat!) together, learning about healthy eating. All food and tuition provided. The Easter menu includes tender curried lamb, jerk chicken, mac n’ cheese and more. Also learn BBQ techniques with alfresco cooking on site. The sessions are exclusively for SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. Please call Roger on 07970 922132 to book your place.

• Inclusive Gaming Sessions (for children aged 5-18) @ EveryoneCan (M33 7XX) – 12 April, 4-5:30pm and 6-7:30pmEveryone Can’s sessions feature the latest gaming equipment, selected for its ability to be adapted for a range of disability types, whilst not compromising on fun. They have designed the gaming zone to strike the right balance between fun and relaxation, and you can also relax in the Everyone Can Café if that’s more your thing.

  If you have not attended one of our gaming sessions before, please contact us on 0808 800 0009 or contact@everyonecan.org.uk to check that the sessions are suitable and/or manageable for you. This will enable your child and the other children in the sessions to get the most out of the sessions.

• Inclusive Gaming Sessions (for adults aged 18+) @ EveryoneCan (M33 7XX) – 13 April, 10:30am-12pmEveryone Can’s sessions feature the latest gaming equipment, selected for its ability to be adapted for a range of disability types, whilst not compromising on fun. They have designed the gaming zone to strike the right balance between fun and relaxation, and you can also relax in the Everyone Can Café if that’s more your thing.

  If you have not attended one of our gaming sessions before, please contact us on 0808 800 0009 or contact@everyonecan.org.uk to check that the sessions are suitable and/or manageable for you. This will enable your child and the other children in the sessions to get the most out of the sessions.

• All-Ability Cycling with Simply Cycling @ Wythenshawe Park Athletics Track (M23 0PH) – 14 April, 9am-3pm

  It’s Simply Cycling’s usual outdoor sessions with their range of adapted bikes but available for FREE to SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. No need to book, just drop in on the day, saying you’re with the Local Offer.You can find out more about Simply Cycling’s regular sessions on their website.

• Community Kitchen @ Procter Learning Centre – 14 April, 3:30-6:30pm

  These sessions are for young people with SEND (including SEMH) to come with their families and cook & eat together. All food and tuition provided. The Easter menu includes tender curried lamb, jerk chicken, mac n’ cheese and more. Also learn BBQ techniques with alfresco cooking on site. The sessions are exclusively for SEND families living in the Manchester City Council area. Please call Roger on 07970 922132 to book your place.

• Be Hear Now @ The Bridgewater Hall (M2 3WS) – 16 April, 10:30-11:10am Be Hear Now is a relaxed music workshop for children and young people with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and their families.

  Explore music, creativity and movement in these wonderful sessions, led by Beth Bishop and featuring musicians from the Live Music Now team.

  This session is a quiet, calmer sensory session, with a smaller group. It is particularly suited for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities and their families.

There are also plenty more that are happening as part of Manchester’s SEND Community Offer. Please read the latest SEND Local Offer newsletter for more information about these fantastic family events.

If your child finds it difficult to access public toilets, or even the standard accessible toilets, you can find the nearest Changing Places toilet (CPT) here: https://www.changing-places.org/find. Changing Places toilets are larger facilities that have the right equipment, including a changing bench and a hoist, designed to support disabled people who need assistance. You can find out more about CPTs on the Changing Places website.