Family Information and FOPHS News Thursday 2nd April 2026

Some interesting updates from Contact- for families of disabled children:

Alongside our advice resources and other useful tools like the Benefits Calculator and Grants Search, we also regularly share finance updates online and in our weekly newsletter — like this month’s news of reduced water bills for disabled households in England and Wales.

Families can also get in touch with our helpline directly for support with more complex questions.

Next steps in our Child Trust Fund and post-16 school transport campaigns

Last but not least, March has also been an incredibly busy month for our campaigns team as we hit two major milestones.

Earlier in March, we met with parent carers, finance industry leaders and MPs in Parliament to discuss how to make it easier for disabled young people to access their Child Trust Fund savings when they turn 18.

This was a major step forward in the parent-led campaign to help 80,000 disabled teenagers who currently risk losing out on £210m of their own savings. Watch our video to find out more about how the day went.

And just last week, we delivered a letter to education secretary Bridget Phillipson signed by nearly 6,500 parents who are supporting our campaign to close the unfair post-16 school transport “loophole” affecting thousands of disabled students

South Shields Surf Club: Free sessions

Thanks to Richard who passed this on:

They have a surf club for children on:

1. Free school meals on a Friday evening
2. For children with SEN on a Thursday evening.

These are fully funded sessions so free to access.

See posters for details

Alan Shearer Centre

There are lots of free activities going on here over Easter.

Click the links below for the activity centre and application form.

They have a hydrotherapy pool and an accessible play area with a café. There is a changing place too. All activities must be pre booked as with the hydro pool and access to their sensory rooms.

Tim Lamb Centre

Situated within the Rising Sun Country Park in Benton, there are activities on over Easter. They also have weekly clubs etc. They have a lovely accessible play area too. Please see the link below to the website.

Here is the link to their membership page. It costs £20 per annum for a family membership. There is an additional charge of £4 per child to access activities. Adult carer is free.

Here are some of the activities planned over the holidays.

Activity Groups

Here are some links to Facebook Groups where you will find information on activities locally. They are not SEN specific, but may be worth considering:

Money Saving Central:

Here is the most recent version of places that offer free or reduced cost meals to children during the school holidays:

You may find other tips on their Facebook Group here:

News:

FoPHS continues to support school and this term we have:

• Provided funding to the MOVE team for Egg-cited to MOVE.
• An Easter gift has been purchased for every student and will be sent home by your class team. These are Easter Eggs or a sensory alternative. Thanks to parent Cathy for helping prepare these.
• Renewed the School Metro pass which helps with community access.
• Provided additional funds to extend the music wall and make it more accessible for all students.

I have added a few photos of the Music wall in the outdoor learning area.

AGM:

The AGM had to be rescheduled and will take place on Wednesday 13^th May 9.30-11.00

Interested in finding out more? Check out the link below. If you would like to discuss any aspect of the FoPHS, please contact me. I can put you in touch with committee members.

FoPHS 100 Club

Are you new to school? Do you know that we have a 100 club? The first draws will be done at the AGM, which was deferred. We would love to increase the uptake, which currently has 24 subscribers. If you are interested in joining the 100 club, please let me know. I can send paper forms if required and accept payment by cash, cheque, BACS or via QR code. Details are on the link below.

This is a closed group for family and friends of Percy Hedley School, where you can share news and updates about school life. It is not for external professionals who may be working with families. To join, you need to answer the question stating your link with school.

Please note: this group is for sharing news and updates about school life and is not intended to discuss any issues around individual students, and as such all comments are moderated. If you have a particular issue or concern, please contact school directly on 0191 216 1811.