How do you communicate with the parent / carer whose child has SEND?
We communicate with all our families, as we are inclusive to the needs of each individual family. This may include meetings in the nursery, visits to the family home or supporting families at appointments. We are flexible to the needs of each individual family.
We provide visits to view the nursery upon request and offer as many settle sessions as required in conjunction with the family needs/wishes. We offer a settle proves that are based around the needs of the child/family – this may involve building up from one hour visits to a full session over the course of a number of weeks. We link in with supporting professionals from the outset, and chair TAF meetings to ensure there is a co-ordinated approach to support the family.
We use Tapestry for all children and individual targets are set and supported which parents always have access to, and all families are encouraged to share learning/activities/adventures from home on Tapestry. There is daily contact with the manager and/or room leader and/or key person and we aim to have a positive working relationship from the outset
How do you help children settle into your setting?
The manager is the SENCO, and always does the visit sessions. All staff are involved with all children in the room, so all staff have an awareness of every child’s needs / ways of communicating / individual plans, so the child is well supported from the outset. A named keyworker is shared with the parent upon joining, but all staff are involved in the care of the child.
Settle sessions are essential for all children, and we bespoke these sessions and timings around the needs of the child/family so the transition into the setting is a positive experience.
What help and support does your setting offer to children with SEND as they move rooms or move on to school?
We offer a child-led approach to moving rooms in the setting, and the child moves rooms when they are ready too and visits with a familiar adult to explore new environments. All staff in the nursery receive over-views of all children’s needs so they can communicate and support individual plans for all children.
We contact the receiving school at the earliest point and arrange visits to the receiving school with the parents and invite staff from the receiving school into the nursery to aid building relationships with the child. We ensure that a robust EHC is constructed and shared from the outset with the receiving school to ensure the child’s needs can be met and any adaptions or training that is needed by the receiving school is completed in advance of the child transitioning. We share how the child communicates and typical behaviours as well as successful strategies to ensure there is a continuous approach for the child.
Parents are heavily supported through the process as we recognise this can be a difficult process for families and we support families to develop positive working relationships with staff in the nursery, and then as they move into school.
How do you find out how each child likes to learn?
Upon joining the nursery parents complete an All About Me booklet which provides a baseline of previous experiences and current interests, which are used a starting point. We extend experiences through a range of activities to support developing interests to extend learning, and problem-solving skills.
We use Derbyshire tracking to ensure progress is being made for children who have SEND. We screen all children using Wellcomm. We review progress frequently and set achievable targets which support the child’s level of needs around the prime areas of learning. We apply for Tier 1 or 2 funding if required so a child can have additional staffing to support their needs during the session.
Tapestry enables parents to view the activities their child has accessed and enjoyed during their session.
Inclusive practice / SEND training and expertise within this organisation
All staff are qualified to a minimum of Level 3. Three staff in the nursery are Elklan Level 3 trained, one staff member is PEC trained and all staff are currently being trained in sign-a-long.
As a setting we have experience of autism, epilepsy, speech delays/disorders, behavioural/attachment difficulties and medical difficulties such as chromosome disorders and severe allergies.
The information in this SEND Local Offer was completed on 25/05/2021.