What's on?

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, many of the usual clubs and groups have different arrangements in place as they re-open for young people. Please check with the provider for details.

Upcoming events - seasonal and one-off activities

We recommend that you check with the provider for each event, and pre-book.

IASS Year 5 Secondary School Transfer Seminars

These popular events will have to be held on-line in 2021.

If your son or daughter receives SEN Support in school book for Thursday 28 January 2021 from 1pm to 2:30pm or if they have an EHC plan book on Tuesday 19 January 2021 from 10am to 11:30am.

Contact IASS on contact@iassnorthants.co.uk to book your place.

The National Deaf Children's Society in partnership with the Careers and Enterprise Company
These two organisations are carrying out a small project for home-educated, deaf young people in England, offering them the chance to take part in an online series of careers skills workshops to broaden career aspirations. This includes families who have recently opted for home education for reasons related to the coronavirus pandemic. The students must either be permanently home educated, or have elected not to return to formal educational settings for at least 3 months, beginning before 31 December 2020.

Candidates should be 16 to 25 years old. The first sessions will begin week commencing 8 February 2021.

Contact NCDS at youngfutures@ndcs.org.uk to sign up.

Youth clubs for young people with special educational needs

Autism East Midlands for young people with autism

Autism East Midlands

Senior youth clubs (11 to 18 years)

When	Time	Location
First Tuesday of every month (term time only)	6.30pm to 8.30pm	AHOF (Abington House of Fun) in Abington Park (corner of Park Avenue South and the Wellingborough Road), Northampton

Youth clubs (8 to 18 years old)

When	Time	Location
Second Saturday of the month (term time only)	10am to 2pm	Towcester Youth Coffee House The Barn, Bransons Lane, Towcester, Northants, NN12 6AX
Fourth Sunday of the month (term time only)	10am to 2pm	Nether Heyford 1A Roberts Field Northampton NN7 3BE
Last Saturday of the month (term time only)	10am to 2pm	East Northants Club, Saxon Hall The Hall, Thorpe Street, Raunds, Northants, NN9 6LT

Autism East Midlands run a 'Family Hub' group for children age 12 and under to attend with their families on the first Monday of each month from 4-7pm. These are drop-in sessions where the whole family can attend and no booking is usually required. However during the Corona virus outbreak, Autism East Midlands would appreciate parents and families getting in touch to let them know if they are attending so that they can manage the social distancing required. Please e-mail northampton@autismeastmidlands.org.uk.

Held at Kingsthorpe Baptist Church, High Street, Kingsthorpe, Northampton

Deaf Connect for young people with a hearing impairment

Deaf connect run two youth groups for junior and seniors twice a month. Ages are flexible dependent on where the child or young person feels more comfortable. Clubs cost £2 per person which includes food (pizza, chicken nuggets, chips). There is also a tuck shop to buy sweets.

Various toys, games and activities are available at each session to make it a valuable time mixing with deaf peers. You are welcome to stay with your child if they are feeling a bit shy. Please sign up on BAND or email Jennie.Higson@deafconnect.org.uk to let her know you are coming.

Juniors (age 4 to 10)

When	Time	Location
Alternate Fridays	4pm to 6pm	Spencer Dallington Community Centre Tintern Ave Northampton NN5 7BZ

Seniors (age 11 to 18)

When	Time	Location
Alternate Fridays	6.30pm to 8.30pm	Spencer Dallington Community Centre Tintern Ave Northampton NN5 7BZ

SEND Scout Group

When	Contact	Location
Alternate Sunday mornings 10am to 11.30am	Accinclusion@northantsscouts.org.uk or phone 07849 348828	The Boughton Centre (Mencap Building) Ransome Road Northampton NN4 8AA

When

Contact

Location

Alternate Sunday mornings

10am to 11.30am

Accinclusion@northantsscouts.org.uk or phone 07849 348828

The Boughton Centre (Mencap Building)
Ransome Road
Northampton
NN4 8AA

Action for Children

These clubs have been commissioned by Northamptonshire County Council as part of the Short Breaks offer for children and young people with special educational needs. For all Action For Children enquiries, please call 01604 752553 or email Northants.Disability@actionforchildren.org.uk. For all Free Rangers enquiries, please call 01536 521555 or email vicky.bowden@groundwork.org.uk.

