Sure Start Whitley is an established 62 place day nursery situated in the south of Reading. The nursery provides care for 0–5-year-olds between the hours of 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, 51 weeks of the year. Our offer is flexible, with the option of 5 or 10 hour sessions. Our nursery supports 2 and 3 year old funding and the 30 hour funding offer. There is an opportunity for extra sessions in holiday periods.

We employ a high percentage of qualified staff, and some practitioners are trained to a degree level. We also have several staff who are trained/training in the Level 3 SENCo Award. All staff in our setting are trained in paediatric first aid. The nursery has also achieved it’s Level 1 Early Years Inclusion Award.

Our pedagogy

• Developing harmonious relationships
• A focus on family life, culture and experiences
• A spiral curriculum to deepen knowledge
• Support of all children’s individual needs
• A generous learning environment with first hand experiences
• Play is an integral part of children’s learning
• An embedded practice of observing, assessing and teaching to ensure children learn over time

Updated January 2024

There are many ways that we can identify children who may require additional support and a combination of these are explored alongside parents. We understand that parents are their children’s first educators and that the knowledge of their child is valuable for creating a supportive learning environment.

Induction

Upon allocation of spaces, parents are invited in for induction. This is an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s key person and share information on their development. This is our time to listen and relationships can start to form between the setting and home. We ask parents to complete a developmental questionnaire that may highlight some questions for parents to ask us as professionals. During this initial visit time we can establish if the family and the child has English as an additional language. The key person would then liaise with the family to explore this and ask the family to share any key words in the child’s home language to enable better communication with the child whilst at nursery.

Healthy child programme

The practitioners in our setting actively encourage parents to participate in their child’s 9 month and 2 year old review and will provide a summary of the child’s development to share at the review. The purpose of the reviews are to check on the child’s development, highlight their strengths, discuss any concerns and it is an opportunity for parents to ask questions. We ask that all parents share the outcome of the review with their child’s key person. Our practitioners will ask parents for a copy of the review to add to the child’s learning journey so we can all work together in the best interests of the child.

Key person

Each child has a key person who is responsible for their care and learning whilst they attend the setting. All key persons have a good understanding of child development and are provided with tools to monitor children including observing their development and behaviour. A key person will ensure a two way flow of information between the setting and home, discussing children’s strengths, interests, achievements and any potential concerns.

Monitoring tools

Key persons monitor the progress of all children using the Early Years Outcomes as guidance. Parents are asked for a contribution to their child’s learning every 6 weeks and practitioners provide support on how parents can continue this learning at home. Key persons use their knowledge of a child’s development to provide valuable teaching opportunities. Children are observed and assessed and teaching then takes place when the child is engaged, and the practitioner feels they call add value to the child’s experience and learning. If a practitioner is concerned about a child’s progress they will speak to the parents and gain consent to seek further advice from our settings SENCo.

SENCo

The SENCo is a Special Educational Needs Coordinator. They have many years’ experience teaching and caring for children under 5 years. The SENCo also attends specialist training to provide high quality support to children, families and practitioners. When a concern is presented, the SENCo will speak to the key person and carry out an observation, with parental consent, in order to provide strategies to support the child, which they will model to the practitioners. Where necessary, the SENCo will create and individual education plan for the child which notes the strategies that will be implemented to support the child’s development.

Other professionals

The nursery has established good relationships with other professionals who specialise in the development of young children. If we feel a child would benefit from another professionals expertise we speak to the parent/carers and with consent, make a referral to that service.

Key person communication

Key persons communicate with parents daily at the start and end of each session. We also plan meetings to discuss a child’s progress at the end of each term and when implementing and reviewing new strategies to support a child. We encourage parents to request further meetings an any time that they wish to discuss their child development further. Parents are listened to and included in all decisions which impact their child.

SENCo communication

The SENCo will maintain communication with the parents to share strategies and parents and encouraged to carry these out at home as well as being actively involved in the review process. With parents, the SENCo will make a judgement when the opinion of a professional is required to ensure that the child’s needs are met.

A staggered approach to learning

Where progress is less than expected the SENCo, key person and parent all contribute to an individual education plan (IEP) which has a clear set of outcomes for the child. The SENCo leads on a staggered approach to the EYFS to ensure children’s targets are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and have a timescale for review. Advice and strategies from other professionals are referred to when devising the individual education plan. The plan is reviewed at least once termly and more frequently if the child is progressing quickly or a change in support is required.

