Woodside Nursery School

Before your child starts you will have an induction with the Manager and the child’s Key Person. All children attending the nursery are observed on their learning and development and have a ‘Tapestry’ online learning journal to track and celebrate their progress and achievements. After your child has been at nursery for 6 weeks your key person will arrange a meeting to discuss how your child has settled and agree on targets to be set in accordance with the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) curriculum. There is always daily opportunity to speak to staff and in the Baby and Toddler room a daily report goes home and in the Pre-school department they have a whiteboard that they write on daily to inform staff what activities they have had on offer. A two year old Progress check is completed and shared with you and any concerns raised will be fully discussed with you. There are termly parents’ evenings in the pre-school department and two meetings whilst your child is in Baby and Toddler room. We have a SENCo (Special Education Needs Coordinator) to help support your child. We have a wealth of experience in childcare and child development and can offer advice as well as tried and trusted strategies to help you and your child through any difficulties or problems. We are able to liaise with outside agencies if your child needs more complex or specialised input and will work with them to help provide the best possible care whilst your child attends our nursery.

Your child’s Key Person along with advice from the SENCo and Manager will meet with you to discuss the step we need to take to best support you and your child. This may also involve input from any outside agencies already known to you regarding your child. Your child’s Key Person will already have made observations and monitored their progress and shared this with you. An SEN Support Plan or Behaviour Plan will be put together by all who are involved with your child. This will contain carefully thought out targets and detailed information as to how those targets will be achieved. We will work closely with our area INCo (Inclusion coordinator) using a ‘child of concern form’ and you as parents/carers will be fully involved in every step and decision that is made.

All activities are planned around your child’s interests and will support your child’s learning and development at a pace and level that is appropriate for them. Regular observations and tracking will enable your child’s Key Person to match the curriculum to your child’s individual needs at any time and be able to adapt them if needs be, this will be reflected in their IEP and key person planning. The SENCo will support you child's Key Person in their planning and tracking for your child. The level of support your child needs to explore and investigate their enriched learning environment will be carefully monitored and one to one support provided if and when needed. If your child attends another setting we will liaise with their key person both verbally and through a contact book. This will enable us to coordinate your child’s learning and development so they have continuity. We are a Makaton practising nursery in all departments. If your child is receiving specialist support from outside agencies i.e Speech and Language Therapy, Portage, Occupational Therapy we will liase with them for specific targets for your child. 

We have regular meetings with parents throughout their time in each department. Babies and toddlers have daily reports to take home and pre-school have a daily board that they write on to inform you about the pre schools day. Key persons are always available to talk to either at drop off or pick up times. It will be your child’s Key Person’s responsibility to observe and track your child’s progress and keep you informed regularly. This will run alongside an IEP and these will be reviewed, with you and your child every six weeks. At these meetings new targets will be set and agreed by all involved. All children have a 'Tapestry' online learning journal which contains both written and photographic observations together with examples of your child’s creative work. There is also a tracking sheet (a guide of where a child ‘should be’ developing) which is there to help monitor your child’s progress. This will be shared with you at regular intervals and are always available for you to look at and contribute to.

Your child’s Key Person will be the main person responsible for your child’s overall well being. They will plan and track your child’s progress and take care of their day to day needs. If your child is on any medication then we will get together with you and complete a continuous medication plan. We will administer other medication if it is needed with written parental/carer’s consent. All staff are first aid trained and would receive specialist if needed i.e. Epipen or Diabetic training. We are a fully inclusive setting and have policies in place to support behaviour, Special Educational needs and disabilities. Your child would also be supported by our SENCo and Area Inclusion Officer. Behaviour plans are put in place if necessary and we use various strategies such as sand timers, stop cards, visual timetables and visual reward incentives. Daily risk assessments are carried out both inside and out to ensure your child’s safety and toys are cleaned and checked weekly. The baby and toddler departments have sleep rooms and both are sound and video monitored with staff checking them every 10 minutes. All our staff are DBS (Disclosure and Barring service) checked and we regularly attend safeguarding training and updates. We have a Safeguarding officer on site who takes overall responsibility along with the Manager.

