The Old Fire Station Nursery

We have an induction process that you and your child will go through when starting our nursery. This helps us to settle your child into nursery and inform you about the nursery and what you can expect from us. During this process you will be asked about your child starting points and their key person will begin to build a picture of your child and their capabilities and what they love to do. Your child's key person will receive continual support from our SENCO to ensure their needs are met. You will be asked to discuss your child's additional needs or SEND that have already been identified or tell us about any concerns you have about your child's development and learning. By gathering and recording this information in writing and assigning your child a key person we can ensure that your child receives the best play and development opportunities possible to move them onto their next steps of development and ensure that their needs are met. If a child has not been identified as having a SEND but you have concerns about them, or staff inform the SENCO of concerns, we observe your child in each of the seven areas of learning found in the Early Years Foundation Stage and record them in their learning journey. This enables their key person to continue to build a picture of your child and consider their stage of development. We then use the information we gather from longer observations to plan learning and development opportunities. We call these Extended Observations as they not only require an in-depth observation but also prompt practitioners to speak to you about what they have seen. They also encourage your child's key person to think about your child's next steps of learning and what activities can be provided in order for them to move on to their next steps of learning. Your child's Keyworker will ask you to be active with the extended observation this allows us to continue with our great parent partnership and involves you in your childs learning and development whilst they are in the setting. Finally, we assess your child. We label all observations with the age bracket we have matched them to in the framework section of the Early Years Foundation Stage so we can see at a glance which age bracket they fall into and what their next steps of learning will be. At the end of each term we share their learning journey with you and ask you to contribute. We look at previous targets we have set for your child to discover if they have achieved them or if we need to continue working towards them and set new targets for them to achieve in the next term. Our Manager and SENCO also monitors your child's progress at the end of each term which enables us to check that your child is continuously developing. This information may also be used to set your child's targets for the following term. Here is our SEN Policy Special Educational/Additional Learning Needs Policy Aims We follow the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice(2015). We comply with the provisions of the SEN and Disability Act (2001) (SENDA 2001), as outlined in the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Code of Practice. We include all children in our provision and believe all children are entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum. We work in partnership with parents and other agencies in identifying and meeting individual children's needs. We provide practitioners with help to support parents and children with additional learning needs (SEN/or disabilities). We identify the specific needs of children with additional learning needs and meet those needs in discussion with parents through a range of strategies. We monitor and review our practice and provision and, where necessary, make adjustments. Our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity. We ensure that our physical environment is as far as possible suitable for children with SEN/Additional Needs. We work closely with parents of children with additional learning needs and disabilities to create and maintain a positive partnership. We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of any assessment, planning, provision and review of their children's education and care. We provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support. We liaise with other professionals involved with children with additional learning needs and disabilities and their families. We also support children by preparing them for transition and have strong links with local settings and schools to support them in this. We meet with them when appropriate and share records concerning the child (this may also be done via the parents/carers). Transition reports are also written on all children and shared with parents/carer and other professionals. We provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children. We provide a differentiated curriculum to meet individual needs and abilities, through use of extended observations to understand each child’s stage of development and their needs. We use a key person system and keep records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for all children. We provide resources (human and financial) to implement our additional learning needs and disability policy. We access training for practitioners and volunteers in line with the requirements of the EYFS and regularly review and collaborate to adapt our SEN policies and procedures. We record the details of how we can support children with SEN/Additional Needs in the Local Offer which is published on the Family Information Service website. We group children according to the appropriateness of the environment they are in rather than age. We encourage all children to be active learners, so they become involved in their own development and promote sustained shared thinking. We celebrate all children’s success by displaying their work and by giving them praise and positive attention. We provide individual support to children when necessary, such as providing small one to one tasks set by outside professionals. We obtain additional resources through our Early Years Team to support children with SEN or additional needs when possible. We encourage all children to think about the rights of disabled children through books we obtain from the library. We have a complaints procedure for all parents. We record all SEN and additional needs children on a SEN register, which is found in our SEN folder. Identification and Assessment The SEN Code of Practice (2014) emphasises the importance of early identification of special educational needs. With this in mind, we identify and assess children in the following way: The child key person will identify SEN or additional needs and through our usual observation and planning system as outlined in our EYFS policy. Their key person will discuss any issues with the nursery SENCO, then use focused observation sheets (ABC) to gather further information which will prompt them to differentiate the activities offered to the child. The key person will then use our system of using observations to assess the individual progress of the child. The key person will regularly discuss the child progress with the SENCO. The SENCO and key person will then discuss the concerns with parents/carers to gather further information. The SENCO and key person will then complete an Early Years Foundation Stage Concern Form in consultation with the child parents/carers to analyse the strategies that have been put into place and how effective they have been in supporting the child. The SENCO and key person will carry out further observation and an environmental audit and develop the use of alternative approaches to learning. The SENCO and key person will then review the child progress with the parents. If the child does not show progress, they will be moved to the SEN register and a meeting will be held with the parents/carers to complete a Support and Achievement Play Plan (SAPP). The SENCO will support the child key person in regularly reviewing the SAPP and communicating with parents/carers (this will depend on each child but may be verbally on a daily basis or a half termly meeting or in writing). After regularly reviewing the SAPP, if the child is not making adequate progress, with consent from the child parents/carers, the SENCO will then contact an Early Years Advisor at West Berkshire council to discuss the process and make any necessary referrals to outside professionals (contact details and available support are found in our SEN folder). Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator and Training We have a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO). Sophie Bieny is the manager and SENCO, she is responsible for ensuring that the provision for children with additional learning needs and disabilities is the responsibility of all staff in our nursery. She supports and advises colleagues and has a commitment to training staff and updating their knowledge regularly. The settings deputy has recently attended recent SEN training and now supports the designated person with any SEN children within the setting. She also regularly updates the nursery& SEN folder and ensure that current information is available.