We use many different teaching strategies which are tailored to suit the individual child. Some of these strategies, such as the attention autism programme are part of our universal service for all children

Here are a few examples; 

Using PEC cards

Practice intensive interactions

Using a visual timetable

Modelling language

Using a now and next board

White board picture cards to aid routine instruction, such as snack time

Sensory circuits

Motivational stickers and toys

Attention Autism programme

Intervention groups

Sensory exploration

Additional adult support (one to one and external professionals) 

Support from external professionals

If a child is being supported by external professional, i.e. speech and language therapist, they are invited in to the setting to work one to one with that child following parental consent. This gives the professional an opportunity to observe the child in the nursery environment and enables them to model strategies and provide recommendations to practitioners.

Education, health and care plans

Some children with special educational needs may require an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP). The SENCo will communicate with parents regarding this and gain consent to proceed with the application. The SENCo will gather evidence from the nursery setting and other professionals to add to the application. Where necessary, external professions may be invited into the setting in order to produce an updated report to contribute to the application. Once complete, the application is submitted to the SEND team and local authority who then have 11 weeks to accept or decline the application. If the application is accepted, the local authority will proceed with assessment and will ask external professional for supporting reports. If successful, an EHCP draft will be drawn up and at this time parents and professionals have the opportunity to request any changes or submit updated information. Following the draft stage, the local authority will draw up the final EHCP, which is shared with parents and all necessary professionals. This is a legal document which must be followed in order to best support the child and their needs. Declined applications can be appealed and resubmitted. The nursery will support parents with this, should they wish to proceed.

Inclusion panel

With parental consent, applications can be made to the inclusion panel to request further support for a child. The SENCo will complete and application which highlights the child’s strengths, their areas of need, current support strategies and a proposal of further additional support required. Parents are encouraged to contribute towards the application. The application is then submitted to a panel who will discuss the child’s needs and decide on the additional support that will be offered.

Resources budget

The nursery has a budget for resources and will often spend this on equipment which targets current areas of development. Parents who are in receipt of Disability Living allowance can provide consent to the nursery to request additional funding from the Disability access fund. This is a one off payment of £828 which is used to support the child’s areas of need.

Other support

The manager and SENCo can support families to access additional support such as charities, family workers, and training. The SENCo is available to attend appointments with parents should support be required, such as paediatric assessments, CAMHS assessments or transition visits to other settings.

A child’s progress will be reviewed half termly, and parents are actively encouraged to take part with this review. The key person will plan and teach in the moment for children, following the child’s IEP and our spiral curriculum method. The key person will have regular conversations with parents regarding the child’s interests and their progress at home. Individual Education Plan targets include strategies to take place in the setting and at home. Evidence in the form of observations are gathered to evaluate the child’s progress. We ask parent to contribute comments or photographs from home.

The environment is carefully considered to ensure that it is accessible to all children. The layout is a workshop style with lots of open ended interesting resources which are suitable for all children. Trips are planned in advance and a risk assessment is completed to identify any additional measures which need to be put in place to enable all children to attend i.e. one to one support from an experienced practitioner.  

The building and garden areas are all on the same level with access at the front of the building. Wide doors make the entrance easily accessible. The rooms are spacious, and the design is carefully thought out, ensuring rooms are kept free from clutter. The rooms are regularly reviewed and adaptions to the layout can easily be made if necessary.

The manager and SENCo have visited most local schools and are able to answer any questions parents may have when applying for a new setting. Staff are available to support parents through the school application process.  Once the new setting has been identified the SENCo is able to visit with the parent and the child. The teacher is also invited to the nursery setting to meet the key person and child in the child’s familiar environment.  The SENCo will arrange a transition meeting with the new setting to share all relevant information and the child’s most recent individual education plan. The SENCo will also complete the SEN transition passport, which provides the new setting with all the information they require to ensure the child has the best possible start in the new setting. Additional resources are available to support the child during the transition such as social stories and photo books.

The manager, SENCo and senior team meet monthly to discuss the SEN provision and how well individual children are being supported. The SEND policy is updated regularly to ensure it reflects the provision accurately. Parents can view and comment on this at any time. The SENCo welcomes and initiates regular conversations with parents to discuss the children’s progress and next steps.

Megan Jones: Nursery Manager

0118 937 3922

Megan.Jones@brighterfuturesforchildren.org 

Kelly Goswell: Deputy Manager and SENCo

0118 937 3910

Kelly.Goswell@brighterfuturesforchildren.org

Parents can feedback to staff verbally at any time or request a more formal meeting with key person, SENCo or manager. Parents can contact the setting via phone or email or make a verbal request for contact from a manger.