David Reid has had a lifelong commitment to transform the lives of vulnerable children. This is quite a pledge for someone whose difficult upbringing saw him spend time sleeping rough in Belfast before he moved to England, lacking qualifications and with an uncertain future. Today, Reid is CEO of The Birtenshaw Group, which provides outstanding care and education for children and young adults with special educational needs and disability (SEND).
The company’s success is based on the ethos that everybody has intrinsic value and worth. “To help people contribute, you need to focus on what they can do instead of what they can’t,” says Reid.
Reid’s motivation comes from witnessing the difficulties his own family experienced with two cousins who had significant health conditions and struggled to find appropriate schooling. “Trying to find a supportive service was very difficult, but I saw the determination of their parents and how that eventually paid off and made a real difference, ensuring my cousins’ lives were as fulfilling as possible,” he says.
When he first moved to Manchester, Reid volunteered in social care. He worked his way up to senior management and first came across Birtenshaw when he had to carry out an audit. Back then, it comprised a charitable school for disabled children, which was founded in Bolton in 1956. When Reid was appointed CEO, the organisation was overstretched and in financial difficulty. He put in place the changes required to turn the business around. “We are now recognised as an exemplar for special education needs,” he says.
Having evolved into The Birtenshaw Group, the organisation now comprises two schools, in Bolton and Liverpool, for pupils aged three to 19 years old. Both schools provide a tailored curriculum for children with learning disability and conditions such as autism, or complex health needs. In 2014, the group established Birtenshaw College in Bolton to fill the gap in specialist further education for young people from age 16 to 25. In addition, the group runs children’s homes and a domiciliary care agency, as well as supported tenancies, hydrotherapy centres, a gym and activity centre, and an enrichment service including therapeutic activities.
As a testament to the work of its staff, the group has earned numerous accolades, among them a Platinum Business Award in 2024 and Most Outstanding Care Services Team at the Global Awards 2023. When Reid took over, he brought the existing 35 staff with him; 15 of whom still work at the company. Today, the group is considered a major employer in the area – between 2012 and 2024 it experienced growth of over 400 per cent – providing stable employment for around 450 people in the local community.
Operated as a social enterprise, the profits the organisation makes through its continued success are reinvested into its services and facilities. “This is profit for purpose, not for shareholders,” says Reid. With growth at the heart of the business, The Birtenshaw Group aims for thousands more children across the country to receive the sort of unique specialist support that it has pioneered. “We are looking at eventually having a presence in every local authority in England.”
Having received the care and education they needed to thrive and become independent, many of the Birtenshaw alumni have gone on to run their own businesses. This is all part of the group’s legacy to change lives for generations to come – just as Reid promised all those years ago.
Visit Site