Facilities for Special Needs Students

Learn to ride track and off-road trails

The Bradbury Cycling Centre is a fully inclusive cycling facility where children and young people of all abilities can safely learn to ride their bikes, exercise and be active.

The Learn to Ride track is a safe space for young riders of all abilities to enjoy the opportunity to develop their riding skills and, in turn, their confidence and well-being. The track offers a combination of different surfaces, pathways and working traffic lights for riders to navigate, along with replica road signs and markings to follow. A shelter with seating and workstations overlooks the track – a perfect place for users to stop and take a break or for families to sit and observe the action! Outdoor lighting means the area can be used safely all year round.

For a more challenging ride, our Off-Road trails offer an exhilarating experience in a beautiful and inspiring environment. With a choice of green, blue or red trails, there’s something for all abilities. Enjoy disabled cycling near Manchester with Seashell Trust.

Swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool

A swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool on campus, opened in February 2023, allow children to explore the water and develop swimming skills.

Our main pool is 7.5 x 12 metres and features a moveable floor offering maximum versatility. The comfort of the children and young people who use our facilities is paramount to us, which is why we maintain the temperature of our pool between 31 to 33 degrees during sessions.

For nervous and disabled swimmers, our hydro pool is a relaxing and reassuring environment. The area can also be turned into a sensory room with light projectors and a sound system.

We want to ensure all of our students and young people are comfortable. For this reason, both our swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool offer individual and shared changing areas, changing beds, shower chairs, gradual steps, and chair and sling hoists for disabled pool access.

We’re here for the community. Our pools are available for hourly bookings for the community to ensure everyone can enjoy wonderful accessible facilities. Contact us for prices on hire of our swimming pool and hydrotherapy pool. Hire costs include a lifeguard – our pools may only be used in the presence of a qualified lifeguard. So, stop searching for ‘disabled swimming near me’ and visit our hydrotherapy pool.

3G Sports Pitch

Our full-size artificial grass 3G sports pitch is divided into two nine-aside or four five-aside pitches, ideal for group activities. We also have two fully accessible changing rooms and pitch-side facilities.

The football pitch is available for community use and hire.

Our 3G sports pitch is very popular. Contact us to check availability and if we have none available we can hold onto your contact details for the future.

Fitness Suite

Accredited by the Inclusive Fitness Initiative, our fully accessible fitness suite provides specialist cardiovascular, strength and functional training equipment supported by qualified staff.

Offering accessible facilities, our fitness studio is designed to meet the needs of disabled and non-disabled people, including those with health conditions. Our fitness suite is also available for community use.

Sensory Rooms in Manchester

We have a number of different sensory rooms at Seashell at our Royal School Manchester, Royal College Manchester and in many of our residential homes.

Our sensory rooms in Manchester provide a safe environment for children and young people to relax and explore. A number of our sensory rooms are fitted with features, including waterbeds, colourful padded floors, interactive equipment, bubble tubes, light projectors, and sounds.

These sensory rooms play an important role in developing life skills, motor skills, colour recognition, tracking, and supporting students to develop communication skills.

Audiology Assessment Suite

Our on-site audiology assessment suite allows our Seashell audiologists to carry out hearing assessments as well as routinely manage and fit hearing aids.

Our audiology assessment suite offers the latest objectives and behavioural audiological testing equipment.  The suite boasts an impressive designated listening room where we offer specialist services for students who may struggle in a clinical environment.

Nursing Services

Seashell provides registered nurse-led services that are available to all students on a daily basis and in accordance with individual needs. As part of the service, we provide both planned and emergency care for students during school and college hours.

The registered nursing team works as part of the wider multidisciplinary team to provide and promote holistic care for all students with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities). The nursing team works closely with student GPs, neurologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, dentists, dieticians, and podiatrists to offer the best possible care.

Learning disability nurse duties also include the undertaking of initial assessment and management of new student applicants through the development of unique Health Action Plans that are continually monitored throughout a student’s time at Seashell.

Creative Arts

Led by our artists and musicians in residence, our exciting and innovative arts programme across our complex learning difficulties school and special needs college encourages young people and students with SEND to express themselves and build confidence and understanding of the world.

Our art studios are a popular hive of activity and accommodate an inspiring range of arts and crafts sessions for our young people. This includes major art installations as part of our engagement with community arts. Our students also get to explore our pottery kiln, which allows us to turn a vast array of clay objects produced by our students into beautiful, glazed works of art.