My Little Explorers Forest Nursery

Staff at My Little Explorers constantly observe children’s learning and development in line with the government’s Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). The EYFS helps us to monitor children’s development and support us to know which areas a child may be having difficulties with. Once a child has been identified as having difficulties in an area we complete the Solent NHS trust, Early years development checklist (Children’s therapy services) which gives a more detailed understanding of what their needs are and how best to support them.

Prior to starting parents/carers fill out an ‘All About Me’ form, detailing key information about their child to enable us to make any adaptions and to help the child settle smoothly and access the setting. Parents/carers are kept up to date with their child’s learning and development through our app “Nursery in a Box’. During drop off and pick up staff speak with them and pass on any messages or concerns. If support for specific needs is needed, parents/carers will be asked to join for a meeting at a time that suits them best.

The setting has a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) to support parents/carers and practitioners as well as making referrals to additional services where necessary. If needed ISSO surgeries are booked with the local area inclusion officer to help support the SENCo with identifying needs and knowing which next steps to take.

Staff at My little Explorers work together as a team and in partnership with families to support children. Each child is designated a key person who will build strong, nurturing relationships with the child and their family. They will support the child’s development and support the family with any concerns they have regarding their child’s development. The information may be used to plan individual learning experiences to promote children’s ongoing development. If appropriate an Individual Educational Plan (IEP) will be created, which outlines targets to support the child’s specific areas of need.

Depending on what age the child joins the nursery a baseline assessment or 2-year check will take place. The key worker will assess against the prime areas of the EYFS, highlight the child’s strengths, as well as look at the characteristics of effective learning and the child’s learning styles. This helps us to know what next steps we will be working on with the children and how we will support them. The key person is supported by the settings SENCo to provide guidance and additional support where necessary.

At My Little Explorers we hold the ‘unique child’ at the centre of our practice. We have a child- initiated approach and plan in the moment in response to children’s interests. Alongside this we plan themes for the week, based around the seasons and topics which arise from discussions about the world around us. Each child has differing needs and develop at different rates and it is through relationships with our practitioners that we get to know the children and how to support them best. Our curriculum is also support through Forest School Principles and we have a Level 3 trained Forest School leader who provides Forest School sessions. Members of staff are continuously observing and adapting the provision and activities to suit the children’s areas of needs and interests.

Children who have been identified as having additional needs may also be supported with an IEP or a personal risk assessment. These support the child with specific SMART targets in areas that have been identified for support. They are reviewed every 6-8 weeks to ensure the right actions are implemented to enable them to learn and develop.

‘Nursery in a box’ is our parent app that we use to communicate with parents. Daily updates are given in regards to food/nappies/sleep through the ‘Child Diaries’. At least every fortnight the child’s key person uploads an observation record into the ‘Child Journeys. This helps to build a learning journal of the child and what their interest and skills are. This is also used to inform planning and support staff to know which areas to focus on to support each individual child’s needs.  Parents are encouraged to add observations and ‘wow’ moments from home to help build a holistic picture of the child and what interest they may be having at home.

Approximately 8 weeks after attending the nursery children have a recorded baseline assessment which is shared with the parents (through the app). Parents are encouraged to write a comment and are invited in for a meeting if they want to discuss their child’s learning and development further.

Additional support is planned for and documented on IEPs and reviewed every 6-8 weeks. Parents are invited in to discuss children’s progress and set new targets in partnership. Families are welcome to meet with the setting’s managers/SENCos, as desired. And meetings are arranged if felt appropriate by the setting manager and SENCo.

The whole staff team are made aware of any relevant information through regular informal discussions and staff meetings every 6-8 weeks. 

Children’s personal social and emotional development is at the core of our practice at My Little Explorers. We believe in supporting children’s emotional well-being in order for them to thrive and succeed. We do this by forming strong relationships with the children through our key person system and keeping parents regularly updated with their child’s progress. Most of our provision is delivered in the outside environment and we allow children time and space to explore their interests. Dietary needs and preferences are respected, and necessary precautions and alternative foods are given to meet the individual child’s dietary needs and preferences.

Staff hold a variety of qualifications from apprenticeships to degree-level qualifications. We have 2 members of staff (Manager and one full time practitioner) who hold ‘Level 3 Forest School’ and ‘Outdoor Paediatric First Aid’.

As a member of the ‘Early Years Alliance’ we have access to Educare. All staff have individual logins and during staff meetings specific training is shared with staff to complete.

Once children’s needs are identified, we are able to access further relevant resources and make other necessary adaptations. We work alongside families to support and access different agencies.

We have a range of expertise at My Little Explorers and share knowledge through the team. Staff use ‘Makaton’ with the children daily to support communication. One member of staff has worked alongside Gina Davies and is trained in ‘Attention Autism’, they also have a good understanding of sensory regulation and schematic play. One staff member has completed the SENCo induction training.

We do not currently offer outings and trips off the premises. However, the trip to our ‘Big Woods’ is accessed through a public footpath. A separate risk assessment has been written for this purpose. We will assess through ‘risk benefit’ individual children to see if they will benefit from this experience.

At My Little Explorers we have a registration process where we find out about the child and their individual needs. Parents fill out an ‘All about me’ form to enable us to make any adaptions and to help the child settle smoothly and access the setting. Children are offered two ‘settling in’ sessions, which parents can choose to join alongside their child.

When children are preparing to move on, we share information with their families and new settings to support transition.  We encourage families to share children’s records with the new settings. If the children are moving on to school, we welcome school teachers into the setting to meet the children and we share relevant information.

We accept Early Years Education funding for eligible 2 year olds (15 hours per week) and all 3 and 4 year olds (15 hours per week for all children and 30 hours per week for eligible children). This is offered on offered on a stretched basis as we are open 50 weeks of the year (22.8 per week for 30 hours) and (11.4 for 15 hours). We can claim Early years Pupil Premium for eligible children.

When a child first starts at My Little Explorers we begin to identify children’s needs and how much support they will require. This is done through observations, discussions with parents and the filling out of the ‘All About me’ form. Children are allocated a key person who is responsible for the children’s learning and development. However, all staff will provide support for their learning. The SENCo works alongside the whole nursery team to provide further support for the children who require it and their key person. Support will vary depending on children’s individual needs and will be agreed as a whole team.

We value working in partnership with parents, recognising they know their children the best. Parents are able to book to meet with staff members at times that suit them best. Termly newsletters are sent home keeping families up to date with what we have been up to at Forest Nursery. Parents have access to the ‘Nursery in a Box’ app where they are updated regularly about what their children have been up to.