Hungerford Nursery School Centre for Children and Families

We use the Early Years Outcomes guidance as a tool to assess the extent to which a child is developing at expected levels for their age. We look at learning and development across the seven areas of learning - communication and language, physical, personal, social and emotional, literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and expressive art and design.

Where a child appears behind expected levels, or where progress gives a cause for concern we will involve parents right from the beginning. We build a relationship with you and develop a relationship quickly so that we can share children's progress in learning. We build a picture of your child through noticing, observing and taking time to ensure that each child is developed individually. 

We will inform you and involve you in any decisions that we make to call in other professionals, or adapt the curriculum for your child's needs. We will particularly consider with you information on Communication and Language, Physical Development and Social and Emotional. 

Children’s SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) are generally thought of in the following four broad areas of need:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, emotional and mental health
• Sensory and or physical needs

It is important that there is no delay in making any SEN provisions we will use the graduated approach to action, assess, plan, do, and review.

You should share your concerns with the child’s keyworker?

A keyworker is responsible for a group of children's learning and development.  Each child has their own key worker assigned to them. Your child's keyworker will be with you throughout your child's journey through the Nursery.

We have high ambitions and set stretching targets. We track progress towards these goals.

We recognise that each child is individual and will have different needs.   We will work with you to discover and learn about your child so that we can provide resources, equipment and support to meet their needs.

The keyworker and class teacher will plan your child's education programme together with yourself. We will agree outcomes in a Support and Achievement Play Plan (SAPP).This will define the steps your child needs to take in order to make progress.  The SEN Lead and SENCO will oversee this programme. 

We will monitor and review progress regularly. If we notice an area of need, we will work with you to address it and share ideas to help your child progress. We will build up a picture of your children through:

The Home Visit

Regular keyworker conversations with parents and carers

Observations and conversations with your child

Regularly reviewed Support and Achievement Play Plans. (SAPP)

We will recognise that each child is an individual and will have different needs. We will work with you to discover and learn about your child so that we can provide the best support to develop their independence.

We will do what is necessary to enable children to develop, learn, participate and achieve the best possible outcomes.

We will track progress using the Early Years Foundation Stage Outcomes. This sets out the learning and development stages for children as they grow from birth to five years.

Our knowledgeable staff will support and challenge your child, tailoring provision to your child’s need. 

We will use of a range teaching strategies to enable children to learn, for example, Visual timetable, Makaton, Sensory diets, Pecs, TEACHH approach in a way that is right for your child.

Staff are trained in Level 3 (Elklan) Language Development this includes the Headteacher, Teachers, Nursery Nurses and Teaching Assistants.

We will provide resources, equipment and staffing support to meet a child's needs.

We will provide a range of support according to the needs of your child. This may take the form of targeted support 1:1 or within small groups matched to your child's need.

It may take the form of supported play matched to your child's needs.

We will follow any recommended intervention programmes provided by professionals such as Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Physio Therapist.

Targeted support 1:1 or within groups matched to your child’s needs.

Targeted support within play matched to your child’s need appropriate equipment and resources to meet your child's needs.

We use the graduated approach (plan, do, review) to monitor progress. We will monitor and review progress regularly. If we notice an area of need, we will work with you to address it and share ideas to help your child progress. We will build up a picture of your children through this close liaison.

Together with the keyworker you are invited to contribute to your child's regularly reviewed Support and Achievement Play Plan(SAPP). We will set new targets together. 

Sometimes progress may be reviewed at Early Support meetings including you and all or any professionals that may be working with your child. 

The initial  home visit begins the conversation.

There are regular keyworker conversations and you can seek a conversation with staff to discuss progress.

Together with the keyworker you are invited to contribute to your child's regularly reviewed Support and Achievement Play Plan (SAPP).

We will track progress using the Outcomes for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

There are early support meetings with invitations to any professionals that are involved with your child.

There may be conversations and discussions with SENCO and SEN lead teacher.

The setting has a variety of ways to communicate with parents according to the needs of the child and the parents. We will be responsive to you and your child needs.

Together with the keyworker you are invited to contribute to your child's Support and Achievement Play Plan (SAPP) plan and their own Learning Journal.

We will invite you to attend any specialist training for your child alongside staff and offer you resources as appropriate from the Nursery to support your child.

We offer training on Makaton, anxiety, sensory awareness, positive relationships from a range of professionals.

We will use observations and conversations with your child.

We will use your observations and conversations you have with your child.

The setting reviews its SEN provision through discussions with parents on a regular basis.  Parents are invited to comment about their experiences.  The setting assesses the effectiveness of its provision through reviews and reports to governors. 

We monitor data and progress of children with SEN tracking.

Well- being is very important to us and we know that children need to feel safe, secure  and happy in order to learn. We want you and your child to have a sense of belonging to our community. We will work closely with you to promote the emotional and social development of your child.