As we are a small nursery, we find it easy to communicate verbally on a daily basis and will do this when necessary (for example, if we have agreed a target of supporting your child to sit at the table and eat lunch, we will let you know how this progresses when you collect your child each day). This will usually be your childs key person but if they are not available their key person will ask another member of staff to communicate with you. During your induction we will discuss the use of a written daily feedback sheet and if you would prefer us to use these. We will also communicate by recording your child progress in their learning journey which is available on request and will be sent home at the end of each term. In our nursery, we realise that your knowledge and understanding of your child is the key to us being able to support them at nursery and move them onto their next steps of development and learning. We therefore understand the importance of communicating regularly with you in order to discuss and agree ways of supporting your childs development and learning.

The EYFS tells us that we must consider the individual needs of each child in our care. We therefore use the process outlined in question 1 to ensure we do this by observing, planning and assessing. However, it may be necessary or appropriate to use additional documentation to do this for children with SEND or additional needs. We use Support and Achievement Play Plans (SAAPP). Your childs key person will work with the nursery SENCO to put these into place and you will keep informed verbally and in writing on a regular basis. The SENCO and your childs key person will be responsible for supporting your child and ensuring differentiation of activities happens throughout the day.

These will be discussed with the settings SENCO or Manager

Our nursery works closely with outside professionals to support you and your child. We have worked with Speech and Language Therapists, Pre-school Teacher-Councillors, Social Workers and have the support of our Early Years Advisors at West Berkshire Council. Our staff keep their knowledge of outside professionals and their services up to date so they can refer parents to them if appropriate. For example, on a recent training course there was a speaker from the Educational Psychology Service who informed us about the drop in service they provide and how both staff and parents can access their service. We also use the NHS service at times to provide specific information to us, for example, when a child was prescribed an Epipen for an allergy, we invited a nurse in who delivered training to the majority of our staff. As we collaborate to deliver interventions, it means the way we deliver them will vary according to the needs of your child. There may be situations where weekly group work is appropriate whereas others may require a small amount of one-to-one work every day. For example, if a child finds story time a challenge they may need one to one support to help them maintain their attention on the story, such as sitting on an adult lap for a few times while the adult gives them verbal or visual cues that link to the story. A strategy would be put into place to move towards further independence from the adult and all staff will be given support in learning how to differentiate their practice so all children can be included in their activities. Your childs key person would discuss these strategies with other staff that were involved in the care of your child, so they can deliver the same care in their absence and alongside them. We have contact details for outside professionals so we can refer parents to them. We always talk to you before speaking to any of them and would not contact them without your permission. If parents would like support in contacting them, our SENCO will attend meetings with them. As the Manager is the nursery SENCO, she oversees all learning, development and care of all children with SEND or additional needs. She monitors their learning journeys termly and works closely with the childs key person to complete extended observations and SAAPPs. We assess your childs progress using the process outlined in question 1. We also complete the 2 year old Progress check and write a Transition Report for children moving to other settings or onto school. These summarise your childs learning and development and you will be asked to contribute to them. We have built strong relationships with the other preschools and nurseries in our area and meet regularly with them at networking meetings. As we have built positive relationships with them it makes sharing information about your child easy (with your permission). We speak informally on the phone to your childs key person and share our End of Term Achievements form with them. If necessary, we will visit other preschools and nurseries to collaborate with strategies to support your childs learning and development.

