Summer of SEND Blog – September 2026

SSG X Bedford Borough Council Summer of SEND

We were delighted to work in partnership with Bedford Borough Council to be able to provide a wide range of fully funded activities and support opportunities for SEND families throughout the summer holidays. We were so pleased to welcome so many families across the sessions and look forward to hosting similar programmes in the future.

Free Inflatable Fun Sessions!

Every Wednesday and Friday during the six week summer break, families enjoyed our popular Inflatable Fun Sessions at Kempston Academy. These 45 minute sessions provided a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where SEND children could enjoy the inflatables alongside siblings and family members. To help create a calm and supportive experience, session numbers were intentionally limited, allowing us to better meet the individual needs of each child and family attending.

New – Adventure & Construction Capers Sessions

This summer we launched two exciting new family activity sessions at Bedford Greenacre Independent school:

1. Adventure Activity Sessions
2. Construction Capers Sessions

During the Adventure Activity Sessions, families enjoyed trying out our:

• Mobile Climbing Wall
• Archery Tag
• Giant Inflatable Dartboard with Slingshots

For those who preferred creative challenges, our Construction Capers sessions included:

• LEGO Challenges
• Speed Stacks
• Egg Drop Challenges
• Teamwork Activities 
• Problem Solving Games

These sessions were available to eligible families completely free of charge thanks to funding from Bedford Borough Council, and we received some fantastic feedback from participating families.

Expanding Access Through HAF!

For the first time, SSG introduced SEND specific spaces within our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme for children eligible for benefits related free school meals.

The initiative proved hugely successful, enabling many children to access holiday club provision that may previously have been inaccessible to them.

16+ Youth Club Success!

Throughout the summer, we also delivered our 16+ Youth Club at The Raleigh Centre.

Young people aged between 16-19 enjoyed a varied programme of activities including:

• Gym sessions
• Cooking activities
• Innovative inventions projects
• Specialist gaming room access
• Climbing wall activities
• Team building challenges

The sessions were designed to help young people socialise, develop practical life skills, try new experiences and build confidence in a safe and supportive environment.

SEND Family Fun Open Day!

On the 25th August, we hosted our first ever SEND Family Fun Open Day at The Raleigh Centre. Families enjoyed a fantastic range of activities including:

• Disco Dome
• Giant Inflatable Slide
• Soft Play Arense
• Arts & Crafts
• Messy Play
• Games and Challenges

Alongside the activities, families were able to visit our information marquee to learn more about SSG’s SEND provision and local support services.

We were also delighted to welcome representatives from the Bedford Borough Parent Carer Forum and the Local Officer Team, who shared valuable information and advice with attending families.

Ongoing SEND Provision!

Our support for SEND families continues throughout the year:

Inclusion Youth Club:

• Suitable for children aged between 8-14 years with low level SEND needs and/or other barriers to participation.
• Friday’s from 5:30pm – 7:30pm.

Fun4All Short Breaks Club:

• Suitable for young people aged between 8-18 years old with moderate to severe special educational needs.
• Saturday’s from 9:30am – 1:00pm

What Families Had To Say!

“It was my first time attending and I have 2 children with low and higher support needs and all the activities catered to them. Staff were friendly and were very helpful and understanding of my having a toddler running around also. I feel very lucky to have moved to Bedford with SEN children as SSG have really provided a lot of inclusive activities.”

“Kids enjoyed them self, SSG staff were welcoming and friendly which made the day enjoyable. Lots of useful information and advice given.”

“My son had a lovely time. The young lady who was running the slide was amazing and so good with all the children, taking the time to ask and remember all their names and really engage with them, it made all the difference to my son having such a good time. Having events like this which are so inclusive make such a difference as my son’s just fits in and neither he nor I feel we have to make excuses, explain or pretend he doesn’t have differences.”

Be The First To Know!

Want to be the first to hear about upcoming SEND activities, events and opportunities? Join our mailing list and stay connected with everything happening at SSG: https://mailchi.mp/ssgservices.co.uk/send-activities.