When	Group details	Location
Term-time Wednesdays 6.30pm to 8.30pm	Brackley AFC Youth Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £5.	Magdalen College School, Waynflete Avenue, Brackley NN13 6AF
Term-time Saturdays 9.30am to 12.30pm (Fortnightly)	Corby Free Rangers For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £7.	Stephenson Way Community Centre, Stephenson Way, Corby NN17 1DA
Term-time Saturdays 10am to 1pm	Corby Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Maplefields Academy, Tower Hill Road, Corby NN18 0TH
Term-time Mondays 6.30pm to 8.30pm	Daventry AFC Youth Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £5.	Daventry Methodist Church, 6 Golding Close, Daventry NN11 4FH
Term-time Saturdays 10am to 3pm	Daventry Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Daventry Hill School, Ashby Road, Daventry NN11 0QE
Term-time Wednesdays 3.30pm to 5.30pm	Kettering Free Rangers For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £4.	The Green Patch, Valley Walk, Kettering NN16 0LU
Term-time Saturdays 9.30am to 12.30pm	Kettering Free Rangers (AM) For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £7.	The Green Patch, Valley Walk, Kettering NN16 0LU
Term-time Saturdays 1.30pm to 4.30pm	Kettering Free Rangers (PM) For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £7.	The Green Patch, Valley Walk, Kettering NN16 0LU
Term-time Saturdays 10am to 1pm	Kettering Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Isebrook School, Eastleigh Road, Kettering NN15 6PT
Term-time Thursdays 6.30pm to 8.30pm	Grange Park AFC Youth Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £5.	The Kairos Centre, Wilks Walk, Grange Park, Northampton NN4 5DW
Term-time Saturdays 10am to 3pm	Northampton Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Blackthorn Community Centre, Longmead Court, Northampton NN3 8QD
Term-time Tuesdays 7pm to 9pm	Weston Favell AFC Youth Club For young people aged 11-25 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £5.	Olympus Care Services, Olympus House, Billing Brook Road, Northampton NN3 8JH
Term-time Wednesdays 7pm to 9pm	Wellingborough AFC Youth Club For young people aged 11-25 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £5.	Olympus Care Services, 38 Oxford Street, Wellingborough NN8 4JG
Term-time Saturdays 10am to 1pm	Wellingborough Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Olympus Care Services, 38 Oxford Street, Wellingborough NN8 4JG

Holiday clubs for young people with special educational needs

Autism East Midlands - these clubs are open again

Details	Contact details	Age range
AEM holiday clubs are usually held on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at either the Elgar Centre in Duston, or Nether Heyford Youth Club.	Contact Autism East Midlands for more details. Booking is required.	8 plus

Action for Children

These holiday clubs have been commissioned by Northamptonshire County Council as part of the Short Breaks offer for children and young people with special educational needs. For all Action For Children enquiries, please call 01604 752553 or email Northants.Disability@actionforchildren.org.uk. For all Free Rangers enquiries, please call 01536 521555 or email vicky.bowden@groundwork.org.uk.

When	Group details	Location
School holiday Tuesdays 10am to 2pm	Corby Free Rangers For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £15.	Stephenson Way Community Centre, Stephenson Way, Corby NN17 1DA
School holiday Thursdays 10am to 3pm (2 hours only)	Corby Junior AFC Club For children aged 5-7 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Maplefields Academy, Tower Hill Road, Corby NN18 0TH
School Holiday Thursdays 10am to 3pm	Corby Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Maplefields Academy, Tower Hill Road, Corby NN18 0TH
School holiday Mondays and Tuesdays 10am to 3pm (2 hours only)	Daventry Junior AFC Club For children aged 5-7 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Daventry Hill School, Ashby Road, Daventry NN11 0QE
School holiday Mondays and Tuesdays 10am to 3pm	Daventry Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Daventry Hill School, Ashby Road, Daventry NN11 0QE
School holiday Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 3pm	Kettering Free Rangers For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD). £15.	The Green Patch, Valley Walk, Kettering NN16 0LU
School holiday Fridays 10am to 3pm (2 hours only)	Kettering Junior AFC Club For children aged 5-7 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Isebrook School, Eastleigh Road, Kettering NN15 6PT
School holiday Fridays 10am to 3pm	Kettering Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Isebrook School, Eastleigh Road, Kettering NN15 6PT
School holiday Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 3pm (2 hours only)	Northampton Junior AFC Club For children aged 5-7 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Blackthorn Community Centre, Longmead Court, Northampton NN3 8QD
School holiday Mondays and Wednesdays 10am to 3pm	Northampton Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Blackthorn Community Centre, Longmead Court, Northampton NN3 8QD
School holiday Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10am to 3pm (2 hours only)	Wellingborough Junior AFC Club For children aged 5-7 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £5.	Olympus Care Services, 38 Oxford Street, Wellingborough NN8 4JG
School holiday Tuesdays and Wednesdays 10am to 3pm	Wellingborough Senior AFC Club For children and young people aged 8-17 years with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mild to moderate learning disabilities (MMLD), or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD). £10.	Olympus Care Services, 38 Oxford Street, Wellingborough NN8 4JG

Summer play schemes

The Local Authority commissions summer holiday play schemes as part of the Short Breaks Innovation funding for children with special educational needs and disabilities. Parents are expected to contribute no more than £10 per day per child. Details are published in the Summer edition of the SNIX magazine and details are listed here.