Our nursery has a strong focus on outdoor learning and the older children go out on the minibus most days. The younger children also takes occasional trips to local places. We will always make reasonable adjustments where possible in order to include children with SEND or additional needs. We have well qualified and trained staff who not only follow written risk assessments but also have the ability to risk assess a situation as it arises and discuss plans with each other on how to avoid risks. It is part of our practice to work in partnership with parents to decide when a child should start participating in minibus trips and often parents choose to delay this until their child has settled into nursery and staff have built an understanding of their child and their needs. We have previously put strategies in place to support a child who had a tendency to behave in an aggressive way towards other children on the minibus; staff ensured he either sat next to a member of staff or on one of the single seats as an initial solution. We have also used car seats supplied by parents to ensure the safety of their child.

Our aim is to liaise with you to identify if we can meet the needs of both you and your child. Where reasonably possible, we will make changes in collaboration with other services to make our service accessible to you and your child.

Parts of our nursery building are accessible to wheelchairs but the gravel car park and steps between rooms would prevent wheel chair access. We will always do our best to support you; we currently support a parent who uses a wheelchair by collecting/dropping off a child to and from their car in the car park.

We will complete a transition report to summarise your childs learning and development which we will share with their teacher along with their learning journey and any useful information we have that will help their teacher to understands their needs. As we have built strong relationships with local schools, we feel able to speak to teachers prior to some children starting school to prepare them for the particular needs of a child. If it is necessary and possible we will send staff on appropriate training prior to your child attending our nursery and the SENCO will gather relevant information about your childs SEND or additional needs, which she will share with your childs key person and all staff that will work with your child. The SENCO will ensure that any physical changes that need to be made to the environment will happen prior to your child starting and she will share planned strategies with staff to prepare them so your child receives consistency in care. We follow a Moving Rooms procedure which prepares your child and you for the change in environment; their key person and SENCO will ensure your childs new key person is informed of any SAAPPS in place and previous achievements by looking at your childs learning journey and discussing it. They will collaborate with you to ensure your child settles into the new room and continues to receive a good standard of care. We will communicate with other settings as outlined in question 6. We will communicate both verbally and in writing as described previously.

We like to feel that parents can communicate verbally with us regarding the effectiveness of our SEN provision and we will always act on what they tell us. However, we understand that not all parents are comfortable with this and regularly ask parents to complete questionnaires to tell us how we can improve. We also attend regular training courses to keep our knowledge of SEND and nursery policies and practice up to date.

Please phone the nursery and ask to speak to Sophie Bieny who is the nursery Manager and SENCO or email sophie@theoldfirestationnursery.co.uk .There are further details about our nursery at on the webiste or facebook page.

Staff are always available during the day to listen to parents. If our nursery Manager Sophie Bieny is not available, Sue Highet the owner will be able to pass on any messages or help answer any questions. Georgia is the settings deputy SENCO . Any compliments received, both verbally and in writing are shared with staff during one of our regular staff meetings or used in staff appraisals if they are specific to a staff member. We hope that we provide a positive and effective service but if you are unhappy with the information or service we offer you we can provide you with information on how to make a complaint to Ofsted. We inform parents of who they should approach as a first point of contact during their induction to the nursery, this also tells them who to contact in their absence. We hope that we provide a positive and effective service but if you are unhappy with the information or service we offer you, here is a copy of our Complaints Procedure: The Old Fire Station Nursery strives to provide a caring, happy and stimulating environment. If at any time our care falls below the standard a parent would expect of us, we would ask that parents immediately bring their complaint to the attention of the manager or deputy manager, who will attempt to resolve the problem. If this is unsuccessful Sue Highet will be informed, then together all parties will try to resolve the issue. All complaints will be dealt with promptly, in a confidential manner and will be treated very seriously. Complaints are recorded in writing and kept in our complaints folder. This information will be shared with the parents on request and we will ask parents to sign the documentation. We will always notify the complainants of the outcome within 28 days. Records will be kept in the complaints folder for three years. We hope that the matter can be dealt with quickly and to your satisfaction, but should you wish to take the matter further Telephone: 0300 123 1231 or write to: Ofsted, Piccadiliy Gate, Store Street, Manchester M12WD The Old Fire Station Nurserys unique reference number is RP901317 Ofsted have a duty to investigate any complaint where the premises or carer may no longer meet the requirements of the Childrens Act.