PACE is a family-centred charity which provides an innovative education for life for children with sensory motor disorders, based on the belief in each child’s ability to learn and tailored to their individual needs.

We operate from two sites:

The Weston Centre. The Bradbury Campus, Wendover Road, Stoke Mandeville, which offers the following services:-

School Service:

Key Stage 3 and 4 Secondary Services for young people aged 11 to 16 who have motor disorders and related challenges such as sensory impairments and communication difficulties.

Child and Family Services.

PACE Infant and Parent Services (PIPS). An early intervention service for newborns and babies aged 0 - 2 years who may have been born prematurely or be at risk from developmental issues.

Child and Family service for children from 24 months to 4 years of age who have motor disorders and associated learning challenges including communication difficulties and sensory impairment.

Outreach Specialist and Sessional Services which are available for children and young people up to the age of 18, including our dual placement ‘Young Adventurers group’.

Our administration, marketing and fundraising departments are also located on this site.

Philip Green House, Coventon Road, Aylesbury, offers the following services:-

Primary School Services for children aged 5 to 11 who have motor disorders and related challenges such as sensory impairments and communication difficulties.

Nursery Services for children aged 3 to 5 years who have learning challenges as above, related to a motor disorder. Children may attend full-time or part-time with dual placements and outreach support available. 

In both centres, we provide a full assessment and reporting service carried out by a highly trained and experienced trans-disciplinary paediatric team which includes:

• Occupational Therapists
• Physiotherapists
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Conductors (professionals specially trained in working with people with movement disorders such as cerebral palsy)
• Early Years Professionals
• Special Needs Teachers

Many of our staff are able to use British sign language and are experienced in supporting children with complex communication difficulties through the use of augmentative and alternative communication strategies.

Across the entire range of our services we also offer advice for further input, provision and equipment needs; family and carer training; counselling; a family residential programme and home visits.

All our facilities are purpose built and fully accessible.

PACE has a very strong partnership with parents and families facilitated by the PACE Parent Partnership (PPP) which meets regularly and provides support, advice and social opportunities for both children and families.

Who to contact

Contact Name

Claire Smart

Contact Position

Head Teacher

Telephone

01296 392739

Fax: 01296 334836

E-mail

claire.smart@thepacecentre.org

Website

The Pace Centre

Where to go

Name

The PACE Centre

Address

Philip Green House

Coventon Road

Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire

Postcode

HP19 9JL

Venue Notes

Phillip Green House site:

Adjacent to the Abbey Centre and signposted from the main routes leading to Coventon Road.

There is onsite parking for visitors.

Bus route: Orange route 3, Blue route 2

Train: Aylesbury (Chiltern Railways)

Wendover Road site:

The Bradbury Campus,

156 Wendover Road,

Weston Turville

Bucks

HP22 5TE

There is onsite parking for visitors.

Along the main Wendover Road near to Stoke Mandeville railway station.

Bus Route: Arriva Route 50

Train: Stoke Mandeville (Chiltern Railways)

Time / Date Details

When is it on

School Service: Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 3:45pm. Wednesdays 9:00am to 3:00pm

Child and Family Service: Daily, sessional

Young Adventurers Dual Placement group: Weekly: Fridays

Time of day

Morning

Afternoon

Session Information

Educational services are term time only.

Assessment, advice and specialist sessions are available all year

Other Details

Cost Description

Our Early Years Services receive some funding from charitable and statutory sources, however parents/families are requested to become involved in fund raising activities and/or make a contribution towards the cost of their child's provision. Places in our school's services are normally funded by local authorities however the fees charged do not cover the full costs to the charity and therefore parents are encouraged to take part in fund raising activities and/or make a donation.

Age Ranges

From 0 to 16 years - Early Years, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3+4.

Outreach and sessional services: 0 to 18 years

Facilities

British Sign Language (BSL)

Wheelchair Accessible Entrance

Car Parking

Accessible Website

Hoist

Baby Changing Facilities

Disabled Car Parking Space

Accessible Toilet Facilities

Changing Facilities

Cooking

Referral

Referral required

Yes

Referral Details

Referrals accepted from parents and professionals working with families.  Please contact 01296 392739.

Social Media Links

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-PACE-Centre/55287502865

Twitter

https://twitter.com/thepacecentre

Local Offer

Description

1. Specialist School Service
2. Child and Family Service

    

1. Our specialist school

   The Pace vision is that every child in the UK with sensory motor disorders, and their family, can access education and support services that are aligned with the Pace model and ethos.

   Our Mission Pace is a family centred charity that provides innovative education for children with sensory motor disorders based on the belief that every child has the ability to learn and tailored to the child’s individual needs.

