Community Links
At Propeller Academy Trust, we understand the importance of providing families with access to valuable information and resources to support their children’s education and development. Our dedicated teams, brimming with expertise from across our Trust schools, have worked together to create a comprehensive collection of guidance, advice, and tools tailored to meet the needs of our families.
Whether you’re looking for practical tips, important updates, or useful documents, this page is designed to be a one-stop resource to help you navigate every step of your child’s journey with us. We will be continuing to add information here, so do check back.
Please note that while links to external sources were accurate at the time of publication, they direct to content created and maintained by third parties, not by Propeller Academy Trust. We recommend verifying any information found on external websites to ensure it remains current and relevant.
Moving Into Adulthood
Moving Into Adulthood (MiA) Team Oxfordshire
The Moving into Adulthood (MiA) Team works with young people aged 16–25 to support a safe and effective transition into adulthood. The team primarily works with individuals who have an active Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and/or are moving on from frontline children’s services. We adopt a long-term, strengths-based approach, working alongside young people and their families to develop independent living skills, build resilience, and establish sustainable support networks. Our aim is to support each young person to achieve their identified outcomes and maximise their independence in adulthood.
We work jointly with our partners to ensure a multi-agency approach to supporting and achieving the best outcomes for young people i.e. Special Educational Needs team (SEN), Children’s Social Care, Adult and Adolescent Mental Health Team (CAHMS/AMHT), and the GP, to mention a few.
Oxfordshire Family Support Network
Oxfordshire Family Support Network (OxFSN) is a not-for-profit organisation run by and for family carers of people with learning disabilities – both children and adults.
We were set up in 2007 by family carers who wanted to use their experience to help others in the same situation, based on our belief that family carers are experts by experience.
We are managed by a board of trustees, some of whom are family carers of people with learning disabilities. We provide information, advice, support and training to:
- family carers of people of all ages with learning disabilities.
- healthcare and social care professionals
Educational Providers
Derwen College in Shropshire provides residential and day programmes for young people aged 16–25 with a diverse range of special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The college offers a highly supportive, inclusive environment for students with learning and physical disabilities, autism, behaviours of concern, and moderate, complex, or profound and multiple learning disabilities. www.derwen.ac.uk
Abingdon & Witney CollegeThe Pathways department at Abingdon and Witney College provides specialized, inclusive education for students with EHCPs (Education, Health and Care Plans), focusing on developing independence, social skills, and employability. The program offers tailored routes, including "Transition to Work" and "Living Independently," featuring community activities, work experience, and therapeutic support. abingdon-witney.ac.uk
Style AcreStyle Acre is so much more than a charity providing supported living and day opportunities to people with a learning disability and or autism. We are a community of thriving, engaged and connected people who strive to reach for the stars and fulfil their potential. People we support work in fulfilling jobs, learn new skills, engage with their natural environment and focus on their health and happiness. This enables people to gain the independence, skills and connections that make for a good, purposeful life filled with smiles and joy. These opportunities are made possible through great support, our Work Programme, our Gardening Project and our Ways to Wellness Programme which are all funded by trusts, organisations and individuals.
We provide a unique offer to people with a learning disability and or autism in Oxfordshire and take pride in the fact we are ‘big enough to cope but small enough to care’. www.styleacre.org.uk
Activate LearningActivate Learning is a group of learning organisations, that includes Banbury and Bicester College, City of Oxford College and The Leys College, with a strong focus on inclusive education and SEND support.
Within our Supported Studies/Foundation provision, learners can access Tier 2 (Pathway to Independence and Supported Work) and Tier 3 (Pathway for Progression) programmes, designed to build essential life skills, confidence and employability. For learners working towards employment with an EHCP, we also offer a Pre-Internship programme to develop workplace readiness and support progression into a Supported Internship. www.activatelearning.ac.uk
Support Services
Department for Work & Pensions (DWP)
Locality Community Support Services (LCSS)
Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum
Oxfordshire Parent Carers Forum (OxPCF) is an independent, impartial organisation led by a dedicated team of volunteers. Our team are all parent carers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), bringing lived experience to our work. To find out more about OxPCF, access information and resources, sign up for our newsletter, explore upcoming events and SEND Connect sessions, share feedback and experiences, volunteer, join our mailing list, or connect with other parent carers through our online peer support communities, please visit www.oxpcf.org.uk
Oxfordshire Family Support Network
Oxfordshire Family Support Network (OxFSN) is a not-for-profit organisation run by and for family carers of people with learning disabilities – both children and adults.
