SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) Offer

Every child has a key worker assigned to them who is responsible for meeting and planning for the child’s individual needs. The children are observed regularly and we complete their next steps and progress checks. The staff monitor the children’s development and will raise any concerns with you if they feel that your child needs extra support. The SENCO will come up with any strategies that may help to support the children and staff in the setting. If parents have concerns about their child before they start at the nursery we can observe the child in the first few weeks that they attend and provide the parents with any feedback. If we feel that the child requires further support we will gain permission from the parents and begin a referral process. This means that we will request support from multi-professional agencies and everyone who is or becomes involved will be aware of any meetings/appointments that will take place.

The SENCO staff as well as the child’s keyworker and the nursery management team will be responsible for introducing individual education plans to the child, working closely alongside the child’s parents at all times. Together we can decide on what works well for the child so that this can be implemented both at home and at nursery. It is important that regular communication occurs between the setting and the parents to find out how/if the strategies and individual education plan are working. If they are not working then we can review these and devise a different strategy.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum (EYFS) where we plan activities for every child based on their individual interests. The EYFS is split into seven areas; Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language, Physical Development, Literacy, Maths, Understand the World and Expressive Arts and Design. The child’s activity will often cross into most, if not all, of the areas of the EYFS. We will provide the activities based on the child’s age; however this will be adapted if needed to suit the child more appropriately. We can reduce the size of the groups of children, provide more staff for certain activities where more support is needed, or ensure the activity is made simpler or more challenging for the child. Every child has a development record which is called a Learning Journal. This is where we will provide evidence of observations and photos, as well as including their progress checks and any assessments that take place. Parents can have access to their child’s Learning Journal at any time.

We operate our nursery as ‘the door is always open’, meaning parents can come and talk to us anytime they want to. We can offer appointments that suit parents for more formal meetings and we also hold a parents evening once a year to discuss their child’s development. Progress checks are completed throughout your child’s time at nursery as well as ‘Next Steps’ where we will advise what your child can be working towards at nursery and at home. We provide a verbal daily handover every day of how your child has been throughout the session. This will cover their basic needs such as food they have eaten, toilet times and sleep times, as well as what they have particularly enjoyed doing at nursery.

Every day before the nursery opens the staff complete risk assessment checks to ensure that the premises is safe for all children, staff, parents and visitors. The nursery staff are trained in child protection and first aid, and Senior members of staff or Management will administer any medicine that your child needs. This would be documented on a medicine form and signed by the parent. We understand that children develop differently and we will cater for their needs no matter what stage they are at, for example if they are not toilet trained yet we can continue to provide nappies for them until they are ready. The staff adhere to the behaviour policy and procedure, which is reviewed annually. If we feel a child needs further support with behaviour then we can look at different strategies with the parents and come up with a solution that works best for the child. If a child is not settling in well we may suggest that they attend more sessions.

We work with other professionals such as speech and language therapists, sensory support, social workers, physiotherapists and our Early Years Childcare Advisor (EYCA). We will always provide the parents with feedback from the agencies that come into the setting to see their child. We can also arrange meetings here at the setting between the nursery, other professionals and parents.

All staff attend child protection and first aid training regularly, and the staff who need food hygiene will complete this too. We also have staff who attend behaviour management training, INCO/SENCO training, and others courses such as maths development, baby development, and language development. The nursery currently has 26 staff who have a variety of experience working with children. Staff are either level three qualified or are working towards their level 3 qualification. Two staff have degrees, one in childhood studies and the other in teaching, and one staff has a foundation degree in early years care and education.

