Courtlands School PTFA

30/06/2026

Today I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic SEND Conference at Plymouth University alongside the Lord Mayor.

It was a real pleasure to meet so many incredible people including Claire Williamson, Head of SEND, and to have the opportunity to speak with other passionate professionals who are working tirelessly to improve opportunities for children and young people with additional needs.

It was also lovely to see so many members of Plymouth City Council attending, including the 0-25 Team. As parents, many of our hardest conversations often happen through emails and meetings with these teams, so it was really refreshing to be able to meet the people behind those emails, have genuine conversations, and put faces to names.

A very special mention must also go to PIAS's highly respected Bob Burton, who retired today. Bob has dedicated many, many years of service to PIAS, supporting countless SEND families across Plymouth, including many here at Courtlands School. More recently, he also supported both myself and my son during a meeting, for which I will always be grateful. It was such a pleasure to be there today to wish him a very happy retirement, thank him for his exceptional dedication, and recognise the incredible difference he has made to so many families and children across our city. Wishing you every happiness in this next chapter, Bob, you've certainly earned it.

As the parent of a child with significant additional needs, and as someone who is a huge advocate for SEND, it was incredible to see the sheer range of support, opportunities and provisions available in and around Plymouth for our children. If I'm completely honest, I wasn't aware of many of these organisations myself.

I've had many friends desperately trying to find alternative post-16 education and employment pathways for their children, and today I discovered so many opportunities that I simply hadn't heard about before.

What stood out most was the passion in the room. Every organisation was there for the same reason, to create inclusive opportunities for children and young adults with additional needs, helping them access education, employment, independence and every aspect of community life.

One thing was very apparent today: everybody really cares.

With better communication and greater awareness that these services exist, we can achieve much better outcomes for our young people living with SEND across the city of Plymouth.

Please take a few moments to look through the list of organisations below. If you're a parent or carer feeling overwhelmed, I hope this gives you some reassurance that these services really do exist, we just don't always know where to find them.

A huge thank you to Plymouth University for hosting such an informative and inspiring event.

Organisations that attended:
Shared Lives South West
Skills Group
Inclusivity Group
Devon Cricket Foundation
Creative Curiosities SW
Plymouth Family Hubs
Citizens Advice
Plymouth City Council
Improving Lives Plymouth
Plymouth Information, Advice and Support for SEND (PIAS)
United Response
City College Plymouth
Achievement Training (ATL)
GHQ Training
Routeways
Plymouth Mencap (Mayflower Specials)
Livewell Southwest
Liv4Dance Studios
Careers Plymouth
Naval Families Federation
RISE Education & Care Group
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)
Friends & Families
Pluss (Part of the Seetec Group)
PAPCV
University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
The Dove Project
CTSW Skills Ltd
Plymouth Highbury Trust
SEND Help Plymouth
Poles Apart
Barnardo's
Action for Children
Yourway
InFocus College
National Autistic Society
JAM UP
Naval Children's Charity
Horizons Children's Sailing Charity
Connect to Work
YMCA
King's Trust
Greenlight Safety & Training
Deaf Choices UK (DCUK)
eLiveate
Argyle Community Trust

29/06/2026

We are delighted to have been able to fund a Bosch condenser dryer for the staff room at Courtlands School, which will be delivered tomorrow. 💙

When we asked staff what would make the biggest difference to their wellbeing, we were genuinely surprised by their answer. A tumble dryer wasn't what we expected, but when they explained why, it made perfect sense.

Many of our children experience sensory challenges, and wet socks, shorts or clothing can quickly become overwhelming, leading to distress and dysregulation. Being able to dry clothing quickly can prevent a difficult situation from escalating, helping children to feel comfortable and settled again much sooner.

This doesn't just benefit the child, it has a positive ripple effect for staff, classmates and the whole school environment. Sometimes it's the simplest things that make the biggest difference.

While we don't believe essential equipment like this should come from a staff wellbeing budget, we do believe it's an absolute necessity, and we're incredibly pleased that the PTFA has been able to provide it.

Thank you to everyone who supports our fundraising. Your generosity helps us make practical improvements that have a real impact on the daily lives of our amazing children and staff. ❤️

22/06/2026

Can you believe a Special Educational Needs school doesn't currently have a sensory room? 💙

Courtlands School supports incredible children with a wide range of additional needs, yet we don't have a dedicated sensory space where pupils can regulate, relax, and feel safe when the world becomes overwhelming.

The reality is that funding for SEN schools has not kept pace with demand for many years, and creating a specialist dark sensory room is simply beyond what the school can currently afford alone.