We were set up in 2007 by family carers who wanted to use their experience to help others in the same situation, based on our belief that family carers are experts by experience.
We are managed by a board of trustees, some of whom are family carers of people with learning disabilities. We provide information, advice, support and training to:
- family carers of people of all ages with learning disabilities.
- healthcare and social care professionals.
Therapeutic Support
I’m Leandra, a mother of 3 neurodivergent boys, all on the Autistic and ADHD spectrum. My passion is to understand as much as I can about Neurodiversity to empower myself, my children and share this knowledge with other parents and carers. SENtipede is my personal blog where I share our experiences, useful information and signpost to services and support groups or activities. Not to mention coffee mornings where other can come along and offload, build support networks, experiences and create a safe place knowing you aren’t alone in your journey. Find me on Facebook.
Childhood Matters supports families, schools, trusts, and charities by providing guidance, expertise, and tailored services that promote inclusive practice and provision. Originally established as an Educational Consultancy, we have extensive experience in attendance, inclusion, SEND, and safeguarding, delivering bespoke support packages designed to meet the needs of educational settings, children, young people, and their families.
As the needs of parents, children, and young people continue to evolve, we remain committed to adapting and enhancing our services. Today, we offer a comprehensive range of specialist support, including Parenting Advice and Guidance, SEND Advice, Support and Advocacy, and a bespoke therapeutic approach to Alternative Education Provision. www.childhoodmatters.co.uk
Neurodiverse Voices Connect is a community-led initiative built on a simple but powerful idea: where lived experience connects, community, support and research come together. Founded by Andreia Costa, the project began in April 2024 and has since grown into a thriving and supportive space for the neurodivergent community across Oxfordshire and beyond. Our mission is to support the neurodivergent community through lived experience and connection — creating spaces where people feel heard, understood, and less alone. https://linktr.ee/neurodiversevoicesconnect
Oxfordshire Deaf Children's Society
Jaskulla Mentoring CIC is a trauma-informed organisation dedicated to supporting children, families, and schools through compassionate, neuroaffirming relational practice. Drawing on over 20 years of experience across mainstream and specialist education, the team provides professional, down-to-earth therapeutic mentoring and early interventions designed to meet young people at their exact emotional developmental stage. By working preventatively with children navigating anxiety, SEMH, autism, ADHD, and distress behaviours, they help reduce the risk of school exclusions and step in with intensive support before challenges reach a crisis point. Whether delivering 1:1 mentoring, creative group sessions, dramatherapy, or school consultations, Jaskulla Mentoring bridges the gap between home and education, building safe connections that help children process difficult emotions, ultimately returning childhood to its rightful owners and letting the sparkle return to the children's eyes. www.jaskullamentoring.co.uk
The “Ace Centre” is a UK based charity supporting people with complex communication difficulties. We provide a range of services to support children and adults to communicate through the use of Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) and/or Assistive Technology (AT). acecentre.org.uk
SENDIASS Oxfordshire works within the bounds of the legislation, guidance and quality standards to ensure it provides impartial information, advice and support to parents and carers of children with SEND, and children and young people themselves through the CHYPSS (Children and Young People’s Partnership Service) element of SENDIASS. It promotes partnership between parents/carers, Children Education and Families Services, schools and other agencies. We aim to empower, enable and encourage parents to take an informed and active part in their child’s education, and young people to be involved in decisions about their own education and futures. www.sendiass.org
Roy Peach is an Emotional Regulation Coach, educator, and youth practitioner with over two decades experience working with children and young people. His work focuses on helping children and teenagers develop emotional awareness, self-regulation and resilience through practical, strengths-based approaches. Roy combines experience in education, behaviour support, youth work, and coaching to support families, schools, and professionals in understanding behaviour through the lens of emotional wellbeing and development. His coaching sessions blend conversation with creativity, helping individuals make greater sense of their emotions, understand their behaviour, and develop effective strategies for self-regulation. www.roypeach.com
At Dogs for Good, we bring people and dogs together to make life possible. Through carefully matched partnerships, workshops, and group sessions or individual visits, our dogs enable the people we work with and their families to live happier, healthier, more independent lives.
