Local Offer & SEND

How does the setting identify children with additional needs or SEND?

At Shorncliffe nursery we ask you to complete and “all about me” form this gives us a chance to get to know your child’s particular strengths, or areas that may need extra support. We offer play sessions before your child starts in the nursery. This gives you and your child’s new key person time to be able to talk about your child’s interests at home, which we use to make sure your child has the most accurate planning for their first day.

Within the first three weeks of your child being at the nursery we complete each child’s starting points in line with a document called development matters. This is done for every child in the nursery when they start.

These documents enable us to discuss any areas that we feel may need extra support and age appropriate next steps can be identified. Your child key person will work alongside you to involve you as they plan targeted support in specific areas of development.

The nursery has two Special Educational Needs & Disability Co-Ordinators or SENDCO’s. They both ensure that each family have the best continued support and help. The nursery offers a toy and book library for parents to be able to borrow resources to help with home development, this also includes managing behaviour.

How will I be informed / consulted about the ways in which my child is being supported?

The nursery strives to implement an outstanding key person approach and family involvement, alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Your involvement starts before your child has started, this builds a strong foundation and positive relationship between all the family and nursery staff; we demonstrate this in a range of ways.

Tapestry – Online Parent Portal
Staff interaction and wow moments at the end of every sessions
Parents meeting 3 times a year
Parent involvement afternoon play sessions in the nursery – 6 times a year
Additional SEND drop in sessions – 6 times a year
Opportunities for meetings at your request throughout the year in the quiet room
Detailed learning journeys, photos and observations
Room activity boards, to show what is on offer to your child
Extra planning we put in place – targeted plan- extra time with key person or SENDCO

How will the setting adapt the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum for my child's needs?

At the nursery we observe, assess and plan for each individual child in our setting. We look at the three prime areas and four specific areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We make sure our planning is well informed, has access to good quality activities, resources, and is then evaluated for next steps to be formed. We use your child’s interests to map our planning so we know they are interested and will enjoy the experiences on offer.

The nursery provides a language rich environment offering Nepali spoken also.
Targeted small group work – using every child is a talker or the “I can” talk programme
Provides resources to be borrowed and taken home
The nursery links with other professionals, such as the children’s centre, speech and language, portage and advisers.
Cultural needs and inclusion
Outdoor learning throughout the nursery sessions
Wellbeing and involvement groups

The nursery believes in fun, stimulating activities that will engross the child into learning through play. Your child’s key person will observe your child’s development, likes and dislikes and individual plan for their needs, though. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) that sets standards for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old. All schools and Ofsted-registered early years’ providers must follow the EYFS. We do this in seven areas that are then split into aspects:

Personal, Social & Emotional Development
We look at children’s relationships and how they interact with others. Their self-confidence and awareness and how they manager their feelings and awareness. They may take part in activities in groups, helping each other, photos of family members, role play games, books, puppets and mark making.

Physical development
We look at each child’s moving and handling and their health and self-care. This may include cooking and healthy snacks, learning how we get dressed or brush our hair, or go to the toilet independently. How we move around objects and space. How we move in different ways and speeds. Allowing them a range of objects to move and handle.

Communication & Language
We look at children’s listening and attention, their understanding and their speaking. We have a wide range of activities such as books and songs, role play resources. Distinguishing between different things. We do this in all our activities and make sure our staff are constantly talking and listening to what the children say.

Literacy
We look at Reading, and writing, in a number of ways such as early writing skills, making marks on paper, sand play water and brushes, painting with smaller objects and straitening the finger muscles. We look at different print and languages and pictures, soft play and puppets, making marks on different surfaces in different ways, strengthening our arm and shoulder muscles. The older children begin singing phonics in fun ways.

Mathematics
We look at numbers, shape space and measure, in activities such as water play, rice lentils and pasta, scales. Magnets and connecting toys. We sing a range of number songs and use mathematical langue in all our activities from building in the construction area to making a telephone call in the home corner. Skittles and ball games. We separate objects in many different ways and like to make models.

Understanding the world
We look at people and communities, the world and technology. We have a range of ICT equipment that is available to the children, but we also look at how we make sounds happen, everyday objects and how we can use them for a purpose, pushing and pulling. Play back voice recorders and programmable toys. We look at nature and what’s around us and when things change, not just in this country. We look at books and celebrate different cultures and cooking. Role play and working together. We enjoy looking at people who help us, who are important to us and who we recognize.

Expressive art and design
We look at exploring and using media and materials and being imaginative. We like to use as many resources in as many ways as we can, using objects or our whole body. We enjoy sensory play and exploring what things are in depth. We look at how to express ourselves in other ways such as music and movement. We are imaginative and look at how we can do things together and differently. We widen role play and make it into the child’s interest. Or visit different places.

What teaching strategies does the setting use for children with additional needs or learning difficulties?

The nursery is very lucky to have a large environment which we split into two nursery play rooms. The Caterpillar room offers a smaller group of children 12-16 children at one time. This is a lovely quiet environment which can benefit children with additional needs. Our environment is low level and accessible to all children, offering them the chance to explore independently. We can facilitate a lot of small group work, activities and quiet areas.

The Butterfly room is also our pre-school room, which is a nice big size, giving children lots of opportunities to be able to move and express themselves. This room has a well laid out area to capture lots of self-help skills, independency and helping others.