District and Borough Councils in Northamptonshire

Holiday activities are organised for all children by the district and borough councils. Some of these may be suitable for children with special educational needs and disabilities, although there should be reasonable adjustments in place to ensure that they can attend. See your local council for more information.

Regular SEN events hosted by third-party organisations

Play

Riverside Hub (Northampton): first Friday of the month
Boost Trampoline Parks (Northampton): first Wednesday of the month
Rugrats and Half Pints (Banbury): first Tuesday of the month
Gravity Trampolining park (Corby): Thursdays
Flip Out (Rushden Lakes): Sundays
Rock Up (Rushden Lakes): third Saturday of the month

Music

NMPAT Relaxed Sing Along (Barton Seagrave): monthly (term-time)

Dance

Born to Perform weekly - 2 groups, over 6's and over 16's

Discos

Dolphin Disco (Northampton): first Thursday of the month.
Care with a Difference Tuesday Discos (Kettering and Northampton) (18 plus only).
Rockin Roadrunner (Northampton): quarterly, view website for dates (18 plus only).
Club Palm Beach Stay Up Late Disco (Wellingborough): third Wednesday of the month (18 plus only).

Cinema (Autism friendly screenings)

Cineworld: first Sunday of the month, 11am
Vue: the last Sunday of the month, 10:15am
Odeon: one Sunday a month, 10:15am

Universal opportunities - these are open to all children

Northamptonshire Libraries and Country Parks

The Events Calendar provides up-to-date information about activities for children and families in Northamptonshire's libraries and country parks. It includes details and availability of universal children's centre services that are provided by the libraries.

View the libraries and country parks events calendar

Holiday activities in the country parks this summer

View the country parks calendar for activities

Northampton Museums

Activities and workshops for children and families Northampton Museum and Art Gallery and Abington Park Museum.

View Northampton Museums calendar

National Museums

See the calendar to find museums to visit that are holding sessions suitable for children with ASD.

View the calendar of events

Northamptonshire Sport

Northamptonshire Sport is a partnership of local and national organisations working together to provide opportunities for people to participate in sport, physical activity and recreation in Northamptonshire.

Training for professionals and parents

Training	Date and time	Venue	Further information
NASEN - Early Years	25 Feb 2021 10.00 am	Online	Webinar for Northamptonshire Early Years practitioners hosted by NASEN discussing effective inclusive practice for meeting the needs of children with SEND in Early Years settings Online registration
National Deaf Children's Society	Online	Online	Various courses for parents and families with deaf children External booking link
National Deaf Children's Society	Online	Online	Family Sign Language External booking link
Early years SEN training	Various	Various	Training for staff working with young children with special educational needs. Early years training
Early years foundation courses	Various	Various	Training for staff working with young children. Early years training
Advanced Training	Online	Online	Free online training materials about Special Educational Needs for professionals. Please note, this training was published in 2012, some information may be out of date. Advanced Training
Anti-Bullying Alliance	Online	Online	Free online training about bullying for professionals. Anti Bullying Alliance
Disability Matters	Online	Online	Free online training about disability for the UK workforce. Disability Matters
Northamptonshire Educational Psychology Services	Various	Various	Targeted mental health in schools (TAMHS) and learning focused courses for teachers, teaching assistants and SENCO staff in LA maintained, academy and free mainstream schools. LGSS Training
Children's Speech and Language Therapy	Various	Various	Training for teachers, teaching assistants and SENCO staff in LA maintained, academy and free mainstream primary schools. Talking Success
Disabled Living	Various	Various	Training programmes for professionals, parents and carers. Disabled Living
Adult Learning	Various	Various	BSL courses for adults.
Specialist Support Service	Various	Various	Courses for parents and carers of children and young people with a diagnosis of autism and other special educational needs or disabilities. Specialist Support Service
NAYC	Various	Various	Training dates NAYC Eventbrite Venue: King's Park Conference Centre, Northampton, NN3 6LL Time: 6:30pm to 9:30pm (unless stated)
Milton Keynes Play Association (MKPA)	Various	2 to 4 Burners Lane Kiln Farm Milton Keynes MK11 3HB	Various disability, ADHD and ASD courses suitable for parents and professionals.

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Social media

You can keep up-to-date with news and events with our social media accounts. The accounts are monitored Monday to Friday (9am to 5pm) by Kathy and Julia. We regularly share information from service providers listed on our website.