Bushy Leaze Nursery School

Many children placed at Bushy Leaze are already known to have SEND and are working with other professionals. Each child has a key person who monitors their progress and from time to time, their observations and assessments may identify that a mainstream child requires some extra help. We work in partnership with parents/carers to identify any need for additional support as quickly as possible, whilst acknowledging that our children are very young and develop at different rates. We have an open door policy and welcome and encourage parents to discuss any concerns they may have with us.

• Bushy Leaze nursery staff are experienced practitioners with relevant training in supporting children with additional needs.
• The SENCo oversees specific support for individual children; liaising with parents, your child’s key person, and other professionals such as speech and language therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists or Specialist Teacher Advisors.

Bushy Leaze can offer additional support in the following ways: -

• High staff ratio for SEN children
• Additional means of supporting communication – visual support; Makaton; PECS
• Additional resources – Sensory Room and Soft Playroom
• SEND Parenting support
• Targeted groups, including Bushy Tales, communication and language group for children under 3

We believe that every child is unique, and we support their development through planned play and experiences both indoors and outdoors. These are linked to each individual child’s stage of development, individual needs and interests.

• Bushy Leaze has an open-door policy. Your child’s keyperson and the SENDCo are available to discuss any concerns you may have about your child’s progress. 
• Your child’s learning is recorded through observations, anecdotal notes, and photographs in their individual learning journal on Tapestry.
• The individual needs of children requiring additional support are recorded on Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These are shared with you and reviewed together at termly meetings. Your child will work regularly on IEP targets to ensure progress is being made. 
• We believe that learning at home is important and work in partnership with parents and carers, providing information, and sharing strategies and top tips to use at home.

• Bushy Leaze staff can administer medicines with your consent. For the administration of some medicines, key nursery staff will receive appropriate training and an Individual Care Plan will be written in with you.
• Medical Alert’ sheets detail key information about your child’s specific medical needs and are shared with all nursery staff so procedures are in place. A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) will be put in place if your child would have specific difficulties during an emergency situation.
• Our trained Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSA) can provide additional individual support for emotional wellbeing.
• Our family support team can work with the whole family when additional emotional support might be needed

• We work closely with other professionals or specialists who may also be involved with your child. These include Speech Therapists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Specialist Teacher Advisors, Mobility Officers and Educational Psychologists, all of whom make regular visits to the nursery.
• Our Family Support Workers can support individual families who may be experiencing challenges with their child at home.

• Our staff are trained to level 3 or above in childcare and education. The nursery SENCo is a Qualified Teacher with additional training and experience in supporting children with SEND.
• Additional support for developing children’s communication skills is provided by staff using Makaton signing, symbols, the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), and/or an in-house language toolkit called ‘WellComm.
• The SENDCo keeps up to date with any changes or reforms for supporting children with SEND and shares this information with staff and parents.

At Bushy Leaze we like to go out and about, exploring our local area.  We will:

• Ask you to give consent for your child to participate in local walks and keep you informed of any planned trips.
• Ensure adequate staffing is arranged and risk assessments are completed.
• Use specialist equipment, where needed, to ensure all children can take part.

• Bushy Leaze is located in a single story building which is wheelchair accessible. There are changing facilities and a disabled toilet for children. 
• The nursery has five inside learning spaces, all of which have access to the outdoor area. The whole environment is planned and organised to be as accessible as possible for all children.
• If necessary, we will carry out an audit of our resources and environment or take advice from Specialist Teacher Advisors and from you. Every effort is made to make reasonable adjustments and changes to our environment where possible.
• Some specialist furniture and resources can be supplied for use in the nursery.

Prospective parents and children with SEND attending Bushy Leaze are invited to visit the nursery.  On allocation of a SEND place the following arrangements are made:-

• Visit by the SENDCo to your child’s present setting and/or a home visit.
• Liaison with other professionals who may already be involved with your child e.g. Portage.
• Sharing of Induction information and completion of ‘All About Me’ booklet during your child’s home visit.
• Invitation for you and your child to ‘Stay and Play’ with us and/or attend our SEN Saturday group, Little Squirrels.

• When it is time for children to move onto school, a transition package will be put in place. 

  Staff from Year R classes come to meet children at Bushy Leaze and the children have the opportunity to visit their new schools. Children leave Bushy Leaze with their ‘Learning Journal’ and an end of year transition report, ready for their next adventure in learning.

• Most children on a SEND placement go on to attend mainstream school. Additional transition planning will be put in place to support this.
• If your child has more complex needs, a ‘Transition Partnership Agreement’ (TPA) may be appropriate. The TPA incorporates person centred planning principles to ensure continuity of learning at school transition. 
• When a need is identified for specific support in mainstream school or for a more specialist school provision, we support you through the process of statutory assessment for the EHC (Education, Health, Care) Plan.
• Invitation to our SEND nursery induction sessions before your child starts. This is an opportunity for you and your child to meet the nursery staff and discuss settling in arrangements.

Our well trained, experienced staff ensure all children receive the support they need at the times they need it. They can include quality first teaching, interventions and support from other professionals.

Parents and staff identify the needs of each child and use this as a starting point to plan their learning journey. Any necessary referrals to other professionals will be made as part of this process. For some children this could include an Individual Education Plan. This details the specific targets they need to be working on and how the team will support them to work on these. These are regularly reviewed and updated.

Parents know their children best. We carry out a home visit for every child before they start and get to know the family. We have an open door policy where parents/carers are welcome to speak informally on a daily basis with nursery staff and our SENDCo.  More formal meetings can usually be arranged at short notice. Parents/carers are invited in termly to discuss their child’s progress and the parents of any child with an Individual Education Plan have a half termly meeting with their child’s key person and/or SENDCo to review this.

Regular updates are posted via our online learning journey – Tapestry, for parents to access. Where appropriate, Annual Reviews are held to evaluate the provision in place for children who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). We also encourage all parents to become involved in nursery life through parent workshops, volunteering and joining our Friends of Bushy Leaze (PTA).