Early Years Local Offer

How does the setting know if a child will need extra help and what should families do if they think their child may have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?

We pride ourselves on the ability to adapt the practise to support the children in our care. We build positive secure relationships with children and families which help us to communicate well. When your child starts at the nursery we try to make the transition between home and nursery as smooth as possible, encouraging visits to the nursery so you and your child can meet your child’s Key Person. Parents are asked to complete a child information form and a child health and safety form prior to their start date. This ensures that we know as much as possible about the child who will be joining us and enables the Key Person to plan activities that are suitable for the child and their interests. If parents have any concerns relating to their child’s development they are encouraged to highlight this to their Key Person. We complete an ongoing observational assessment of all the children using the Early Years Foundation Stage through focussed and spontaneous observations, we also complete a two-year progress check for all children attending the setting to ensure that are developing in the 3 PRIME areas of learning and development. This helps the Key Person to identify children’s individual needs and therefore act if additional support is required. If additional support is required the Key Person will speak with the SENCO and parents. A meeting will be arranged to discuss strategies/plans or agencies that can support the child. The SENCO will produce an Individual Support Plan (ISP) for the child with the support of the Key Person and Parents. The SENCO will make the necessary referrals to the appropriate agencies with parental consent.

How will staff in the setting support a child with SEND?

We have a nursery SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator) that has been trained through the local authority and Cherry Childcare to support the Key Person, child and families to ensure that the child’s individual needs are met. Your child’s Key Person will work with you and your child to ensure a good relationship is formed and that knowledge concerning your child and their development can be shared. Through continual observations, we can plan for your child including accessing additional support from other professionals where appropriate. We have robust policies and procedures in place which are reviewed regularly ensuring our resources and environment are suitable and accessible for all.  

How will the curriculum for the setting be matched to a child with SEND's needs?

Each child that requires additional support has an Individual Support Plan. During the planning stage, outcomes that we will be working on to support your child will be written on the plan and will be based on their individual needs and interests. The environment that your child plays in will be appropriate for their needs and additional support and resources will be supplied if necessary.

How will staff work with families and how can parents support their child's learning?

It is important that a good relationship is formed between Parents and the setting, Parent’s communication is valued and the Key Person will work together with the parents to ensure that every child’s learning is supported.  We have an open-door policy and you are welcome to speak to us at any time or by arranging a meeting at a time that suits you. Our assessment tools provide us with a monitoring tool that enables us to identify any additional support required. We encourage parents to work together with the Key Person completing observations and activities for the home to keep them informed of new interests so that this can be incorporated in the activities that are planned for that child. Each child that requires additional support will have an Individual Support Plan which with the Key Person, SENCO and parents involvement will be updated regularly. In addition, the parents will be invited to review meetings so their child’s development can be discussed. We hold annual Parents Evenings across the whole nursery and termly for those children in the Pre-School Room, as they are preparing to make the transition to school. Parents have access to a Parents Link App which provides them with their child’s developmental progress during their time with us. 

What well-being support does the setting offer for a child with SEND?

Before starting at the nursery, your child will have settling in visits to familiarise themselves with the setting. We will also discuss any support your child will need and their daily routine, including care routines. We have detailed policies and procedures in place to ensure we support your child’s wellbeing, including the administration of medication. We have a Cultural Inclusion Procedure which supports children who have English as an Additional Language. We also have a SENCO procedure that is in line with the Code of Practice.

What specialist services and expertise are available at, or accessed by, the setting?

The nursery SENCO will liaise with other professionals (with parent’s consent) such as the Local Authority Early Years Team, Health Visitors to either gain advice or make an appropriate referral that would benefit your child. We will include parents in all decisions made and implement any strategies and advice offered as necessary. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) attends local training as well as in house training.

What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having?

All staff continually receive and refresh their training through our in house training centre; Introduction to SEND, Managing Children’s Behaviour, SENCO Forums – twice a year. The SENCO attends the Local Authority Early Years SENCO Forum’s to remain up to date with current policies and procedures and will access any additional training that will support them in their role e.g. Autistic Spectrum & access to organise Makaton Training.

How will a child with SEND be included in activities outside the setting?

Risk assessments are carried out in full to ensure the safety of all children and staff. Permission is always obtained by the parents. Where necessary we will liaise closely with parents to make reasonable adjustments to support inclusion of organised activities. We have opportunities for outside visitors to attend the setting to provide the children with different activities e.g. Zoolab

How accessible is the setting's environment.

Cherry Childcare have a range of different nursery layouts and all nurseries are unique. The Nursery Manager, Key Person and SENCO can work with the parents to provide the best-fit room for your child to ensure they can access appropriate resources and activities every day to meet their needs. 

How will the staff prepare and support a child with SEND to join the setting or transfer to a new setting/school?

With parental permission if your child attended another setting before starting with us, we will communicate with them to discuss your child’s development and requirements/needs. Transitions are a key time for any child, the Key Person will ensure that these transitions are well planned and supported. When a child moves to another room throughout their time with Cherry Childcare, the Key Person works with the new Key Person to relay and hand over relevant information for that child and spends time getting to know them. When your child is ready to transition to School we will complete a report and contact the school to invite the new teacher into the nursery to ensure smooth arrangements take place for all children. 

How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to a child's Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities?

The nursery will deploy staff where required based upon standard Ofsted ratios and will apply if necessary for any relevant Local Authority funding (typically the Local Authority only provide funding term time for 38 weeks irrespective of the child’s attendance) to support smaller ratio sessions/resources. Where after any reasonable adjustments has been made and it is identified that a child requires additional support, additional fees will apply– See Nursery Terms & Conditions.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support a child with SEND will receive?

Meetings will be held with parents, your child’s Key Person, Nursery SENCO and other professionals can be invited to these meeting as well e.g. a speech and language therapist. The SENCO and the child’s Key Person will meet to agree appropriate next steps for the child to work towards. The decision is made through ongoing detailed assessments. Individual Support plans will be monitored and regularly reviewed with parents and other professionals. We would involve the Local Authority Early Years Team, with parental permission, asking them to advise us on any additional support they consider necessary.

How are parents involved at the setting?

We have an open door policy and you are welcome to speak to us at any time or by arranging an meeting. Our assessment tools provide us with a monitoring tool that enables us to identify any additional support required. Daily feedback is shared with parents at the end of sessions as partnership with parents is paramount. We welcome parent’s feedback every year in an online survey giving opportunity for parents to comment on the service we provide.

Who can I contact for further information?

Within our setting we have the following people you can contact:

• Nursery Manager

• Nursery SENCO

• Key Person

• Room Leader

• Nursery Area Manager

• Company SEND Manager – Danni Smyth

Within the Local Community you can access/contact people through their websites:

• Local Authority Family Information Service

• Local Authority SEND Local Offer Webpage

• Sure Start Children’s centres

For further information please contact the Nursery Manager.