Elm Cottage Day Nursery - Crescent Park

Local Offer

Description

At Elm Cottage Crescent Park we welcome all children into our setting and have a positive attitude towards Special Educational Needs and Disability. The designated person within the setting responsible for coordinating SEND is Kate Jackson. We currently do not have any children on Early Years Action Plus, however have a number of children who require some extra support with regard to communication and behaviour so we have developed Individual Education Plans (IEP’s) for these children. These plans provide targeted activities and strategies to support their development. The plans are developed alongside the parents and in some cases strategies/targets will also be determined for the home environment, to help promote consistency of care.  

Staff are fully supported by the manager and the SEND coordinator of the setting and encouraged to participate in training courses around SEND. Staff have an excellent knowledge of the children in their care and will bring any concerns to the attention of the SEND coordinator. If a child has specific additional needs or disabilities then the practitioners caring for the child will be consulted and fully supported in meeting specified targets or assisted in making routine or room adaptions if required. As a setting we are confident in identifying additional needs and contacting the appropriate agencies and in the past we have had the privilege of working with portage, occupation therapists, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists and behaviour support specialists. We feel confident when accessing these agencies and understand which agencies to call on for support.

When children first join the setting we ensure transition is smooth and that there is lots of communication between parents and practitioners regarding their needs, abilities and development. Children and families are offered home visits upon starting at Elm Cottage and during this time documents are completed and parents are requested to inform the setting of any additional or specific needs or disabilities the child may have, or any additional support the child/family may have received in the past. With regard to transition when children leave the setting, we always ensure a summary report of their development is forwarded to their next setting/school. When appropriate, copies of children’s IEP’s have been included within the information passed onto new settings. Please note parental consent is required to release this information.

As a setting we will always endeavour to meet the individual needs of children and will make reasonable adjustments to make this possible. We have a number of children in the setting with English as an additional language and visual flashcards have proved extremely useful in supporting their understanding of the daily routine, as well as providing the child with a way in which to express their needs and wants. In the preschool this year we have also had two children with glue ear which has caused dulled hearing. To support their needs staff ensured that these children were always spoken to face to face and that during group times they were given the opportunity to sit near the front. Equipment and resources are available such as multicultural stories, stories that reflect ethnic homes or disabilities to promote diversity. 

On occasions children have been with us a while at nursery and as they have grown and developed an additional need has become apparent. Qualified and experienced staff are aware of children’s individual abilities and development through observation and tracking.  Staff make observations daily regarding children’s progress and development and are aware of any changes in behaviour or developmental skills. This often flags up identified needs. Staff members will then conduct long observations on the children and parents will be invited in to discuss their child’s development and our observations if there is an identified need. Practitioners would then meet on a regular basis with the parents to support them and seek help from outside agencies if needed. Logs of meetings are recorded as are next steps to support the child and family. If an IEP is developed then this is reviewed termly and then continued or altered depending on the outcome. IEPs are provided for both home and nursery.

We strive to have positive partnership with all families who access our setting and will always endeavour to support children and their parents to the best of our ability. We will always make time to meet with parents to discuss their child’s progress and ensure that they feel supported and that any strategies put into place are consistent between home and nursery.

Contact Name

Kate Jackson

Contact Telephone

0161 443 2228

Contact Email

sarahparrottelmcottage@gmail.com

Local Offer Age Bands

Early Years (0-4 years)