   Every parent wants the best for their child. For children with sensory motor difficulties including (but not restricted to) cerebral palsy, we believe that Pace offers children the very best chance to unlock their potential and live life as independently as possible. At Pace we will provide a nurturing, positive and dedicated environment that encourages your child to develop, progress and be the best that they can be.

   We also welcome you and your child into a supportive community that celebrates your child’s achievements and successes. In addition to offering first class education, our highly skilled transdisciplinary teams of therapists work in close collaboration with teachers to provide a fully integrated curriculum and a rich, individually tailored learning environment for your child. As a parent you can be assured that Pace understands the specific challenges and potential of your son or daughter and that we will support you as a family within our school and our wider community.

   The children we work with

   Children who attend our school groups have needs ranging from very complex learning challenges relating to their sensory motor difficulties, to children who have mild to moderate physical difficulties and related learning needs. Children are placed in groups according to their age, abilities and challenges. Some children in our services have visual and/or hearing impairment in addition to their motor disorders and curriculum delivery is carefully modified to meet these additional needs.

   Pace offers a highly personalised ‘whole child’ integrated curriculum for school placed children aged 3-16. Rather than being defined by a single methodology, Pace has developed its own unique ‘transdisciplinary’ methodology and curriculum approach.

   Due to the complex needs of many Pace children, Pace also has an onsite nursing team.

   Pace school services strive to:

   Demonstrate outstanding outcomes for children, attributable to the Pace integrated education approach through the development of theory and practice at the school and beyond into our outreach and consultancy services.

   Provide an ‘education for life’, which looks ahead to a child’s true potential in terms of independent functional access to learning and society.

   At Pace, we endeavour to prepare the children for their future lives in 3 key ways:

1. By developing a positive problem solving personality that will allow the child to tackle the challenges that their adult life may present.
2. By teaching the skills that the child will need to be as active and independent as possible in all areas. These include gross and fine motor skills, mobility, self care, communication, academic, and social and emotional.
3. By providing opportunities to experience places and activities within the community with the support of skilled staff. These may include visits to cafés, shops, the library, the garden centre, swimming pools and a range of recreational and leisure venues.

Our integrated curriculum

Our approach draws on best practice from varied clinical and educational disciplines to provide a rich and individually tailored learning environment for our children.

At the heart of the Pace integrated curriculum lies the relationship between postural, movement, sensory and perceptual skills and how they impact on conceptual/academic learning.

The integrated curriculum therefore gives priority to developing essential foundation skills that are a prerequisite to conceptual and cognitive development and is planned to meet the total needs of our pupils.

The transdisciplinary team consider the child as a whole and take into consideration all of their goals when planning their lessons. Lessons are highly differentiated and assessment is ongoing to ensure continued progress.

Our integrated approach provides learning opportunities for children to practice and extend their skills as learners. It also reflects our commitment to meeting the diverse needs of the children as individuals, promoting their inclusion in the learning process within the school, home and community.

Key Stage 3-4 (11-16 years)

Secondary provision was established at Pace in September 2015, (with KS4 starting in September 2017) and has proven both effective and attractive. In addition to using Pace’s integrated approach, children in KS3 also benefit from a highly personalised functional and life skills based curriculum to help prepare them for their future lives as young adults in the community.

Within their weekly timetable there are opportunities to develop and apply their problem solving and academic skills, for example through purposeful trips to the supermarket followed by cooking activities, which have been carefully planned to work on particular gross/fine motor and mathematical skills.

The secondary integrated curriculum also includes the ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) ‘New Horizons’ programme, which is a PSHE (Personal Social and Health Education) and citizenship learning programme designed for young people with special educational needs. It offers a nationally accredited way to record and celebrate skills and achievement in these curriculum areas.

Family support

Parenting can be extremely rewarding, but we recognise that it has its challenges. We aim to support, empower and work with parents and families to give you the skills, knowledge and a support network to care for your child with confidence. We offer specific individual advice sessions, training and seminars for parents through presentations and discussions of topics of interest at our Pace Parent Partnership meetings.

We also have regular parent meetings in which individual children’s learning and progress is discussed in depth and targets shared. For children accessing our school and Early Years services, daily communication about your child comes home in their communication books.

We also conduct home visits and can refer you for confidential professional counselling if your feel your family would benefit. We can also provide access to support and advice during Education, Health and Care Plan applications and reviews. We know that you want to do the very best for your child, to aid their development and help them towards independence – and Pace is here with you all the way.

1. Child and Family Service

   Dual placement

   This group based provision offers a one day combined therapy and education programme as a dual placement with a child’s mainstream school. The group is designed to support children with motor disorders who attend primary school settings and who would also benefit from intensive therapy (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, or conductive education) to maintain and develop a range of skills to help access their school curriculum. This specialist programme is designed and carried out by our team of occupational therapists and physiotherapists and special educators. The Adventurers' day offers children opportunities to participate in sessions that develop independence, self confidence and self esteem.

