The kinds of special educational needs for which provision is made at the nursery.

 

What does Special Educational Needs mean?

 

SEN is a legal term. It describes the needs of a child who has a difficulty or disability which makes learning harder for them, than for other children of their age.  Around one in five children have SEN at some point during their nursery or school years.

 

There are many types of SEN and the term SEN covers a wide range of types of needs including:

 

·        Space for the children to be able to move around freely and are able to explore the environment safely.

·         Specific learning difficulties

·         Moderate learning difficulties

·         Speech language and communication needs

·         Behavioural, emotional and social difficulties

·         Autistic spectrum conditions

·         Visual and hearing impairment

·         Physical disability

·         Multi-sensory impairment

·         Profound and multiple learning difficulties

 

How our nursery identifies children with special educational needs?

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The child's well-being is central to everything we offer and the settling in period will be tailored to the child's individual needs. Parents are welcome to spend time at the nursery during the settling in period and familiarise themselves with the staff and, in particular, the key person. These early days will provide the foundation for a trusting and strong relationship between the whole family and the key person. Your key person will be responsible for the day to day care of your child and for the observations and assessments that help to inform us of your child's current stage of development and of their next steps in learning. You are able to contribute to these recordings so that we have a complete record of your child.

Your child's development will be regularly evaluated and the nursery SENCO may be asked for advice if this is felt necessary in order to plan appropriately for your child's individual needs. As parents, you will always be included in planning for your child's needs.

· Each child is assigned a key person when starting nursery, the key person will monitor your child’s developmental levels following the EYFS.

· At the end of every term the key person completes a tracking form, this will help to highlight any developmental needs your child may have.

· If the child’s key person have any concerns they will discuss this matter with the SENCO and parents in private. The nursery will put in place a plan together, to support the child’s learning and development.

  · Within the nursery we carry out the 2 year progress check with parental involvement and obtain parental consent to share with other health professionals.

· There are SENCO’s within the nursery that have up to date experience in assessing children with additional needs, they can offer advice and support to the key person and the parents.

· If there is a concern, the SENCO will discuss with parents about further action, this will only happen with parental consent. 

· Once the child has been observed an IEP will then be put in place.

· As a setting we work alongside other agencies such as speech therapists, child psychologists and physiotherapists, to help support your child’s individual need.

 

Information about the schools policies for making provision for pupils with special education needs whether or not pupils have EHC Plans, including –

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How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s/young person’s needs?

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At Helping Hands, we use the Early Year Foundation Stage as the basis for our curriculum. This is underpinned by the principles of supporting the unique child, building positive relationships, and providing an enabling environment to nurture learning and development.

We work to meet every child’s needs by;

• Building supportive and caring relationships with every child

• Appreciating the role of parents and carers as children’s first educators

• Using our cycle of observation, assessment, planning and evaluation to learn about children’s individual needs and plan activities to match them.

• Having high expectation for all children attending Helping Hands.

• Providing an environment (in doors and outside) that is stimulating, attractive, and supportive and well- resourced and offers opportunities for children to learn in lots of different ways.

 

All our Nursery staff have early years training. The number of staff working with the children in any given session varies according to the number of children present and is decided following the ratio guidelines within the EYFS. Through our staff meeting and supervision arrangements staff support each other to identify and analyse the attainment, progress of children with special educational needs or disabilities and children with any short-term additional needs and plan strategies for meeting their needs.

 

Throughout the Nursery day children are given a wide range of learning experiences including time to play and develop their own interests and understanding, adult led activities differentiated to meet individual needs, targeted support to support progress in particular areas of development and group activities that support social interaction and shared learning. Children’s individual care/personal care needs are discussed with parents and planned for accordingly.

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How will I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

 

Helping Hands is a child and family centred nursery, so you will be involved in all aspects of our work with your child including sharing your expertise about your child’s development or condition, if appropriate. Where we have expertise, or have accessed training or specialist advice we will work with you on ways of supporting your child further at home.

 

• We collate Learning Journeys for all children documenting progress through observations, photographs, assessments and contributions from home. These are available to parents/carers and children at any time.

• We are happy to make time to give parents informal feedback at the end of a session offer an open-door policy to encourage parents to share information with us when they drop off or collect their child.

• We offer all parents regular, formal opportunities to meet with staff to discuss progress and assessments and review Learning Journeys and Next Steps. These are linked to our assessment schedule.

• We carry out termly assessments recording children’s progress and development within Nursery. These are tracked to show how children are progressing.

 

In addition to these strategies, if your child continues to make less progress than we would expect or has complex or long term needs we will write an Early Years Support Plan for her or him. This will set down the support your child will receive and identify next steps and targets. We will share these with you and discuss them in regular meetings. If staff access specialist training to support your child we will share this with you.

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What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

 

Helping Hands Day Nursery is an inclusive setting where all children are valued.

