Activities for SEND Children
Discount Cards for SEND Families
HAND Card
HAND is the Hertfordshire Additional Needs Database. A one-off Card is available, simply by applying online, and it is free of charge. You now get a digital “card” straight away. Young people up to age 25 with SEND, living in Herts, are eligible. HAND Card holders can get discounts and/or a free Carer place at many places all over the UK, and often abroad too. Really useful!
Carers’ Discount Passport Scheme
A Carers’ Passport is also useful for discounts, in shops, restaurants as well as certain leisure places which want a photo ID of the carer (ie 360 Play). The Card takes about four weeks to arrive.
Activities
Swimming
A HAND Card for the child entitles a concession rate, plus a free Carer into the majority of Hertfordshire pools. See below for regular SEN swimming sessions (free of charge) in several pools.
Bowling -Hollywood Bowl, Stevenage
Half-price bowling, weekdays (including holidays, at least 9-11 am, often up until 6pm). The Carer and the person with additional needs bowl for half price. Reduced price is £3.25 per game, per person.
https://www.hollywoodbowl.co.uk/concessions
National Trust: nature, beauty, history
Junior (up to age 18) annual membership costs only £10 and you can get an “Essential Companion” card for the carer, free. This also means free car parking in the car parks.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/junior-membership
Parks
Excellent site giving details of parks and their facilities all over Hertfordshire.
Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne
Reduced rates for disabled child plus carer together (from £14.10). Cheapest if booked online the day before. Accessible talks, feeds, soft play, shows.
Willows Activity Farm, St Albans
Disabled child £13. Free Carer.
https://www.willowsactivityfarm.com/visitor-information/
Standalone Farm, Letchworth
The season runs from 17 February – 31 October. Free entry for disabled child and their Carer too. Pony grooming, cow milking, small animal handling, pig feeding, plus arts and crafts and a play park.
Indoor Adventure Golf
Mr Mulligans, Stevenage, Monday to Friday, 11am – 12 noon, term time only: Sensory Session, autism friendly. £4 for an 18 hole round. Choose your preferred theme: “Ocean” (under water with ultra violet lights) or “Jungle” (dinosaurs etc). £4 includes a Free Carer to play golf too! Café on site; play a 2nd round for just £2 extra if booked by 12 noon. Tel: 01438 879579, or you can just turn up!
Cinemas
Purchase a CEA card (£6 per year), for a free carer, tickets bookable online. Alternatively, many cinemas offer a free carer ticket, if you simply show the HAND card. You need to buy your tickets on the premises (but you can do so in advance). Cineworld, Vue, Odeon and several others normally accept the card. for a free carer. In addition there are regular autism-friendly screenings of benefit also for those with learning difficulties.
Stevenage / Enfield Cineworld
Autistic screen time, 1st Sunday of the month, 11 am; no adverts, sit where you like and bring your own food and drink.
https://www.dimensions-uk.org/get-involved/campaigns/autism-friendly-cinema-screenings/
Movies for Juniors: film(s) on Saturday/Sunday mornings. From £2.50 per child. Free Carer with a HAND Card holder all the time.
https://www.cineworld.co.uk/movies-for-juniors#/
Odeon, Hatfield Galleria
Free parking for HAND card holders if your register with Customer Services at the Galleria. Autism-friendly screenings, last Sunday of the month, 10.15 am.
https://www.dimensions-uk.org/get-involved/campaigns/autism-friendly-cinema-screenings/
Campus West, (for roller skating, theatre, cinema etc), Welwyn Garden City
Range of activities – free Carer. Further discounts also with a (free) Zebra Discount Card available from Campus West itself
https://tickets.cwentertainment.co.uk/
Spotlight Theatre, Hoddesdon
Free Carer for most events – theatre, cinema etc
https://ex.broxbourne.gov.uk/leisure-spotlight-year-culture/landing/spotlight
Regular SEND Sessions
Play 360, Stevenage, 1st Friday of the month, 6.30 – 8.30pm
£6 per child (plus friends/siblings welcome too). Adult is free.
