Little Acorns Nursery - Hedge End 509573
- Offering services to:
- Children 0-5
- Primary school aged children
- Supporting people with:
- Activities for children and young people
- Carescheme type:
- Day nursery
Who to contact
- Telephone
- 01489 795860 01489 795860
- littleacornshedgeend@hotmail.co.uk
- Website
- Little Acorns Nursery Hedge End
- Scan to visit this website
Where to go
- Address
-
19 St. Johns Road
Hedge End
Southampton
Hampshire
- Postcode
-
SO30 4AF
View SO30 4AF on a map
Availability
- Age Ranges
-
5 to 8 years
0 to 5 years
Childcare Information
Funded Places
- Offers 3 & 4 year old funded places
- Yes
- Offers 2 year old funded places
- Yes
Opening Times & Facilities
- Opening Times
-
Opening Times Day Opening Time Closing Time Monday 07:30 18:00 Tuesday 07:30 18:00 Wednesday 07:30 18:00 Thursday 07:30 18:00 Friday 07:30 18:00
Local Offer
- How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?
Each child is allocated a Keyperson and this member of staff builds up a relationship with not only the child, but also the child’s parents/carers. At Little Acorns we use ‘Tapestry’ to track children’s development. We use Makaton and language groups to support children who have English as an additional language and those children who need support with language development. If your child is identified and needing extra support, the Keyperson, Room Manager and the SENCO will work closely with you to support your child. The Senco will put together an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) with your input and that of the person who knows them best in Nursery; their Keyperson. The IEP runs alongside the EYFS curriculum planning to support your child’s additional needs, and are small targets to support development. Outside agencies such as Speech and Language, Portage, Physiotherapy etc, who are identified as someone who can help your child, will be contacted with your consent. We would discuss with you the frequency we would expect the outside agencies to visit your child at nursery or see you at home, and also keep you informed of what we will be doing at the nursery to help support your child. You would be made aware of any activities that we were doing and the reasons why and if there was anything you could do at home to support their progress. The Manager of the setting would also be informed and be involved in all decisions.
- How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?
At Little Acorns each child is treated as an individual and because each child is different, they have their own learning style. Each child has two to three next steps each half term and from these individual activities are planned to support their progress at their own pace. Little Acorns work in partnership with parents/carers who have an input into these next steps. We use the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS) as a guide for children’s development. Little Acorns also use Individual Education Plans (IEPS) and Behaviour plans to support children who have additional needs and the Keyperson, the SENCO and the child’s parents/carers complete these together. These are small targets, which will be used to support your child’s development, such as physical, social and cognitive development and provide the Keyperson with activities, which will help the child’s area of need. Reasonable adjustments will also be made to resources to enable children to progress.
- How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?
At Little Acorns, we pride ourselves on our parental partnership. We have a ‘parent mail’ that send emails to you on a regular basis, informing you of events, newsletters, Home learning activities and parent evenings. We also have facebook for our parents/carers only, that is updated daily, on what we have been doing in our rooms. We appreciate how important it is that you get to know us, so our door is always open for stay and plays, parental involvement and just a general chat. We know that parents are a child’s first teacher so we involve you in next steps for your child, and invite you to take, and share observations on ‘Tapestry’. We have full handovers every evening and for those children under one year old a daily written sheet. We have Parents evenings throughout the year and parents/carers are involved in setting next steps. The individual room teams’ hold regular room meetings to discuss all aspects of their job, including your children, to harness each other’s expertise and knowledge if they have a concern. The whole Nursery has termly staff meetings, which are always child centred and based around any training that staff may have requested/been identified. Ultimately, we value each child and their family and always listen to your views. Parents give us as much information about their child before they start including routines and interests.
- What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?
Little Acorns offers: • A dedicated Keyperson who is your first point of contact to discuss your child’s progress. • Flexible and adaptable activities and resources. • Risk assess environment and adapt if needed and where possible. • Digital learning journeys for instant updates on your child’s progress and the ability to also make observations for us. • Support from a trained staff force and SENCo who attend regular meetings to reinforce knowledge • Support from outside agencies as required, with parental consent. • Staff trained in safeguarding and who have up to date DBS certificates • Staff who hold first aid at a paediatric level • IEP’s (individual education plans) for every child with an additional need • Behaviour plans to support achieving positive behaviour • Policies in place to support children with additional needs. These are cascaded to all staff and parents and reviewed/updated yearly. • Parent Mail • Prescribed medications can be administered with parental consent. • Language groups are held to support children with language and social skills and to help self confidence. • Seamless transitions to new settings. Children have an input into planning and risk assessments.
- What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?
At Little Acorns Day Nursery we have 18 members of staff. Staff members are fully qualified in childcare up to level 3 (or training to do so). One member who has BA Honours Degree and One has a Foundation Degree, with one member working towards a degree. One of our members is Forest School trained. Most are first aid trained, and have attended safeguarding training of some description (The 2 Child Protection Officers are trained to advanced level, the rest of the staff have either attended intermediate level training or in house training). Manager & SENCO are fully SENCO trained and experienced. Two members of staff have attended Makaton training (a signing method of communication, supported by spoken language,) with the rest of the staff having an understanding of Makaton as full nursery training was delivered by a Makaton trained Area Inclusion coordinator and this is used as part of everyday nursery life. We have regular communication with the Area Inclusion Coordinator, Speech and Language and access to other outside agencies such as Portage, Physiotherapy and EMTAS (Ethnic minority and Traveller achievement service) .