• We work closely with parents and carers to through our induction and settling in process to help children feel happy and secure in Nursery.

• We monitor children’s well-being and use information gained within our evaluation.

• Our curriculum embraces all aspects of learning, including different learning needs and styles.

• Our behaviour policy is designed to encourage children to have high self-esteem and value their relationships with others so that they can manage their own behaviour. It describes what type of behaviour is expected within nursery. It recognises that very young children and some children with developmental delay may not understand behaviour boundaries and need patience, consistency and encouragement to develop expected behaviours. It recognises that some children display challenging behaviour and may need additional support systems putting in place such as a reward chart.

• We work closely with parents, child minders and schools to help prepare children for any changes or transitions in their home or nursery/school life.

• All of our staff are DBS checked, trained in Safeguarding, Paediatric First Aid, Safe Food Handling and Health and Safety. We have also had training in meeting specific health needs e.g. in the correct use of Epi pens and how to care for children with Epilepsy and children with Autism.

• All children with health and medical needs have a Health Care Plan. These plans are kept in the child’s personal file, with allergies displayed in the kitchen, children’s toilets, first aid cupboard and the sun cream box. Medicines are stored in the kitchen fridge with locked kitchen door or nursery office medical cupboard

Inhalers are stored in the nursery office medical cupboard labelled with the child’s name and a picture. Parents fill in a parental consent for staff to administer medication. Staff can only administer medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor.

 

 

Expertise and training of staff in relation to children with SEN and how specialist expertise will be secured.

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95% of the staff team are qualified to the equivalent of Level 3 and some are level 5 childcare degree holders with the lowest being a level 2, thus ensuring the best Childcare and Education. All staff have access to a variety of training linked to child development and may have experience of specialist training such as SENCO training, Paediatric First Aid, speech and language and some may have had training in caring for children with specific medical or dietary needs.

We work closely with the Local Authority advisory teachers and Area SENCO, the children's centres and with other local external agencies such as Speech and Language and can signpost parents or make a referral with your permission.

The nursery has policies with regard to equality and diversity and behaviour management and staff attend relevant training.

 

What support will there be for my child's physical and emotional well-being? What support is available at Helping Hands for children with SEND? How does the nursery manage the administration of medicines and provide personal care? What support is there for social and emotional development?

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We offer an individual settling in period so that the child and family can become confident with the nursery and form a strong attachment with the key person. Parents will be provided with relevant information about the nursery and will share information with the key person to ensure that the child's individual needs are met. All staff act as positive role models and promote inclusive practice.

Each child will be matched with a key person to ensure continuity of care and to form a strong working partnership with parents. The key person, through their knowledge of your child, will plan for their individual needs and interests in line with their stage of development and will liaise with the SENCO. The key person will ensure that the resources are accessible and available and that they are positive and caring role models.

All staff received training in administering medicines and relevant documentation is maintained. There are nursery policies to cover sickness and the administration of medication, as well as healthy eating and the key person approach. The key person will be responsible for your child's personal care needs which include nappy changing and overseeing their rest periods and eating.

 

The arrangements for consulting parents of children with SEN about, and involving such parents in, the education of their child.

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Parents/carers are involved from the very beginning, during the initial tour around the nursery, or the first settling in session. Building a strong and trusting relationship and understanding your child's needs and interests is important to us. We would like you to share information with us on a regular basis to enable us to appropriately plan for your child, so that we can plan for your child's next steps and review their progress against targets.

If particular needs are identified that require additional support, we will signpost you to the relevant agencies or make a referral on your behalf. You will be kept informed and supported through every step of the process. We will ensure that the daily planning reflects what we are doing to provide support in those areas and ensure that targets are achievable and relevant. If there is a Targeted Outcome Plan we will ensure that you are invited in to share and contribute to this as your contribution is essential to your child's development and progress.

You have access to your child's Learning Journey and can take it home or contribute to it whenever you like.

There are ways in which you can also become involved in the setting such as coming in to share a skill, taking part in Stay and Play sessions, dressing up days, charity events and family days. Information is displayed on the noticeboards, via letters home or via the website. If there is something you would particularly like to be involved in, please speak with your child's key person. We also encourage grandparents and other family members to come along to certain events and be a part of the children's time at nursery.

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The arrangements for consulting young people with SEN about, and involving them in, their education.

 

What is an IEP?

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An individual education plan is designed for children with SEN to help them get the best out of their nursery experience and the most out of their education.  An IEP sets outs targets and actions for the child, additional to those that already take place in the rest of the group/class.  It is not a legal document but helps with supporting your child.

An IEP usually consists of 3 or 4 targets to help your child to progress, it might include the child’s likes and dislikes or anxieties or activities in which to help your child progress their need ie physical, emotional etc.