   Children attending will have a thorough assessment. Goals set will be in conjunction with parents and their principal school setting. Visits to the child’s principal school will be carried out to ensure collaborative working.

   Assessment

   We are able to provide clinic and school based assessments for children and young people aged 5-18 with sensory motor challenges that affect their access to the school curriculum. These difficulties may include:

   Attention skills

   Handwriting skills

   Movement skills affecting mobility

   PE and sports activities

   Visual perceptual skills

   Social and emotional development.

   Our comprehensive assessment package is carried out by specialist occupational therapists and physiotherapists and will include standardised assessments where applicable, classroom observations, and discussions with teachers and parents. Assessment is followed up with a report and recommendations.

   Therapy sessions may be offered if appropriate.

   Therapy

   We provide bespoke occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions for children and young people with sensory motor disorders, which can be provided at Pace, in your child’s principal school setting, or at home.

   Therapy sessions can work to promote your child’s attention, motor skills, handwriting, perceptual development, independence, self confidence and self esteem. Therapy can be provided following surgery, for example following selective dorsal rhizotomy.

   Goals are set at the beginning of therapy and will involve you, your child and their school. Every child is different. Sometimes we will recommend a block of individual or small group sessions. In some instances we will suggest advice clinics. If we don’t think we can provide the best support for you and your child, we will signpost you to a more appropriate service.

   Our therapists use a range of different treatment approaches depending on your child’s needs. Our therapists are trained in sensory integration, Bobath approach, conductive education, post op rehabilitation, postural and mobility management, hydrotherapy and hippotherapy.

   Outreach and support for schools

   Pace has more than 25 years of experience in providing first class education and therapy to children and young people with sensory motor disorders and related learning and developmental challenges.

   Pace Community Outreach is committed to extending knowledge and skills in the field of cerebral palsy and sensory motor disorders to mainstream and special education and care settings.

   The Pace approach of integrating therapy into the education curriculum allows our specialist therapists and educators to provide adapted programmes for inclusion in academic, PE, art and design and ICT curricula and to meet the requirements of their Education, Health and Care Plan.

   Baby Massage

   Members of our PIPs Service team are qualified baby massage instructors. Using the IAIM (International Association of Infant Massage) approach, PIPs promotes the benefits of nurturing touch and communication between you and your baby.

   Infant massage can help to:

   Strengthen baby-parent communication

   Enhance your understanding of your baby’s development

   Boost self esteem in parenting

   Relax parent and baby

   Encourage a deeper sleep for your baby

   Relieve wind, colic and constipation

   Reduce crying.

   Contact Name

   School Services: Claire Smart

   Child and Family Services: Lindsay Hardy

   Contact Telephone

   01296 614287

   Contact Email

   claire.smart@thepacecentre.org

   lindsay.hardy@thepacecentre.org

   Local Offer Links

   Website
   
   Early Years Inspection Report
   
   Primary School Inspection Report
   
   Action Cerebral Palsy
   
   Key Stage 3 Registration Report

   Local Offer Age Bands

   Adults (16+ years)
   
   Secondary (11-16 years)
   
   Primary (5-11 years)
   
   Early Years (0-5 years)

   Needs Level

   Physical Difficulties

   Speech Language & Communication Needs

   Hearing Impairment

   SEN Provision Type

   Targeted service or Specialist service (Referral required)

   General Local Offer Response

   What needs does your service or activity aim to meet for children and young people with SEND and their families?

   Early Years assessment, intervention, and working in partnership with families. Addressing the complex and interrelated difficulties of children with motor disorders which have a direct effect on their cognitive learning, socialisation, communication (written and verbal) and personal independence.

   Developing an effective educational curriculum for a growing number of children who have both motor difficulties and complex sensory processing issues. Delivering a truly integrated educational curriculum which addresses the cognitive, physical, sensory, perceptual, communication, self care and emotional needs of the children throughout each and every day.

   Preparing children to enter mainstream schooling (if appropriate) with the core foundation skills for learning well established. These include: motor control, arousal and attention control, motivation, perceptual processing and basic communication. Supporting children during integration into mainstream schools.

   Working with Parents/Carers as part of the transdisciplinary team involved in the education of the child. Education in its widest sense i.e. providing an "Education for Life" which considers everything a child needs to do in their school, home, and community life as part of the educational curriculum.

   Preparing children with motor disorders for successful inclusion into their community as an adult. The acquisition of key foundation skills for further learning and self care enable children to become adults who have a real choice about independent living, attending further education etc.

   A distinctive feature of the school is the transdisciplinary team approach described above in which Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language therapists, Teachers, Conductors and Learning Support Assistants work together within the framework of Conductive Education to provide an integrated education which addresses the total needs of the children and young people.