- What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?
Makaton is used throughout the nursery and all staff have a basic understanding of this. All Staff have attended Speech and Language training at the nursery delivered by a local Speech and Language Therapist assistant. (SALTA). The Nursery SENCO has attended SENCO induction training and Induction Plus. She also attends regular SENCO meeting to ensure the nursery is up to date with their practice. She is also trained in Behaviour Management. The Nursery Manager as well as a Degree and many years SENCO experience, has attended SENCO induction and Induction plus and Physical Intervention Training. We are also part of ECAT- Every Childs A Talker and have a trained member in this area. We will seek additional staff training for any specific needs.
- How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?
>At Little Acorns Day Nursery we go on walks in the local community and visit parks, train stations and libraries. A first aider is always present on a walk and if your child has medication such as an inhaler this is taken when out on the walk. Risk assessments are completed prior to every outing. We will ensure all necessary equipment is taken and that the venue that we are visiting is suitable for all of our children. Parents give consent to outings on Little Acorns child profile forms when your child starts. Depending on their need, children will have a plan in place for the outing and their needs will be measured. Staff to Child ratios will be set to ensure the safety and needs of all the children.
- How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?
The main door has a very small threshold that you need to step over/ push prams over. Main Pre-School area is on one fully accessible level, there are steps down to Toddler room and up to Baby Room. There is one small step out to a level large fully enclosed garden. Throughout the nursery activities are set up at different levels (floor, table, walls) so all children can take part in the different activities on offer and choose what they wish to play with. Sinks and toilets for child use are low level child height. We assess every child’s needs and adapt our environment as necessary wherever possible.
- How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?
Little Acorns invite new children and families to attend settling sessions before they start to support the child’s settling into nursery. These sessions allow an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s Keyperson, which in time will settle the child when the parents decide to leave them. The nursery offers Home Visits to give the child an opportunity to see the Keyperson in their home environment. When children move to a new room the Keypersons do the settling in visits and handover sheets are completed. For children who will be attending school, a transition plan is put in place and school teachers come and visit your child at the nursery. Letters are sent to the schools, with parental consent, giving the new teacher an opportunity to appreciate the child. We have uniform for dressing up and books about starting school for story time. Transition meetings are held with the school should it be deemed that a more complex handover is required. Story books about starting school are routinely read. A Keyperson will attend one of the settling in sessions at their new school. School routines are talked about. We also look at the school websites on our nursery computers so the children can visualise the school and their new surroundings. Parents input are valued and you too are asked for an account to write on the school reports. Transition reports are sent to new settings and Tapestry is transferred.
- How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?
Any Funding is based upon each child’s individual needs and the money would be spent where an outside agency, the Nursery and parent has advised/agreed. This could be for resources, one to one staffing, specialist equipment, additional training any adaptations required. Little Acorns has 3 different rooms that provide care for different aged children; Baby Room, Toddler Room and Pre-School Room. All of the equipment is age and stage appropriate within these rooms and equipment can be shared, if it were deemed appropriate for a child in another room.
- How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?
Your child’s keyperson will make observations and with the SENCO and Manager, will make a decision on whether your child will benefit from additional support. Parental permission will be sought beforehand. The extra support is applied for. An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is written for the child with parental input. This is reviewed over a term to learn what impact the support has had on your child and their development, and what should be put in to place next. Advise may also be sought from the Area INCO(Inclusion Coordinator) with parents’ permission, about the support that may be required. Funding may be secured for children with additional needs when an application is approved by Services for Young Children (Hampshire County Council).
- How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?
Here at Little Acorns we believe parents are just as important as the children we look after and that it is vital that parents are involved as much as possible. We offer play and stay sessions that can be booked in with your child’s keyperson. This gives you the opportunity to come into the setting and spend some time and get to see what your child is doing. At Little Acorns we run a Dad’s Club on the first Saturday of the month and it is open to all Dads/male carers. This is free for children who attend the nursery and is a nice way for Dads to meet other Dads and to see what sort of activities their children do at nursery. We also do a MADS Club, as above but also mums/female carers are welcome. Little Acorns Day Nursery also holds regular events for parents to come in such as Mothers Day picnic’s, Pre-School leavers party and Summer BBQ In the Pre-School room we hold annual Christmas Nativity that all Pre-School children are involved in and parents come to watch these. A regular newsletter is sent out, which explains to parents what has been happening in each of the rooms and details of upcoming events. We also use parent mail and Facebook to communicate with our families. When your child’s Tapestry is updated you will receive an email so that you can log on and see the observation, which will sometimes include videos/photographs.
- Offering services to:
- Children 0-5
- Primary school aged children
- Supporting people with:
- Activities for children and young people
- Carescheme type:
- Day nursery
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Last Updated: 14 March 2024