This website uses cookies which are essential for it to function. Please accept or decline any non-essential cookies and see our Cookie Policy for full details and guidance.

Open navigation menu.

Footprints History

Footprints Conductive Education Centre Ltd is a charity based in Sneinton, Nottingham and has been helping children living with disabilities and their families across the East Midlands since 1978. We hope you enjoy reading the story of our charity!

Timeline

2023

We have launced our brand new website and are working with a number of new Charity Partners, have developed our Ambassador Team and diversified our fundraising activities, to include sky diving, Tough Mudder and a night walk.

We have re introduced hydrotherapy swimming sessions for our pre school children, are now offering sleep support and workshops, and hold regular social and informative coffee events for our Footprints Families. 

Read more

2022 and beyond

A new era for Footprints begins and in August we welcomed Stephen Frew as our Business and Charity Manger. The Footprints Team is focused on continuing to transform our families and childrens’ lives and delivering our six key principles to ensure we achieve this.

17 July 2022 marked a very special date for us – our 20-year anniversary of becoming a charity. We held a big celebration for our families and supporters and reflected on our shared history. Celebrating with all the families we have supported and seen grow, we also looked to our exciting future where we will continue to help our children thrive and achieve their potential.

Read more

2020 - 2021

Like many other businesses and charities, these years were dominated by the Covid pandemic. The lockdowns meant we had to close our face to face classroom sessions and find alternative ways to support our children and families. We ensured our crucial service continued and utilised Zoom for our sessions. Our families told us how grateful they were that we were one of the few services to keep going. As soon as we were able to safely, we reopened our classroom sessions, with strict covid measures in place to keep everyone safe.

We were also delighted to welcome some new trustees during this time - meet our team!

Read more

2018

We were thrilled that Richard Whitehead MBE became our new Charity Patron. We also received the exciting news that BBC Children in Need had awarded us another three-year grant.

Read more

2017

We changed our name from School For Parents to Footprints Conductive Education Centre.

Read more

2014

In July, after three years of being part of KIDS, School for Parents is now wholly independent.

Read more

2012

We celebrated our 10th anniversary of being an independently registered charity on 17 July. We reviewed and increased our services to include supporting older children with communication difficulties, supporting the transition to school and providing outreach for families.

Read more

2011

School for Parents moves to its new premises at the Iona School on Sneinton Dale, Nottingham. We also join KIDS – the national charity that supports children with disabilities. We’re now known simply as School for Parents.

Read more

2010

We begin a hunt for a new home, as we are no longer able to be at Scope’s premises. At the same time, we start planning our rebranding, which will eventually include a new name for the charity.

Read more

2002 to 2009

Thanks to the hard work, commitment and determination of our parent trustees, Rutland House School for Parents continues to develop its educational and support services. Jane Barton deserves special recognition for the enormous contribution that her fundraising efforts and support make over these years.

Read more

2001 - 2002

We became an independent charity, as due to financial pressures and organisational changes, Scope could no longer fund our services. Some of the parents form a Board of Trustees, so Rutland House School for Parents can continue as an independently funded and independent charity. We immediately started fundraising and have a contract with Scope for the use of our premises at Elm Bank.

Read more

2000

There are now 40 Schools for Parents helping hundreds of children and their families across the UK.

Read more

1991-1999

Our conductor teachers, physiotherapists and nursery nurses continue to develop our services. We gain an international reputation for our work with children with disabilities and their families, and support children all over the world. As a result, some parents set up Schools for Parents, sending professionals to train with us and starting schools in Greece, South Africa and Pakistan. At the same time, a network is established in the UK. Rutland House and Ingfield Manor Schools are the two training centres for this new network.

Read more

1990

The Nursery is re-named Rutland House School for Parents. By now, the services and support we offer are based on Conductive Education. Scope, still our host organisation, agrees a contract with the Petö Institute in Hungary to train the first UK based conductor teachers.

Read more

1986

The new nursery opens and we now operate five days a week, with 60 families attending our various sessions.

Read more

1984

We renovate the coach house in the grounds of Rutland House, creating a new and purpose-built nursery.

Read more

1981

A small group of parents with very young children, with varying forms of motor disorder, appear on the school’s doorstep. They ask if we can help them and the school’s physiotherapist and head-teacher start a weekly afternoon meeting for these parents and their children. We become known as Rutland House Nursery and work under the Scope umbrella.

Read more

1978

Rutland House School opens in Nottingham. Part of the Scope charity network, the school cares for older children and young adults with cerebral palsy.

Read more