   What outcomes does your service or activity aim to achieve for children and young people with SEND and their families?

   For children and young people, Improved: sensory awareness movement skills self-care skills social and communication skills independence self-esteem and confidence health (general and musculoskeletal)

   Access to learning and the academic curriculum Full participation in society for families: Respite Joined up provision and a ‘one-stop shop’ for most of their child's education and therapy needs Parents better able to support their child.

   Parents better supported and less isolated. Improved sense of family well being, lower stress and reduced risk of family breakdown.

   How can children & young people with SEND and their families start to use your service or activity?

   Referrals are welcome from parents and professionals.

Enquiries can be taken by telephone, email or via our online enquiry form.

Basic details of the child and his or her needs will be taken/given when in order completing the enquiry form

A senior manager who will call the parent or person making the referral within three working days for further details

If appropriate, an appointment will be made for the child to attend Pace with their parent/s for an initial assessment that will take place over a number of individual sessions. This assessment will be carried out by senior members of Pace staff who will discuss the child’s needs with parent/s

Information about Pace services, practice, policies and procedures will be available to prospective parents during this visit

If parents and staff feel that a place at Pace would be beneficial, and a funded place is available, arrangements will be made to join an appropriate group as soon as possible If a place is not immediately available, the child’s name will be placed on a waiting list for admission. Parents will be kept informed about when a place will become available for their child.

Pace helps children aged 0-18 years with motor disorders and other associated difficulties. The range and severity of the educational needs of children at Pace varies from those who require intensive work to help them learn basic foundation skills such as moving, looking and listening, to those who are working age appropriately but who would benefit from fine tuning independent mobility and functional living skills. Our integrated educational programmes are highly specialised and appropriate for those with:

Cerebral palsy or motor delay/disorder, including a range of associated problems, for example sensory, perceptual, auditory and visual

Head injuries

Genetic disorders resulting in motor impairment

The specific nature of our programmes means that we do not normally accept children who have the following conditions: Learning difficulties but no motor disorder Behavioural problems but no motor disorder Autism or rapidly progressive degenerative disorder

How is your service or activity fully accessible to children, young people with SEND and their families e.g.: facilities, support from staff?

Our purpose built facilities are fully accessible and suitably equipped to meet the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

How do you communicate with children, young people with SEND and their families?

As many of our children and young people are non-verbal or have complex communication challenges, strategies for the exchange of information and views are embedded into our practice across all our services. The children and young people within the service are able to express their views via Annual Reviews, the School Council and within curriculum activities including assemblies. Information is shared with them in the same ways.

There is an open door policy for parents and families at PACE. Parents and families can arrange to visit PACE to work with a member of staff and their child. In our school, parents' meetings are held at least once a term, in which their child's progress and development can be discussed in depth with the staff team. Home/School liaison books are completed on a daily basis.

Newsletters are sent to parents each term to provide information about curriculum activities to be covered and a general update on the centre’s news. Home visits are carried out regularly throughout the year.

Our website has recently set up a Parents Forum in which PACE families can liaise and share information.

Letters home and other information is also posted on this site. Reports/minutes from trustee meetings are available on request. Comprehensive documentation on children's progress is provided to local authorities and parents at Annual Reviews.

All policies are available to parents and families on request and via the website. There is a parent-run PACE Parent Partnership which is active in promoting information sharing, providing support and social and fundraising activities.

What training have your staff and/or volunteers received to support children and young people with SEND and their families?

A key feature of our service is the training of new and existing staff in the PACE approach and related areas thus maintaining our very high standards of practice.

Staff receive training in the following areas:

• The learning needs of children with motor disorders and associated challenges
• Conductive Education
• Sensory Impairment and Sensory Integration
• Early Years Foundation Stage and National Curriculum Communication
• skills including the use of British Sign Language and alternative and augmentative communication strategies.
• Eating and drinking support
• Moving and handling
• Safeguarding and Child Protection (This training is also available to parents, families, volunteers and other practitioners.)

  Training and Support for Parents

  One of our objectives is to share our experience with parents so you are able to care for your child with confidence and help to continue their development at home. Individually tailored knowledge, skills and guidance is provided during all PIPs Service sessions, including:

  Sensory motor development

  Manual handling in everyday activities

  Postural care/management

  Communication development

  Eating and drinking safety and development

  AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)

  Learning through play

  Regulation

  What future plans does your service or activity have for developing its SEND provision e.g.: training, facilities?

  An assessment, intervention and support service for children and young people with developmental co-ordination difficulties such as dyspraxia.

  Further training opportunities for external practitioners working with children and young people with physical disabilities and associated learning challenges. Specialist training facilities for use by our own training department and external agencies