That's why Courtlands School PTFA is fundraising to create a state-of-the-art sensory room filled with specialist lighting, interactive sensory equipment, calming spaces, and therapeutic resources that will help our children reduce anxiety, improve communication, build confidence, and engage more fully in learning.

For some of our pupils, this could be the first place where they feel completely comfortable and able to interact with the world around them.

Every donation, no matter the size, will help us create something truly life-changing for current and future pupils.

Please donate if you can, and if you can't, we'd be so grateful if you could share our fundraiser.

🔗 https://gofund.me/e8cd8464d

22/06/2026

💙 Welcome to the Courtlands School PTFA Page 💙

Hello everyone,

My name is Sarah Phillips, and I am proud to be the Chair of the Courtlands School PTFA, as well as the founder of the registered charity that sits behind it.

I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our page and share a little about who we are, what we do, and our vision for the future of our wonderful school community.

At Courtlands School, our children are incredible. They face challenges that many people will never fully understand, yet they continue to amaze us every day with their resilience, determination, individuality, and achievements.

Our purpose as a PTFA is simple: to support the children, families, and staff of Courtlands School.

We want every child at Courtlands to have access to enriching experiences, exciting opportunities, memorable events, and meaningful learning activities throughout their school journey. Too often, children with additional needs can miss out on experiences that their mainstream peers take for granted. Our goal is to ensure that our children can enjoy these same opportunities in ways that are accessible, inclusive, and adapted to meet their individual needs.

Whether that means special events, sensory-friendly activities, educational experiences, fundraising projects, or opportunities to build confidence and independence, we are committed to helping our children create wonderful memories throughout their time at Courtlands.

But our vision goes far beyond fundraising.

We also want to build a strong and supportive community around the parents, carers, guardians, and families of Courtlands School.

SEND parenting is unique. It can be rewarding, but it can also be incredibly challenging. Many of the difficulties faced by our families are things that other people may never have to consider or experience. We believe that no family should have to face those challenges alone.

By bringing families together, we hope to create a network of support, understanding, friendship, and shared experience. Together we can learn from one another, support one another, celebrate successes, and help each other through the difficult days.

Supporting our staff is equally important.

Anyone who works within a SEND environment knows that the role is very different from working in mainstream education. The dedication, patience, compassion, and expertise shown by Courtlands staff every day is extraordinary. The demands placed upon them can be significant, and protecting staff wellbeing is something we care deeply about. We want our PTFA to be a source of encouragement, appreciation, and practical support for the incredible team who help our children thrive.

One of the strengths of our community is the wealth of knowledge and experience we have amongst us.

As a registered healthcare professional and clinician with extensive experience working within disability services, including as a qualified disability benefits assessor, I am particularly passionate about helping families access the support they are entitled to. Over time, we hope to share guidance, information, and support around areas such as Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and other services that may be available to families.

We have lots of exciting plans already underway, and over the coming days and weeks I'll be sharing more information about upcoming projects, events, fundraising initiatives, and opportunities to get involved.

Most importantly, we want as many people as possible to be part of the PTFA.

Not everyone can volunteer their time, and that's absolutely okay. There are many ways to support us. From attending events and sharing posts, to using Easyfundraising while shopping online, every contribution makes a difference. Some of the easiest ways to support our school won't cost you a penny, and we'll be sharing more information about those very soon.

We are always open to new ideas, new perspectives, and new ways to support our school community. If you have suggestions, skills, experience, or simply a willingness to help, we'd love to hear from you.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. Together, we can create something truly special for the children, families, and staff of Courtlands School.

💙 Every child matters.
💙 Every family matters.
💙 Every opportunity matters.

Sarah Phillips
Chair, Courtlands School PTFA

29/01/2026

29/01/2026

Courtlands School PTFA are a local Plymouth based charity who support Courtlands School, a school for children with special educational needs and a range of disabilities.

The PTFA aims to support these children by helping the school fund and provide what the children need to meet their full potential whilst at school. It aims to ensure that the children are not at a disadvantage to their non-disabled peers whom are able to attend a mainstream setting!

The organisation aims to grow strong relationships with businesses and reach out to the wider community. Raising and caring for individuals with additional needs and disabilities can be extremely challenging and there is very little support available.
We are a new charity and currently looking for sponsors! If anyone would like to get involved, donate or sponsor the charity then please reach out to [email protected]!

Our socials are a work in progress at the moment so please watch this space and our new Instagram page: instagram.com/Courtlandsschoolptfa for a recap of our first year as a PTFA PLUS we will soon be sharing details about an incredible project called 'Project Hear Me' we are in the infancy of planning!

Thank you for your support, it truly makes a difference to our children and families and we look forward to sharing more with you very soon!