We are lucky enough to be central to most places that the children can visit, and we gain your permission for this when your child starts at nursery. We regularly take the children to the library, the beach, the park, the museum and the market. Every place we visit is risk assessed, and the staff always provide feedback should anything change whilst they are on the outing. The children wear high visibility jackets with the nursery name printed on it. The babies go out in triple buggies, the twos wear reigns, and the pre-schoolers hold hands or hold onto the handles on the walk rope. We reduce our ratios when we go on outings for the twos and pre-schoolers. For the twos we go from a 1:4 ratio to a 1:2 ratio, and for the pre-schoolers we go from a 1:8 ratio to a 1:4 ratio. If a child needs further support on an outing then we would reassess the ratios and reduce them further if needed.

The Baby Room is bright and spacious with direct access to the garden which provides a stimulating environment. We also have a separate sleep room next to the main baby room with 5 cots. The emphasis is very much providing home from home care by working closely with parents and carers to ensure the babies routine is followed. Through play and interaction with their carers they are encouraged to explore the world of colour, shape and texture and are supported in their first steps towards language development. We provide an extensive selection of toys and books to encourage their fine and gross motor skills. We are a free-flow nursery which allows children the freedom of choice and independence whilst maintaining a routine. The Toddlers and Two’s have 4 rooms available to use, with only 2 being accessed during free-flow, as well as daily garden play whether rain or shine. In the Pre-School we aim to provide a home from home environment whilst preparing each child for the transition to school by promoting independence. We provide a wide variety of learning experiences and activities both indoors and outdoors, including a weekly PE lesson. Before your child starts we will book two settling in sessions. This gives the parents the opportunity to tell the staff all about their child, and also allows the staff to ask any questions, for example if English isn’t the child’s first language then we can work together on what resources we can provide to support them.

When a child first starts at the nursery we book in two settling in sessions, which are free of charge. The first settling in session is for about 30 minutes which allows time for the parents and child to meet the staff and ask any questions whilst their child is playing. The staff will also ask questions about the child, for example likes/dislikes, allergies, dietary requirements, and any further support the child may need. The second settling in session is for an hour where the child is left in our care to see how well they settle. If the parent or the staff feel that the child needs more settling in sessions then this can be arranged before the child starts. We usually say it takes a child around a month to settle in properly, however sometimes it can take longer as every child settles in differently. We can provide different distraction techniques and comfort for the child should they need it. As the children grow up through the nursery they transition to the different age groups. Six months before they move on to the next area we make sure that they have odd sessions in that age group, which we will slowly build up until they are in the next area for all of their sessions. We feel that this makes the transition from area to area as smooth as possible. In the child’s final year with us we introduce more health and self-care activities such as P.E sessions, which they will participate in once a week. This encourages them to dress and undress themselves ready for school. When the summer approaches the teachers from the schools come into nursery to see who will be attending their school in September.

Back in 2014 we received a grant which we specifically wanted to spend on sensory equipment. This has enables us to create a sensory room for all children to enjoy, which includes bubble tubes, a bubble wall, a plasma board, a light board, torches, a sensory den, and heuristic play/treasure baskets. The toys we provide are accessible to all children depending on their age and we continue to buy items for the nursery throughout the year. This includes resources to aid with fine and gross motor skills, flashcards to help recognise objects, words and numbers, and a wide range of media and materials for the children to explore. Other toys/equipment can be purchased prior to a child starting who requires further support in the setting.

Once other agencies have become involved the setting and the parents can establish the next steps in supporting the child. This includes any resources/equipment we may need to purchase, the extra support that the child needs to receive, producing an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the child which will be monitored and reviewed regularly, and also discussing what impact the support has had on the child.

If your child is on antibiotics then we ask that they do not attend nursery until they have had 48 hours worth administered to them. After the 48 hour period they can come back to nursery and we will continue to administer the doses should they need it during the day.

We have good relationships with all parents and really value the importance of partnership working. Information is exchanged between the parents and staff during the settling in sessions, as well as at the end of every session their child attends. We will always consult with the parents in decision making and ask for their input and ideas too. We follow the children’s routines as closely as possible as how they would at home. We welcome parents anytime into the setting to discuss their child’s development or any queries/concerns they may have.

• Manager: Hayley Baker