https://360play.co.uk/360-play-stevenage
Weekly SEND Trampolining
Air Space Trampolining, Stevenage, “Peaceful Play” sessions (autism and disability friendly), Mondays 4 – 5pm. £10.50 per person.
https://oxygenfreejumping.co.uk/locations/stevenage/peacefulplay-stevenage
There is now a discounted “Valley School” price available for ALL the 2pm or 3pm sessions, Monday-Friday for pupils. The discounted rate is £7, instead of £10.50. Book directly with Stevenage Air Space by emailing stevenagepark@oxygenfreejumping.co.uk. The Parent/Carer needs to quote “The Valley School” to be eligible for the discounts. Carer with a HAND card can also jump for free. NB There is also a standard “£20 for 30 days” ticket offer (includes half terms).
https://oxygenfreejumping.co.
Jump City, Cheshunt: Saturday Mornings, 9 – 10 am
SEND Sessions (NB SPACE – http://spaceherts.org.uk – also hold an extra FREE hour, where you play for one hour and get two: 9 – 11 am on a Saturday morning, every 2 months. £9.95 – free Carer.
NB Wednesdays, 4 – 8pm (term-time) A Freejumping session (not SEND), but bring a Friend 4 Free. £10 for 2 people for one hour. Free Carer (with HAND Card). Not normally busy especially 6pm onwards.
Trampolining at John Warner Sports Centre, Hoddesdon: Saturdays, 4.15 – 5.45pm term-time only. £4.90 per session. Book in advance, though not normally busy.
https://ex.broxbourne.gov.uk/leisure-leisure-centres/special-needs-activities
Weekly SEND Swimming
Exclusive use of the pool for people with special needs and their families. Whole family welcome. Swimming session for disabled children and adults, coaches on hand to offer advice and assistance. Free of charge / heavily subsidised for at least the child and a carer, often other child(ren) and carer(s) are welcome too.
Stevenage Swimming Pool: Sundays, 4 – 5.30pm
Dolphins Swimming club is for people with disabilities. Annual membership (£5 per person), and a friend can go in for £1 too. Free taster session – just turn up.
https://www.sll.co.uk/stevenage-swimming-centre/
Hitchin Swimming pool: Sundays, 6 – 7pm
https://www.sll.co.uk/hitchin-swimming-centre
North Herts Leisure Centre, Letchworth, Fridays, 7 – 9pm
PISCES Swimming Club for the disabled operates from this pool. Letchworth pool is worth a visit as it also has a slide open for use at weekends and in school holidays, 11 – 4 pm.
https://www.sll.co.uk/north-herts/ and https://directory.hertfordshire.gov.uk/Services/10149
John Warner Sports Centre, Hoddesdon: Sundays, 3.30- 5pm
Free session for special needs and whole family.
https://ex.broxbourne.gov.uk/leisure-leisure-centres/special-needs-activities
Laura Trott Centre, Cheshunt: Sundays, 4:15 – 5:45pm
Free session for special needs and whole family.
https://ex.broxbourne.gov.uk/leisure-leisure-centres/special-needs-activities
Hartham Swimming Pool, Hertford: Saturdays, 12.00 – 1 pm
https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/hartham-leisure-centre/?activitySearch=swimming%20timetable
Did you know?
Galleria, Hatfield: free parking
Register at the Customer Services desk (near Marks and Spencer Outlet Store, top floor). Show the HAND card (or other documentation) and your car registration plate will be recorded. You then have free, unlimited parking.
Hertfordshire Library Ticket for Carers
Borrow books for longer/ talking books etc cheaper or free / overdue fines reduced and reserve items free of charge.
Visit this page again soon!
Please do suggest other recommended places for this page. Email admin@thevalley.herts.sch.uk so that we can continue to expand and update this page. Thank you.