LOCAL OFFER - SEND PROVISION

Contents

1. What is the local offer and how does this affect my child?

2. How are parents/carers involved in The Crown Nursery?

3. How does The Crown Nursery know if a child needs extra help?

4. How do practitioners support learning?

5. What training is offered to staff supporting children with SEND?

6. How do we support children with transitions? 

What is the local offer and how does this affect my child?

The purpose of the local offer is to inform parents of the local services available for children with special educational needs and how to access them.

How are parents/carers involved in The Crown Nursery?

We know that good parenting and high quality early learning together provide the foundation children need to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow.  It is because of this that we ensure we develop excellent relationships both with the children in our care and their families to establish a strong ‘learning partnership’.  We use a range of formal and informal methods to keep parents informed about their children’s day and their developmental progress. These include;

• Informative registration forms to be completed by parents/carers
• Formal parents/carer meetings
• Termly written reports to parents/carers
• Progress check report at age two
• Home school books
• Easily accessible individual children’s online profiles (Tapestry)
• Key person assigned to each child
• Nursery website
• Nursery notice board
• Time-tables open days for parents/carers
• Time-tabled nursery events
• Informal catch-ups at drop off and pick up
• Nursery app to come (family)
• All nursery policies are available on the website

We pride ourselves on our partnership with parents and have an open-door policy providing regular opportunities to speak to your child’s key worker or the nursery manager. We also hold more formal parent/carer meetings to discuss your child’s developmental progress. 

This crucial relationship between our nursery and parents/careers, enables us to identify areas of need quickly in order that children can get the support they need as soon as possible.

How does The Crown Nursery know if a child needs extra help?

At The Crown Nursery we recognise that children learn in different ways and at different rates and plan for this accordingly. Our aim is to support all children attending the nursery to attain their maximum potential within their individual capabilities.

Assessments are used to make judgements about a child’s attainment in line with developmental expectations.  Provision is adapted accordingly to address individual needs and may include supporting struggling learners or adapting provision to extend and develop learning opportunities. 

Following regular interactions and observations of children at play (formative assessments) or from the Year 2 Progress Check (summative assessment) practitioners may begin to identify some difficulties or barriers to learning for individuals.  Limited progress over time or significant changes in behaviour may also be an indication of a need for additional support.

Parents/carers are also crucial is identifying areas of need as early as possible.  When registering they are required to provide information about their children and their specific requirements, which helps staff to plan for learning appropriately.

How do practitioners support learning?  

Practitioners are skilled at observing children at play and identifying where they can support and extend learning.  They will interact with children to enhance learning and will provide support to guide and scaffold learning opportunities where appropriate.

Stage 1

Where a child appears to be making limited progress or is behind expected levels practitioners will discuss this with the parent/carer.  The child’s views may also be explored and The Crown Nursery’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) will be consulted.  All adults will work together to devise a tailored support plan for individuals. The support plans will detail the child’s area of need, desired outcomes, action required, methods to monitor impact and dates for review.  

Strategies to support learners may include;

• Reducing staff: child ratios
• Working in smaller groups
• Providing suitable resources to support specific learning areas
• Providing activities to address areas of need
• Developing regular 1:1 support sessions

Stage 2

If there are any significant concerns emerging, in consultation with parents/carers, other professionals such as health visitors, GPs, Speech and Language therapists may also be consulted as appropriate.  The nursery will share its records on the child with those services so that they can advise on appropriate strategies to help with securing and maintaining progress.

Stage 3

If the help given through a support plan is not sufficient to enable the child to progress satisfactorily, it may be necessary for the nursery, in consultation with the parents/carers and any external agencies already involved, to request a statutory assessment by the local authority. This may lead to the child receiving an Education, Health and Care plan.

What training is offered to staff supporting children with SEND?

All staff at The Crown Nursery are engaged and committed to their own continuous professional development. 

Most our Staff are NVQ level 3 qualified or above, some with QTS (Qualified Teachers Status). A high percentage of our staff has received Paediatric first aid training and all staff have at least level 1 Safeguarding certificates. Our SENCOs have attended relevant training and also attend the SENCO network hosted by the Local Authority.  All staff disseminate relevant information either formally at staff meetings or informally during professional daily discussions.

Some of our staff team have received training in Makaton and Inclusion and equality during our staff inset day. Four members of our staff took part in the ‘Let’s get inclusive!’ programme funded by Lambeth and provided by Whippersnappers. The programme is designed to improve access to services for children with disabilities.

How accessible is the nursery environment?

Our nursery occupies the ground floor and lower ground floor of a four storey building.  The younger children are housed on the ground level and the older children are catered for downstairs.  The rooms are connected via the stair well and there is no lift.

The older children enjoy continuous use of the outside space, which is accessed from the lower ground floor only.  There is a step into the garden.

We have small toilets and sinks for the children to use which are located on the lower ground floor only.

We communicate effectively with all families including those who need extra support. If necessary, we are able to employ the services of a sign language interpreter to help during meetings with parents who are impaired. Pictures and signs are also used to support communication in order to meet the needs of all the children in our care.

We support children with English as an additional language (EAL) by asking parents to write down different words in the child’s home language with their meaning in English so we can communicate with the child while they are learning English. This also helps with settling the child into the nursery.

How do we support children with transitions?

At The Crown Nursery we recognise that transitions can be daunting for all children, including those with SEND.  We are experienced in supporting children through the process to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible.

Staff are trained to observe their key children and as such will be sensitive to any changes in their behaviour and personality. We respectfully ask that parents inform us of any changes in the home environment that may impact on their child so staff can be aware of the reasons behind any potential changes in the child’s character.

Transition in to nursery

We work closely with families to help parents/carers and children feel relaxed and happy about starting their learning journey with us.  We recognise the importance of building a partnership to ensure children feel safe, secure and able to learn.

At The Crown Nursery we;

• Ask parents to provide information about their child on the registration form so we can begin to build a picture of the child’s needs and interests
• Provide open days for families to look around and meet the team
• Offer home visits so children can meet with staff in their own environment
• Offer free settling in sessions so children and parents can familiarise themselves with the setting and staff
• Welcome parents to accompany their children for short periods until they are settled
• Encourage parents/carers to provide family pictures for children to look at during their day to develop a sense of security
• Support the need for comforters (including familiar teddies, toys, blankets)
• Operate a key worker system which enables children to become very familiar with at least one member of staff very quickly, helping them to feel comfortable and to develop a sense of belonging

Transition to the older room

If the child is due to move rooms due to age and stage readiness, we will work with the parents to ensure this is a seamless process in which the child is fully supported at all stages.

At The Crown Nursery we;

• short sessions in their new room prior to the permanent move to enable children to feel comfortable in their new surroundings
• key workers go with the child on these initial visits to enable a familiar person to be present at all times
• when appropriate move two children together so they join the new room with a familiar face

Transition to primary school

Starting school is a huge transition and The Crown Nursery does everything it can to facilitate a smooth move.

We have a variety of methods to support this including;

• providing a variety of resources that relate to the school e.g. role-play equipment, books
• provide photographs of the local primary schools to help the children to become familiar with the new buildings
• staff will initiate conversations with children to discuss what they think may be different about school and what may be the same
• staff will talk through any concerns a child may have and will initiate activities or group discussions relating to any issues enabling these to be overcome
• share books and tell stories about starting school
• share videos and clips about life in primary school
• sing songs the children will sing in primary school to help provide familiarity and comfort
• provide activities the children will experience in primary school
• communicate with colleagues at primary schools to share information on children’s interests, strengths and levels of understanding and development in key areas to support continuity of care
• provide a written report for primary schools