The Greater Manchester Swim is on every year in the Salford Quays. The course is 1 mile (about 63 lengths) in the lovely refreshing waves of Salford Quays. .I shall be donning my bright pink hat and diving in head first!

Birtenshaw is a charity that provides a unique range of services for children and young adults with special educational needs and disability. Our vision is to ‘Brighten Lives and Build Futures’ for these young people in Bolton, across the North West and beyond.

Our Vision

Our vision is ‘brightening lives, building futures’ for people with a learning or physical disability.

Our services are designed to achieve this vision and to improve the quality of life of all those we support, so that they may become confident and independent members of the community. We believe in ‘ordinary life principles’, to provide people with the same social and learning opportunities as others, therefore enabling all to fulfil their individual potential.

Our Mission

To empower people to live a fulfilling life using person centred approaches built on respect, innovation and sustainability. To respond to the changing needs of disabled people through dedication to continuous improvement, supporting more people and becoming judged in all areas as outstanding.

Our Services

Birtenshaw was first established as a school in Bolton in 1956 by parents determined to provide special education to their children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

Birtenshaw now provides a wide and unique range of services for children and young adults with physical disability, complex health needs, learning disability and Autism Spectrum Conditions. These services span across both education and care, offering comprehensive support to people in their everyday life. Our services currently include:
•Birtenshaw School
•Birtenshaw College
•Children’s Homes
•Children & Adults Short Breaks Centre
•Domiciliary Care & Adult Services
•Therapeutic Health & Wellbeing Services



Education

Birtenshaw School is a non-maintained special school based in a bespoke, state of the art, modern building. It provides individually tailored education services for children and young people aged 3 to 19, with special educational needs and disability. At Birtenshaw School, we are committed to a total communication philosophy and provide a creative curriculum, specifically designed autism-friendly facilities and a range of complimentary health services and therapies.

Through Birtenshaw College, established in 2014, we provide special further education, independent living skills and functional training for students between the ages of 16 to 25. We support these young people to prepare for adulthood through further developing their educational, social and life skills.

Care

Our Care Services, focused specifically on the needs of Children and Young Adults, encourage, support and motivate them in safe, homely and structured environments, assisting each individual as they transition into adulthood and a more independent life. The focus is on their ability, not their disability, and we strive to ensure each individual continues to be able to do more, whatever their impairment or condition.

For children, care services are provided through a number of locally based children’s homes, our short break centre and shared care facilities. Our young adult services also encourage greater independence and life skills through supported tenancies and domiciliary care.

Additional Services

We also provide a range of complementary health services, which include occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, speech and language therapy, physiotherapy, rebound therapy and sensory integration therapy.