Sitting steadily
A stable, symmetrical sitting position is where hands, eating, play and schoolwork all start. We build it deliberately.
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Cerebral palsy
The approach that was built for cerebral palsy
Conductive Education began in Budapest with children with cerebral palsy, and cerebral palsy is still where it’s most widely used. It’s a whole-person, whole-day way of learning to move, and the family learns it too. We work with babies, children, teenagers and adults.
What we practise together
Everyday skills, in the right order
Standing and stepping
Weight through both feet, holding, letting go, stepping: broken into counted parts and practised with the right furniture.
Using both hands
Reaching, grasping, releasing, holding steady while the other hand works. Then feeding, dressing, drawing, keyboards.
Getting from A to B
Floor to sitting, sitting to standing, chair to chair, into the car. The transitions that fill a day.
The school day
Sitting for lessons, moving between rooms, the lunch hall, PE. We visit school and work with the SENCO and teaching assistants so the same words are used all day.
Teenagers and adults
Services thin out after childhood. Sessions to keep moving well, manage changes in the body, and stay independent at college, at work and at home.
A typical session
Active from the first minute: a series of tasks lying, sitting and standing, each said out loud and counted through, with songs and play for younger children. Every task builds towards a goal you have chosen: sitting through a meal, standing at the sink, walking to the classroom door. Parents and carers join in, learn the same words, and get a short programme to use between visits, because Conductive Education is built around practice in ordinary life, not only in the session.
After SDR, and alongside the NHS
For children after selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery, structured practice aims to help your child use new movement in everyday life, alongside the post-operative physiotherapy programme, not instead of it. In every case we work alongside your child’s NHS team, and with your permission we share goals and progress so everyone is pulling in the same direction.
Conductive Education can be written into an Education, Health and Care Plan, and Caudwell Children lists it among what it helps families fund. We can write an assessment report (£90) to support your case. See ways families pay.
We visit children and adults with cerebral palsy at home and at school across Kidderminster, Bromsgrove, Stourbridge, Birmingham and the surrounding area.
Before you get in touch
Questions parents ask
What age can you start?
From babies onwards. Early sessions are play with a structure inside them, and mostly about showing you what to do every day.
Does my child need to be able to walk, or talk?
No. We work with every type and level of cerebral palsy. Goals are set from where your child is now, and communication aids are part of the session, not a barrier to it. Every child is different and we can’t promise particular results, but there’s usually something worth working on, and we’ll be honest with you about what’s realistic.
Does this replace NHS physiotherapy?
No. It works alongside NHS physiotherapy and occupational therapy. Conductors are specialist educators; we’re glad to share goals with your child’s NHS team so the approaches support each other.
Can you come to school?
Yes. A session with your child plus practical advice for staff, so that what we practise is used all day, not just when we are there.
How do families usually pay?
Most pay privately to begin with. Some children have Conductive Education in their EHCP, some families use Caudwell Children or a local trust, and some use Direct Payments. We help with the reports and letters.
Tell us about your child
A free phone chat: what is hard right now, and what you would like your child to be able to do next. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so.