Each room has access to its own small garden throughout the day. Whilst the bigger garden is great for groups, or large physical play. The nursery also offers a quiet room which is an extra space used for, parents meetings, outside agencies, such as speech and language. Also small group time with the key person or SENDCO.

All of our staff are trained in early years practice, Makaton, characteristics of effective learning and first aid. Alongside these we train our staff in different areas to give the nursery as much knowledge of different areas as possible. We use the best practice guidance, Makaton and visual support (timetables and picture resources) to promote our environment to be rich in exploration and discovery.

The areas of need are identified in the SEND code of practice:

Communication and interaction
Cognition and learning
Social emotional and mental health
Physical/sensory difficulties.

What additional support does the setting provide for children with additional needs or SEND?

Our nursery SEND policy sets out the graduated approach we use to support children.
Our nursery ethos is “respecting each other’s differences”

Your child’s key person will keep you regularly up to date with your child’s progress, if they feel that extra support is needed they will meet with you and make a targeted plan. This shall be used to help develop your child’s planning and make sure that the right level of support is offered.

If after this staff feel that your child is still not meeting those targets, they will discuss with you the need to refer to other services, such as speech and language therapy. If your child begins to receive extra support from other agencies, their plan is changed to a personalised plan.

The nursery does each stage alongside the family, quiet meetings will be held for you to discuss these with your child’s key person/SENDCO. All referrals need to obtain your consent before they are made.

ll our staff regularly complete training to have a firm knowledge of many different areas to offer support.

How do you ensure children with additional needs or SEND can be included in the same activities as other children, includ-ing trips?

The nursery takes trips out such as, the library, shop, post office, park, the construction site etc. We risk assess these each individual time we go to take into account any changes, and causes that may put children or adults in danger. The nursery always takes a first aid box, emergency contact numbers, and a mobile phone, along with any specific instructions or medication. The staff plan these trips taking into account the children we have with us, for special equipment, resources or extra staff may need. This is always overseen and checked before the outing by a member of senior leadership. We welcome any parents who may be able to accompany us on trips and outings.

The nursery enables all the children to be included in everything together. Each child in the nursery is planned for individually by their key person, this maintains that the child is able to access everything on offer to them. Adaptions are made to allow that child to participate without seeing any challenge due to their additional needs. We use resources that best fit the needs of the children and then undertake these in groups of children for example- a child may find it difficult to listen to a story in a large group, the nursery will ensure time is selected for the child to enjoy a story with an adult and another child, slowly building up the number of children in the group. Also using visual supports, sounds and repetition.

How accessible is the building for children with mobility difficulties / wheelchair users?

We maintain the nursery play rooms and outside spaces to be accessible to all our families and children. The front garden is fitted with purpose built soft flooring, and an area artificial grass. We also have a sheltered area from the weather. The outside area is accessible straight from the Caterpillar room also moving around the outside of the nursery. The larger garden also has a ramp to be able to have easy access. The setting has ramps to the nursery doors to ensure the ease of movement.

The nursery offers different sized tables/chairs/ physical equipment to be able to cater for all children in our care. We use an early year’s resource hire service, where we can loan equipment each term to suit the needs of our children. We have a disabled toilet on site fitted with an emergency pull cord.

Please let us know if you have any difficulties with accessibility.

How will you support my children’s transition to a new setting or school?

The nursery is happy to share all information with new settings or schools, we welcome the new setting into the nursery before the transition if this is possible, to meet the child’s key person and see them in the setting environment.

The nursery completes with the parents a progress/transition report which is copied for the parents and the new school/setting. With consent all other relevant paperwork will also be passed on.

Children who will be leaving to go to school join in-

Role play activities, of dressing up in the school uniform.
Making the role play area into the school classroom.
The nursery asks the new school & teacher for a photo to which we have in the room for the children to become famil-iar
The nursery involves parents in an all about me sheet which we pass onto the new school.
Visit the local school for play sessions (Cheriton primary)

Who should I contact if I am considering registering for a place at the setting?

The nursery welcomes families to visit when they wish too, however the nursery can become busy at times. To make sure a member of staff is available for you to spend longer in the setting, please call to arrange a visit time in advance.

The nursery will make sure that the Manager or SENDCO are available for your visit and answer any questions that you may have. We also offer an “all about us” sheet which you may take away with you giving you more in-depth information regarding our setting.

All families are welcome to come in on play visits or attend our family engagement afternoons to get to know the nursery and its staff.

What arrangements does the setting have for feedback from parents / carers, including compliments and complaints?

The nursery welcomes feedback from the people who use our setting. We have a well-established setting evaluation and improvement system which we use feedback within to guide us to the next improvement or adaption.

The nursery uses parent/carer questionnaires three times a year to gain feedback from its current families; we welcome positive and constructive comments.

The nursery has a tree in the main hallway; leaves are available in that area to write a message, suggestion or feedback onto. Enabling us to read and act upon them after.

The nursery has a very open door policy and welcomes everyone to talk with us. The manager or deputy manager greets the children at the door each session, talking with families on a daily basis.

The nursery has a parent’s notice board, located in the main hallway for advice, copies of additional newsletters and information. We have a bookcase where our nursery polices and complaints procedure is located.

Local Offer & SEND

Our Term Time Sessions

How To Find Us

Important Documents