What are the opening hours?

Monday 9am - 5pm Tuesday 9am - 5pm Wednesday 9am - 5pm Thursday 9am - 5pm Friday 9am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm

Conductive Education With Rachel

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United Kingdom
Durham
Conductive Education With Rachel

Conductive Education | Early
Intervention | Movement
Support | Portage | SEND Practioner

Helping children learn through play & purposeful movement.

Supporting Adults with Cerebral Palsy, Stroke & other motor disorders

Sherburn Hill, Durham & North East Conductive Education with Rachel provides specialist movement and learning support for children and adults across Durham and the North East using the principles of Conductive Education. I also use the principles of Portage in my sessions. Conductive Education is a holistic whole-person learning approach. Conductive Education is based on the idea of neuroplasticity. In sessions we work on a wide range of skills simultaneously, including: Gross and fine motor skills Social, Speech and Communication skills Play Skills Conductive Education may look like Physiotherapy but it integrates parts of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Education into a unique method of learning.

30/10/2026

Something very exciting is coming soon!

I've been working on a little project behind the scenes for quite some time, and I'm nearly ready to share it with you all.

I can't wait to show you what I've been creating!

Watch this space...

29/10/2026

Shout out to this rockstar!

He has been working so hard in his Conductive Education sessions and has been making fabulous progress with his kneeling.

He can now maintain a kneeling position for 40 seconds with very little to no support!

He always works so hard and shows such lovely determination during our sessions.

It's been fantastic to see his confidence grow as he explores his movements, develops his skills and discovers what he can do.

I'm so proud of his hard work and progress!

Helping children learn, move and flourish.

27/10/2026

Movement is part of everyday learning.

Children move while they communicate.

They move while they explore.

They move while they play.

A child might reach for a favourite toy, crawl towards something interesting, carry an object or move around an obstacle.

These everyday experiences can create opportunities to develop movement, coordination, balance, motor planning, communication, confidence and independence.

Movement doesn't have to be separated from learning.

We can bring movement into stories, songs, play, sensory activities and everyday routines — giving children a reason to move and opportunities to learn through doing.

Let's bloom together.

26/10/2026

Why I love threading activities

Threading activities are a simple, playful way to help your child use both hands together.

One hand may stabilise while the other reaches, grasps, pushes, pulls and threads.

Your child is also practising:

Hand and finger strength

Fine motor control

Hand-eye coordination

Visual attention

Motor planning

Problem-solving

Concentration

Independence

This is why I love learning through play: a simple activity can support many skills while giving us a chance to connect, encourage and celebrate their progress.

Let's bloom together.

25/10/2026

Nurturing Every Child’s Potential to Learn, Move and Flourish

With over 15 years of experience supporting children and adults, I use Conductive Education to bring together movement, learning and play. I create warm, engaging opportunities that build skills, confidence and independence.

How I can support

Depending on your needs and goals, sessions may support:

Movement and motor skills

Balance and coordination

Reaching, grasping and using both hands

Sitting, crawling, standing and walking

Communication and play

Motor planning and problem-solving

Learning through purposeful activities

Each session is tailored to the person’s strengths, interests and goals. Through movement, play, stories, puzzles and creative activities, I make learning enjoyable, meaningful and achievable while celebrating every step of progress.

Who I support

I support babies, children, young people and adults who may benefit from extra help with movement, learning, communication, confidence or independence.

This may include people experiencing delayed milestones, finding movement or coordination difficult, developing motor planning skills, building confidence through play and communication, or needing additional support to develop their skills.

How we can grow together

We can work together in ways that suit you and your family. Options may include individual Conductive Education sessions, home, nursery or school support, Bloom at Home programmes, group sessions and online support where appropriate.

Most importantly, each person is at the centre

I focus on what each person can do, what they enjoy and what they are ready to discover next. My role is to offer gentle encouragement, celebrate progress and create opportunities to build skills and confidence.

Let’s bloom together.

If you would like to find out how I could support you or your child, please get in touch to arrange an initial conversation.

24/10/2026

A little more from this superstar's session last week!

We had lots of fun exploring our ocean themed story through a fishing puzzle and the balancing whale game.

And there was so much more that I didn't manage to capture on video, including sorting colourful ocean creatures!

I love how one story theme can bring so many different activities together, creating opportunities to explore, practise skills and learn in ways that are fun and meaningful.

Through play, we can encourage movement, coordination, problem-solving and confidence, all while having fun!

22/10/2026

Movement with a purpose

Movement should feel meaningful, joyful and connected to a child’s interests—not like a list of exercises to complete.

In Conductive Education, we use purposeful tasks to encourage active participation and give children a reason to move: reaching for a favourite toy, collecting puzzle pieces, stepping through an obstacle course or moving a tractor.

Through these engaging activities, children can develop balance, coordination, strength, motor planning and control while feeling motivated, involved and proud of their achievements.

The theme of the session sparks curiosity and create rich opportunities for children to move, communicate, make choices, take turns, solve problems and practise independence.

Play is a powerful part of learning. Children learn by exploring, experimenting, repeating and connecting with others—and every small discovery can become a meaningful step forward.

It’s not simply about doing more movement. It’s about creating opportunities to learn, communicate, solve problems and achieve together.

The theme provides the motivation.
The task provides the opportunity.
The child does the learning.

Let’s bloom together.

22/10/2026

All set up at Durham SEND Information, Advice, Support Service Neurodevelopment Family Support Drop-In Event. I'll be here until 2:30pm. Pop along and say hello 😊

20/10/2026

Handwriting is about more than putting letters on a page.

When a child is learning to write, there are lots of skills working together.

They might need to develop:

Hand and finger strength
Fine motor control
Hand-eye coordination
Visual skills
Using both hands together
Pencil control
Motor planning
Postural stability
Concentration
Confidence

This is one of the reasons I don't always look at handwriting as simply writing practice.

Sometimes the best place to start is with the skills underneath it.

Drawing, colouring, puzzles, playdough, threading, building, picking up small objects and other everyday activities can all create opportunities to develop some of these skills.

And when we choose activities around something a child already enjoys, practising can become much more motivating.

For me, it's always about looking at the whole child and asking:

What skills are they using, and how can we create opportunities for them to develop those skills through things they enjoy?

Let's bloom together.

17/10/2026

Have a look at this superstar in action today!

She was feeling very chatty during our session, and it was so lovely to hear her voice and see her enjoying herself.

While playing with the balancing whale toy, some of the animals tumbled off, and I managed to capture a lovely moment of her saying “Uh oh!” as they fell.

It was such a lovely example of spontaneous communication, using her voice to respond to what was happening during play.

This is one of the things I love about learning through play. A simple activity can create so many opportunities to develop movement, coordination, communication and problem-solving skills.

And sometimes, it's those little moments that bring the biggest smiles!

Address

Durham

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Website

https://www.conductiveeducationwithrachelshort.co.uk/

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