Activities for children and young people with SEND

Online activities

• Access Sport: inclusive and accessible activities to help you stay active at home  
• Bristol Bears Community: regular videos for young people with SEND on the Bears at home YouTube page
• Flamingo Chicks: free, inclusive virtual dance and active learning sessions for disabled and non-disabled children and young people
• Scope has a disability online community
• top 100 disability blogs by views on Equalitytime

You can find tips and advice on the Online safety for young people with SEND web page.

Join a youth group

Build confidence, make friends and learn new skills at a local youth group.

Diverse UK

Diverse is an independent organisation run for and by autistic people in and around Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath.

They organise socials including gaming, music, pub trips, sports and photography.

WECIL

WECIL run youth groups for:

• young disabled and non-disabled people aged 13 to 19
• young people with learning difficulties up to the age of 25

The sessions include:

• a range of accessible activities including arts and crafts, sports and cooking
• socialising with friends
• learning about your rights
• having your voice heard
• going on trips in and outside of Bristol

Young Bristol

Young Bristol run inclusive youth clubs and outdoor activities for 8 to 19 year olds in Bristol.

Days out and day centres

• The Brandon Trust is a charity that runs a holiday club (Children's Playlink) for children and young people aged 11 to 18 with mild and moderate learning disabilities or autism.
• Young and Free is a friendship group offering activities such as bowling, theatre trips or disco and quizzes for disabled young people aged 16 to 25.
• Mud Pie Explorers run family forest school sessions for children who are struggling to access mainstream education due to SEMH to attend with a family member.

• KIDS South West does courses for young disabled people aged 13 to 25 in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. The courses cover:

  • being active
  • learning
  • connecting and giving to others
  • life skills and being mindful
• Off the Record Bristol have a variety of activities for young people in Bristol and South Gloucestershire. Lots of their activities are accessible. Go to the Off the Record project page to find out more.
• There are 3 Bristol Community Links (BCL) Day Centres where children an young people can make friends and join group activities. BCL North and South have sensory rooms for young people with autism or complex learning disabilities.

Local events and attractions

Visit Bristol has information about:

• accessible events and theatre shows 
• accessible attractions and things to do

Creative activities

AccessAble has information about:

• accessible venues, such as restaurants, cinemas and hotels
• accessible art, theatre and music activities, local youth groups and online communities for disabled people

Children and young people can express their creativity by taking part in art workshops, plays, art performances or music sessions with other disabled people.

Children's scrapstore provides click and collect play materials.

Cooking

Information about cooking lessons for young people aged 18 and over with a learning disability:

• Square Food Foundation has free cooking groups where you can learn how to cook
• Bristol Community Links centres give daily support to help you live independently such as cooking for yourself
• PROPS offer opportunities to learn new skills such as cooking

Museums and arts

• Bristol Museums staff are trained to help families with autism and M Shed has an art course for people with low level mental health issues using museum exhibits to inspire creativity. 
• Artists First is an art group run by artists with learning difficulties, who exhibit their work regularly.

Theatre and performance

• The Misfits Theatre Company is a performance art company with creative workshops led by people with learning difficulties, for young people aged 18 and over.
• Misfits also run the Rhythm of the Night club night for people with learning difficulties, aged 18 and over.
• The Travelling Light Theatre Company have two drama groups for children and young disabled people aged 7 and over and 16 and over.
• Extraordinary Bodies is a professional circus company by a diverse group of artists.

Cinema and film screenings

• Find a local cinema with audio described, subtitled and autism friendly screenings.
• Find autism friendly cinema screenings on the Dimensions UK website.
• Accessible screenings at The Watershed. Staff are trained in British Sign Language (BSL). 
• Find cinemas showing accessible and subtitled films for people with hearing loss on Your Local Cinema.

Music

• MusicSpace is a music therapy charity for disabled people of all ages helping them build relationships.
• Drake Music have technologies to make music accessible to all.

Sports

• Search our list of accessible leisure centres and sports clubs in Bristol with activities for disabled people.
• Ignite Bristol have a directory of inclusive sports opportunities.
• Parasport UK where you can search to find sports clubs or check what activity your child can enjoy depending on their disability.
• Absolutely Leisure has free leisure activities, for families that have children with additional needs and offer karting sessions with a twin seat kart.
• Bristol City Robins Foundation run football sessions for young people with disabilities, free of cost.
• Access Sport work with community sports clubs to make activities accessible, online and in person.
• Gympanzees have specialist play and exercise equipment, information and resources to exercise at home and pop up activities and gyms across the city.
• The Bristol Family Cycling Centre has opportunities for all ages and abilities to learn and practise their bike riding skills.
• WECIL run youth groups that include sports, games and day trips.
• Do sports and fitness activities with Nova Sports and Coaching.
• Play football for free at Bristol City Robins Foundation.
• Start cycling and learn BMX off-road skills at Wingz Cycling.
• Begin horse riding at the Avon Riding Centre for disabled and non-disabled people.
• Ride a bike with Warmley Wheelers on the Bristol to Bath cycle path, or in Warmley Forest Park. They have specially adapted bicycles for people with disabilities or additional needs. They also have tandem bikes, so parents or carers can ride too.
• Learn to play tennis with Elly Shearman tennis coaching.
• Charlotte's Tandems offer tandem and tag-along bikes to borrow for free to people with disabilities or additional needs, who are unable to ride a bike safely on their own. They have volunteers based in South Gloucestershire who can lend bikes to Bristol residents.
• Sensory walks are walks along paths that have been designed for you to use your senses, such as touch, to connect with your surroundings while you stay active.
• Incredible Kids is an inclusive play centre, where children and young people can have fun and play with their family.

Information about sports for young people with a learning disability:

• Well Aware have an easy read guide called ‘Let's Get Active'
• WECIL run regular sessions for people with a learning difficulty about being active

Help when out and about

The Safe Places scheme gives your child somewhere to go and be safe if they become worried when out.

Accessible toilets

You can buy a radar key and guide to locked accessible toilets from the Disability Rights UK shop.

The Bristol City Council website has a map of all the accessible toilets in Bristol.