Kennet Day nursery is a 64 place workplace day nursery for Reading Borough Council employees, other public sector workers and also people who work for charities only. We are situated in the town centre at the Civic Offices building in Bridge Street, opposite the Oracle  

Our mission statement is ''To provide high quality child care for the children of council employees and employees of partner agencies, to continue to work for the council whilst meeting their child care commitments as parents or primary carers'.

Local Offer Updated - July 2023

All of the children are observed generally in order to ensure that they are progressing at the expected rate and meeting their developmental milestones. If staff feel that there may be concerns and that the child is not progressing then extra observations will take place and a discussion with the parent and SENCO (special educational needs coordinator).

At times, parents will take up a place and have pre-existing SEND needs. We will meet with the parents in order to get a full picture of the child's and family needs and work with any other professionals in order to fully support the family and child.

The key person and SENCO will meet the parents regularly and give updates on plans that have been put in place and how the child is responding to this. This can be both formal meetings that have been arranged or informal chats that take place for example when the child is collected.

Activities and experiences will be provided at the child’s individual stage of development. The key person, SENCO and parent will be involved in revising the curriculum for the child. This may include spending sessions on a one to one basis with the key person or adapting an activity to ensure inclusion. In addition to this we will also take advice from other professionals and use this to assist when we are adapting the curriculum.

To ensure that the child reaches their full potential the key person will observe and record where the child is in their learning. They will then asses what else is needed and respond to this through provided activities and experiences. This will be observed again and responded to in the same way i.e. the next steps will be the focus of the next plan.

The setting ensures that the staff remain up to date on training and latest initiatives around SEND in order that any strategies employed are in conjunction with contemporary information and/or legislation.

As above plus the setting will seek advice from outside professionals for example speech and language therapists or the nursery health visitor. This will enhance any provision that is given to the children. Again this may be done online via a joint forum or platform. Staff access CPD training in order to ensure that we are up to date with any changes in practice or legislation. 

We support parents with any applications they might make for example an EHCP plan and DLA.

The setting will continue to use Individual Education Plan’s for the children. This will help to track and monitor progress for the child as responses to the plan are recorded here. These will  be always shared with parents at meetings with copies made or emailed in order that the parent is fully informed. Here there is also an opportunity for the parent to comment and also to add any further targets that they would like to add.

As the children are young at the setting a lot of the outings are fairly local and accessible. We will ensure that there are adequate facilities for all children, including participating in any activities and bathroom facilities etc. Activities and experiences will be adapted to meet the abilities of the children to the best of our ability for example chairs moved in order to access a table or alternative implements used to achieve the same outcome for example drawing using pencil grips etc.

The building is accessible to people with mobility difficulties. For example the entrances are wide enough for both pushchairs and wheelchairs. There are disabled toilet facilities.

The nursery is easy to navigate as the corridors are wide and there are less doors . We have risk assessments in place for when we need to review the environment and monitor and amend these as necessary.

When the child(ren) move on to a new setting or school, the key person will ensure that the child is supported emotionally and at a level that is appropriate for them. The key person and SENCO will liaise with the parents and answer any questions and/or queries that the parent may have. They will also seek permission to communicate with the new setting and pass on relevant information to them. The key person may also support the transition to new setting and share information with the new teachers or key persons. The new setting or school will be invited to visit the child here at Kennet too. 

As above plus: We seek advice from outside professionals regarding strategies etc that we put in place. When devising or evaluating the child’s IEP we always do this in an arranged meeting with the parents. In this way we can make sure that the parent is involved in the whole process. We will listen to and take on board parents suggestions and thoughts and give parents time and consideration.  This includes evaluating what is in place as well as making new targets for the next IEP.

The nursery can be contacted directly and the manager or deputy can be spoken to. The supervisory team can also help with any information needed.

When the children take up a place at the setting, the parents are given a handbook which contains all of the policies at the setting. There is a specific policy around SEN and also a complaints procedure. The policies explain the procedures clearly and informatively about what a parent should do if they have a comment or complaint and where they can go if they are not satisfied with their response.

At the meetings regarding IEPs and progress discussions, parents will have lots of opportunity for feedback and questions as well as imparting any relevant information.

Parents do not have to wait until these meetings, they can email, phone or have an informal chat.