All our key persons have undertaken level 3 in Early Years Child Care and Education. Our SENCo has completed Inclusion training and regularly attend SENCo support meetings. In the pre school department the children have the opportunity to go to our daily run language group which helps with speech and language and concentration difficulties. As a nursery we have gained a wealth of knowledge with the children who have attended with various needs and disabilities. All our staff have attended Makaton training at different levels and it is used daily in each department. We can call upon support from various outside agencies including Portage, Speech and Language, Local Sure Start Children’s centres and specialist medical teams if needed.

As previously mentioned all of our staff confidently use Makaton in each department. Our SENCo has attended Inclusion training, Speech and language training and behaviour training which enables them to support staff, children and families in these areas. Staff have also attended several in- service training sessions including Behaviour management, ‘I can talk’ training (a speech and language programme) and various medical inclusion training. We would work closely with you as parents and any outside agencies to learn any specific skills that may be needed to support your child’s needs whilst they attend our nursery. Our SENCo has also attended Keep On Talking Training, which has been cascaded down throughout the nursery. Lots of our staff also regularly attend training sessions at Riverside School, these include training on Autism and behaviour.

Trips and outings only take place once your child is in Pre-school and all parents will be asked to sign a consent form. A risk assessment is carried out before the trip or outing takes place and this would include any specific needs your child may have and all staff will be made aware of anything that needs to be put into place so your child can fully access the chosen area. On trips and outings the staff to child ratio is higher and one to one for your child can be put in place if necessary. Each member of our staff is first aid trained. The children are prepared for the outings before hand so they know what to expect and what is expected of them. Parents will always have prior knowledge of a trip or outing taking place via email, newsletters or clearly placed signs in the department.

Each department is on one level and can be adapted for wheelchair access, although there are steps to get to the main building. In each department there are clear visual prompts showing timetables and routines. Each department has toilets and nappy changing facilities. The baby room has a comfortable area that can be used for mothers that are breast feeding. There are areas around the nursery that can be used for small group work or if staff from outside agencies need to work one to one with a child. We will assist and accommodate your child if they need or are recommended specialised equipment.

You will be invited in to the department your child is starting in and introduced to all the staff and your child’s key person. During this meeting you will have the opportunity to talk about your child at length and the key person will make clear and concise notes. Taster sessions then follow so your child can visit prior to them starting. An ‘All about me ‘is also given out that is completed by you and your child before they start. Any documents/information will be completed before your child starts and if staff need any specific medical training this will be arranged before your child’s start date. For the transition to school, arrangements would be made for your child’s class teacher to visit pre-school and meet your child and have the opportunity to chat with the key person. If a more formal meeting is needed then that is something we will arrange, inviting you and all other professionals involved in your child’s care, including our SENCO and your child’s key person. If it is felt that your child needs extra help at school then during this meeting an Inclusion Partnership Agreement (IPA) will be completed with input from everyone attending the meeting.

We are able to apply for funding that can help to support your child’s needs. This support can be in the form of specialist equipment, toys or more focused help from the key person. We also have a sensory tent and resources to use alongside. We also have a good collection of visual prompts that can be used to help your child to reach their full potential.

We will always work together with you and other professionals that maybe involved with your child. Your child’s key person would carry out observations of your child and from them, and input from you we would make a decision about the level and type of support your child will need. The key person and SENCO would then write an SEN Support Plan, which will be regularly reviewed, updated and shared with you. If your child attends another setting then regular communication will take place between each of your child’s key persons to ensure that there is continuity for your child.

Each department has regular meetings with parents to discuss your child’s achievements and progress. You will always be invited to contribute to your child’s learning and development and help to set next steps/targets for your child to work towards. We have regular stay and play days where you can come in for an hour during a session and join in the activities. If parents/ carers or grandparents have a specific skill or age appropriate profession (nursing, cooking or dentist for example) we would be very happy for you to come in and share with the children. Regular newsletters are sent out and annual questionnaires are distributed which give you the opportunity to comment on the nursery’s performance.