Saturday sessions

A great way to build up independent living skills, make friends and have fun

Who are these sessions for?

Children aged 5 – 15 who have some level of independence such as sitting, crawling, rolling or walking by themselves.

If your child hasn’t come to our sessions before, we invite you and your child to come to an assessment first.

When are the sessions held?

We run three sessions every Saturday during term time:

• For children aged 5-10 years:  9am – 10.30am and 11am – 12.30pm
• For young people aged 11-15:  1.30pm – 3pm

How can Saturday sessions help my child?

Through our group sessions children improve their mobility and problem-solving skills to tackle everyday tasks. Just as importantly, being part of a group helps them to build friendships and gain social skills while having fun and building their self-esteem.

What happens in the sessions?

Our qualified Conductors devise and lead the sessions.

What happens varies according to the age and abilities of the group and your child’s individual needs but a session may include some or all of the following elements:

• motor programmes – learning or improving how to move from lying, sitting, standing and walking positions
• learning through structured play and fun activities
• learning though taking part in meaningful everyday activities, e.g. self-care, eating, putting on clothes by themselves.

The session for older children focuses on fine-tuning particular independent living skills, often things the young people themselves want to improve as they move into adulthood, e.g. applying nail varnish and make-up or handwriting skills.

Should parents attend?

We encourage parents to take an active part in the sessions working alongside their child. In this way, you can learn simple techniques to support your child in daily family life.  Many parents also find the group setting a good way to meet other parents to share experiences and ideas.

How much do Saturday sessions cost?

We make a small fee for the sessions. We can advise you on applying for grants to cover the cost of our sessional services. For our current costs, please get in touch with us or call us on 020 8444 7242.