Our Family Dog Service is a unique programme that helps families explore how a pet dog, either your current companion or one you are thinking of getting, can provide emotional and practical support at home. The programme is specially designed for families with autistic children, individuals with a physical disability or dementia, and anyone supporting a family member with diverse or complex needs. www.dogsforgood.org
Funding & Support
Clear Sky Children's Charity provides play and creative arts therapy to primary-aged children who have experienced a traumatic life event, or those who have additional educational needs, emotional or behavioural issues. We work with the children referred to us through schools, to provide child-led, age-appropriate sessions which help them to work through previous traumas, grow in confidence and live happy and fulfilled lives. clear-sky.org.uk
Respite
Flexicare is an Oxfordshire charity that has been providing a specialised, ad hoc sitting service for families with a disabled child in Oxford, Abingdon and surrounding villages, for 40 years. Flexicare delivers this service using a small core of experienced, dedicated staff and a team of trained volunteers. In the words of our founder Sue Kenrick: “The aim was never to change the world, but to make that one week, perhaps that one day a little bit easier for that one family”. www.flexicare.org
We are a free service offering information, advice, and personalised support to unpaid adult carers — those aged 18 or over who look after someone living in Oxfordshire. www.carersoxfordshire.org.uk
Reflex Reset works with children with development, learning, behavioural and social/emotional difficulties. It uses a non-invasive, drug-free reflex integration programme (the INPP method) created for each individual to address underlying causes of neurodevelopmental delay.See www.reflexreset.co.uk for more information.
Activities
Supportive, safe, and inclusive cycling sessions for those with physical, learning and well-being needs. All are welcome; no diagnosis or referral required. We also cater for those who need help with their confidence. We have a good range of adapted bikes and some two-wheeled ones too. The space is part playground, part field, and we also have a canopy to sit under if you just want to watch or eat your snack. Come along and feel the wind in your hair and enjoy cycling with us at Wheels for All. Siblings and other family members are welcome to join in too. www.windrushbikeproject.uk
Swings & Smiles offers support for disabled children and their families in a welcoming and accessible space. Our services include respite, family play sessions, youth clubs, sibling support and outreach, all designed to help children play, grow and feel included.
We support children and young people aged 0 to 19 with a wide range of disabilities and additional needs. Families can enjoy time together without the pressure they often face in wider community settings, with activities shaped around what each child enjoys and does best.
We are here for the whole family. Parents, carers, siblings, grandparents and of course the child themselves all find understanding and support that adapts to their individual needs. We also welcome visits from schools, groups and anyone who may benefit from our facilities. www.swingsandsmiles.co.uk
YouMove provides free or low-cost activities for eligible families living in or attending a school/nursery setting across Oxfordshire.
This includes families in receipt of benefits related free school meals, Universal Credit and young carers. Offers include a 50 % discount at Better Leisure Centres and free entry to Basildon Park and Greys Court. www.getoxfordshireactive.org/you-move
South & Vale Active Communities 
Active Communities Team work across South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse to help residents with their physical health and wellbeing. They run a variety of weekly activities for all ages and abilities. This includes free and low-cost term time and holiday activities, Move Together and YouMove.
www.southoxon.gov.uk/south-oxfordshire-district-council/sports-and-activities/active-communities/
FarmAbility run activity programmes on farms, in gardens and in green spaces across Oxfordshire for adults with a learning disability and those who are autistic.
Co-farmers (the name for our participants) take part in real and meaningful tasks to improve their physical health and well-being. Find out more at farmability.org.uk
OXSRAD is Oxfordshire’s only fully inclusive sports and recreation centre, providing accessible health, wellbeing, and community activities for people of all abilities and all ages. In 2024–25, OXSRAD supported 811 individuals, including 419 people living with a disability, long-term illness, or mental health condition.
Our inclusive programmes include, Boccia, Rebound Therapy, rehabilitation sessions, Movement-to-Music classes, an adapted gym, and an accessible community café designed for everyone to enjoy. www.oxsrad.org
Thomley is a safe, accessible space for people with disabilities, their families and friends to access social, learning, and play opportunities. Many people with disabilities find accessing events, or opportunities challenging due to access, we have created a non-judgmental, inclusive environment where everyone can be themselves in a supportive place of people who ‘just get it’. We are have something for everyone, all ages, needs, abilities, interests – you can even stay overnight and make a holiday out of your visit! www.thomley.org.uk
Transport Support
Driving Miss Daisy Didcot provides accessible transport and companion support that helps people of all ages remain independent, connected and engaged in their communities. Their fully trained Companion Drivers offer a door-to-door service, supporting journeys to schools, colleges, healthcare appointments, day services, social activities and other everyday destinations. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles and personalised mobility assistance ensure each journey is safe, comfortable and tailored to individual needs.www.drivingmissdaisydidcot.co.uk