We will do this through working with you to explore why your child is not conforming to normal behavioural expectations, and ensuring that your child has a consistency of approach, with clear boundaries. All staff have received training in positive behaviour. 

We have appropriate procedures for long term medical and short term medical conditions. 

We have appropriate procedures for the administration of medicines. 

We ensure that there is respectful help with personal care where this is needed, for example, help with toileting, eating etc. 

All specialist staff are from outside the setting.

We will use Educational Psychologists, Edit (Early Development Inclusion Team), Pre-school Teacher Counsellors, Behaviour Support Teachers, ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) Service, Speech and Language Therapist, Occupational Therapist or any other service that may help. 

When a need arises or is recognised by staff or yourself, we will work with you to seek involvement from our referrals to, other agencies and professionals.

We have access to Speech Therapy at drop-in sessions and an Educational Psychologist.

SENCO, SEND lead and all staff are knowledgeable and experienced in a wide range of additional needs and SEND.  Through awareness of current research, and attending courses we ensure that staff are confident and up-to-date in their knowledge about children with SEND.

We provide the following:

Staff training in house according to the needs of the children that are present in the Nursery

Staff attending relevant courses run by Local Authority, or relevant professionals, such as, Speech Therapist,  Educational Psychologist, or ASD Support Worker.

Regular staff meetings with a SEND focus for children present in the Nursery.

Staff are aware of the requirements of the Equality Act in relation to children with SEND.

We are a member of NASEN which provides support materials for children with SEN.

Staff are trained in Makaton, Sensory diets, Pecs, Teachh approach.

Staff have received training in ASD, anxiety, positive behaviour, sensory awareness.

Headteacher qualification in Autistic Spectrum Disorder. (BPhil Unit)

14 staff are trained in Language Development Level 3 (Elklan) this includes the Headteacher, Teachers, Nursery Nurses and Teaching Assistants.

We believe that every child should be included in activities and have a rich, range of experiences by making reasonable adjustments to provision. We endeavour to ensure that children with SEND are included in all activities and trips.

We endeavour to ensure that children with SEND are included in out-of-school activities and trips through the following:

• By seeking advice from you, and planning together for your child’s need.
• By working with you to manage risks.
• By having a positive approach to including all children in the full range of activities.

Our aim is to value and nurture everyone in our safe, stimulating and inclusive environment. Our Nursery is situated in a building with no stairs and is accessible to mobility aids and wheelchairs.  Share with us if your child needs additional provision within the environment so that we can seek advice to make changes if appropriate.

We are always looking to ways to improve our environment and make it more accessible.

We have an adjustable changing table and toilet facilities area.

We encourage you to share if you have a disability, so that we can communicate with you in the best way or make the environment accessible to you.

Share with us if your first language is not English, so that we can communicate with you in the best way

We try to make transition between home and Nursery, Setting and Nursery, or Nursery and school as smooth as possible for children and parents.  To do this we provide the following:

Home visits from Keyworker and Class Teacher.

Visits to the Nursery with parent/carer or any other relevant professional.

Early Support Meetings with relevant persons including parents, Professionals from other Agencies and Nursery Staff.

Early Support Transition Meetings with invitations send to all relevant persons involved with your child, including parents, Professionals from other Agencies, Nursery staff and the new settings staff.

We will offer supported visits for your child in the new setting by Nursery staff. Staff will be invited from new setting to visit Nursery. We may use other materials such as photograph books or the sharing of Social Stories. We will share Support and Achievement Play Plans with a new setting.

Early Support Transition Meetings with invitations sent to all relevant persons involved with your child, including parents, Professionals from other Agencies, Nursery staff and the new settings staff.

Supported visits in the new setting from Nursery staff and invitations to new staff to visit child in Nursery. We will suggest to the new setting that it makes available photograph books books for your child, share current Support and Achievement Play Plans and share any reports from other professionals.

Early Support Transition Meetings with invitations sent to all relevant persons involved with your child, including parents, Professionals from other Agencies, Nursery staff and the new settings staff to share information.

We will share Support and Achievement Play Plans with a new setting and any other reports on child's progress.

We will share reports from other professionals that have been involved with your child.

Our Nursery staff will support your child when they undertake visits at a new setting. We will offer invitations to new staff to visit your child in the Nursery. We will share any photograph books that we are provided with by the new setting and also share social stories with your child to prepare them for the change.

If you wish to discuss something about your child before they start please contact the Headteacher.

If you wish to discuss something about your child after they start please discuss with your child’s keyworker, or SEND lead teacher or Headteacher (SENCO).

In addition you may find the following useful:

Our Family Support Worker is available from our co-located Family Centre.

Information is provided to parents about voluntary agencies and support groups 

We are open to feedback from parents/carers.  We encourage you to tell us when it is going well and also how we can improve our provision for you and your child – we are always ready to listen.