Each IEP is reviewed so that we can identify the outcomes to show whether the child is progressing or not, this is usually done two or three times a year. When reviewing an IEP, parents and professionals are involved and come along to the review meetings to talk about their child’s progress and to put new targets in place.

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How we support the child’s transition into their school when they leave our setting.

 

It may be a difficult time when your child leaves nursery, so it is important to make the transition to school as smooth as possible.  The Senco/key person is always willing to accompany the child to school for settling sessions to aid transition.  Every child within the nursery has an EYFS folder which goes through nursery with them tracking their development. The children with SEN also have another folder which is full of their IEPs and reviews. Both folders are made available to parents and school.  ‘An all about me’ booklet is given to the school which includes personal information about the child.

 

How will the staff support the child?
 
We have a nursery SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator) that has been trained through the local authority and Helping Hands to support the key person, child and families to ensure that the child’s individual needs are met.
 
We have robust policies and procedures in place which are reviewed regularly ensuring that our resources and environments are suitable and accessible for all.
 
The SENCO will work closely with the key person to differentiate resources, experiences and activities to support the child. 

The nursery SENCO will work with the key person to provide personal plans for each individual child based around their abilities and interests.
 
The SENCO will liaise with other professionals (providing parental consent is granted) such as Early Years Inclusion Officers, Speech and Language Therapists and Health Visitors to gain further advice in supporting each individual child.  The SENCO and the key person will work collaboratively to ensure that these targets and strategies are implemented.
 
The plans and activities will be reviewed by the key person, SENCO and the parents regularly to update plans and provide support for all children. 

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How are parents / carers included in the child’s education and curriculum? 

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Parent’s communication is valued and the key person will work together with the parents to ensure that every child’s learning is supported.
 
At the initial settling in sessions the parent/ carers will work with the key person to settle the child into the nursery. Throughout this time the key person will complete the information sheet to understand the child’s individual routines, needs, interests and abilities.
 
The parents are encouraged to work together with the key person completing observations and activities for home to keep them informed of new interests so that this can be incorporated in the activities that are planned for that child.
 
The parents will be invited to attend regular meetings to review the child’s progress.
Every child has their own learning journal that the parents can view at any time. The parents are encouraged to add their views and comments.  

 

How accessible are the environments?
 
If the family has English as an additional language they will be encouraged to share key words in their home language for the key person to understand with the child.
 

The Manager, key person and SENCO can work with the parents to provide the best base room for the child to have the best access to all of the resources and activities every day to meet their needs.
 

Any arrangements made by the governing body or the proprietor relating to the treatment of complaints from parents of pupils with SEN concerning the provision made at school.

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Leadership team in enabling and supporting inclusive practice? How are they involved?

The leadership team are responsible for all the practices and policies relating to inclusion, i.e. that they are current and fully implemented. We will ensure that the staff team have access to training. We provide an environment that is enabling for all children and is stimulating and nurturing. We will make suitable changes where possible. We aim to create a positive environment that values and respects each child and we welcome families to be part of the nursery and share in their children's learning. We encourage our staff to have regular, honest and meaningful communications with parents and to share information, with external agencies, if it is in the child's best interests.

 

How will the nursery help me to support my child's learning? How will you explain how learning is planned and how I can help support this outside of the setting?

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There are noticeboards and displays throughout the nursery that have information with regard to the Early Years Foundation Stage, your child's learning and items of particular interest, for example how to access the Early Years Entitlement for 2, 3 and 4 year olds, the members of staff with areas of responsibility, the complaints procedure, the details of the local children's centre.

There are boards used for displaying planning and your child's key person can explain to you how the cycle of observation, planning and review operates and what this means for your child. Your key person will be able to tell you how we plan for your child's next steps and it is important that we use the information that you provide us with to ensure that your child's needs and interests are fully met. Much of the day will be spent observing and talking and listening to your child to ensure that the planning reflects those needs and interests. The management team oversees and monitors the planning to ensure that all areas of learning are covered and that your child is receiving a broad and balanced curriculum in order to make progress in his/her learning and development.

 

The schools arrangements for supporting pupils with special educational needs in a transfer between phases of education or in preparation for adulthood and independent living.

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Transitions are a key time for any child. The key person ensures that these transitions are well planned and supported.
 
When a child first starts at the nursery the key person will work with the parent to devise appropriate times for the child to settle into the nursery at their own pace.
 
When a child transitions to another room throughout their time at Helping Hands Day Nursery, the key person works with the new key person to relay and hand over relevant information for that child.
 
The child will have a range of settling in sessions into the next age range to secure successful transitions. The new key person will ensure that the child’s interests and needs are catered for and that the child is well adjusted to their new room and peers.
 
When a child is ready to transition to School the new teachers will be invited into Nursery to meet the key person and all relevant transition supporting documents are completed and relayed to the School to ensure a smooth transition takes place for all children.
 
For further information please contact the nursery manager.