Trusts and Foundations update
Dear friends and supporters
We are delighted to share with you the significant impact our organisation has made over the past year, thanks to the generous support of our funders. This update provides an overview of our activities, successes, and future plans. Your contributions have been instrumental in making these achievements possible.
Pace update
Pace update
Jo Burns has joined Pace as Trusts and Foundations Manager in the Income Generation team. Jo has worked in the charity sector for 21 years, spending much of her career to date supporting unpaid carers, particularly young carers aged from 5 years upwards. She is passionate about making a difference to the lives of young people and their families. Her goal is to source new funding opportunities and enhance grant income, ensuring the continuation and growth of our vital therapeutic services.
Highlights of the year
Service achievements
Service achievements
During this year, Pace has supported over 550 children and young people with complex neurodisabilities across the following services:
Independent Specialist School:
Our independent specialist school has 37 students aged 3 to 16, with cerebral palsy (CP) and other similar sensory motor disorders. This dedicated environment provides the strudents with a combination of tailored education and therapies they need to thrive both academically and personally.
Our Child & Family Therapy Services provided advice, assessments, and sessional therapy to around 241 children, aged 0 to 18, and approximately 600 family members (based on average of 2.5 family members per child).
Alongside CP and sensory motor disorders, our therapy service increasingly cater to children with a much wider variety of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social-emotional and mental health challenges (SEMH), behavioural challenges, and school refusers.
Through our early intervention provision, we supported 135 babies and toddlers aged 0 to 3, known to have a – or at high risk of – neurodisability or developmental delay. This comprehensive support ensured that each child received the appropriate care and interventions needed for their development.
Our commissioned therapy services, provided to 3 local special schools, supported around 280 children and young people with specialist occupational therapy and physiotherapy. These services play a crucial role in enhancing the physical and cognitive development of students with complex needs.
Digital Support Hub:
Our free online advice and support, accessible via our digital hub, had 8,785 active users and 13,686 page views. The content on the site is driven by the needs of families, offering practical guidance and resources. This digital platform has provided families with a wide range of information, support and advice.
New partnerships
We continue to maintain strong relationships with our strategic and regular donors while actively seeking new partnerships. A notable development this year has been the successful re-establishment of our relationship with the Childwick Trust after a three-year gap. Their renewed support has been instrumental in strengthening our Early Intervention services. This partnership highlights the value of our connections and the positive impact of collaboration in supporting our mission.
Awards and recognition
Awards and recognition
We are excited to share that our school underwent an Ofsted inspection in November 2023.
For the 5th inspection in a row since 2006, we have been graded as Outstanding with no recommendations.
Click the button below to read the full report.
O2e Charity of the year
O2e Charity of the year
The BIG Walk 2024
The BIG Walk 2024
Mayoral Support for 2024-25
Mayoral Support for 2024-25
7 Stages of Switch Development
The 7 Stages of Switch Development project was launched as the Switch Heroes and promoted across UK and international conferences. The 7SSD is a resource designed for switch users, their families, caregivers and more to assist them in using switches for communication and features child-friendly characters and stories to promote the learning of switch use.
Our Boccia Superstar
Our Boccia Superstar
Read more news and keep up to date with what is happening at Pace by clicking the link below.
Pace joins the Buckinghamshire Council Approved Provider List
Transforming lives: A success story
At Pace, we had the privilege of designing a comprehensive upper limb therapy intervention plan for an inspiring 11-year-old girl with cerebral palsy. Her journey began with close collaboration with NHS services to ensure our therapy complemented her ongoing medical treatments. Recognising the challenges her family faced with bi-weekly trips to London for serial casting sessions, we brought these sessions to her school, significantly easing their burden.
Our commitment didn’t stop there. We worked hand-in-hand with her class staff, providing detailed advice on positioning to maintain her optimal posture throughout the school day. Our dedicated Occupational Therapists (OTs) and Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTAs) offered daily therapeutic input to her upper limbs, ensuring she received consistent and specialised care.
Throughout this journey, we kept the NHS team updated on her progress, fostering an integrated and compassionate approach. The results have been remarkable: her upper limb function, posture, and overall well-being have significantly improved. Her story is a testament to the positive impact of our interventions and the unwavering dedication of our team. This success story exemplifies how, together, we can make a real difference in the lives of children and their families.
Quotes and Testimonials
Pace’s strategy for the future
• Funding
• Child & Family Therapy Services
• School
Overall, we have developed a 12 month strategic framework which will enable Pace to be more sustainable for the future and also give us the flexibility to be agile when additional opportunities arise.
For more in-depth breakdown of our strategy and our latest financial statements, click below.