Manor House Nursery School Limited

At Manor House Nursery School, if we feel your child is in need of extra support the following steps are in place to help support you and your child;

·       Initial information sharing within the settling sessions with your child’s proposed key-person and Nursery Manager. This is when we discuss what is already known about your child’s learning and development and when you can voice your possible concerns so that an awareness of your child can be passed onto all staff. Sharing such information (including any other settings, professionals or agencies involved with your child) will enable the staff to support his or her initial transition into nursery life.

·       Once your child has started at the nursery, the nursery staff will undertake initial observations of your child using the seven areas of learning published within the EYFS. The nursery keeps a file called a ‘learning journey’ for every child, which contains all recorded information about your child within it. You are able to access this folder at anytime and add to it if you would like. This would also include the completion of a Progress Check at Two Years old, when any significant additional support needs can be put in place, if not already identified.

·       Parents or main carer’s can approach the nursery staff at any time if they are at all concerned with their child’s learning and development. There is never a wrong time to ask for a quiet word!

·       Manor House Nursery School has a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) Mrs Donna Rodgers who will help support both the families and the nursery to ensure your child receives the best possible early years education.

·       We use a range of assessments records to track your child’s progress and development, these include observations, EYFS Progress Trackers, Cohort Tracking which analyses groups/classes of children, Special Educational Needs Monitor Sheets, Special Educational Needs Progress Trackers, Personalised Plans and Reviews.

At Manor House Nursery School we aim to treat all children as individuals and are committed to ensuring that all children are supported all areas of nursery life. we do this by;

·       Having continuous (confidential) discussions between the parents / or child’s main carers and the child’s key-worker. Through these discussions a working partnership is formed to ensure the right care and support is sought for the child if necessary.

·       The child’s key-person and/or SenCo attend frequent nursery planning meetings where individual children’s needs are sensitively discussed to ensure your child is receiving the best support from the nursery staff.

·       When appropriate, we liaise with outside agencies to help support the individual child. From these discussions a Targeted or Personalised Plan may be developed to closely monitor your child’s learning and development. A Targeted Plan will be drawn up with you as parents/carers to help progress your child’s development, bridging any gaps we feel will be beneficial. Should your child need input from a professional agency (Speech and Language Therapist or Specialist Teaching Service) a Personalised Plan will be drawn up to specifically target the needs of your child. You will be involved with the process and always kept informed of updates or changes that may occur. Any formal Plans are assessed and reviewed at least three times a year, and learning journeys are updated weekly.

·       Depending upon the individual child’s needs the Nursery staff may be made aware of a child, where additional provisions may be needed, for example: extra support staff or extra training for the staff that needs to be accessed. We assess and treat all families needs on an individual basis and deal with these as and when the support is required.

At Manor House Nursery School we pride ourselves on our free-flow layout of the nursery building, allowing the children to choose for him or herself which activities he or she will access. Each activity undertaken supports your child’s learning and development across the early year’s curriculum.

• Once your child has started at nursery, the staff will undertake regular observations and assessments of your child within the nursery setting and document these in the child’s learning journey. It is through using these observation and assessments and the subsequent planning that the staff will be able to recognise if your child is reaching expectations or is in possible need of extra support.
• Where we able, we will make reasonable adjustments to our resources and classroom/outside areas to accommodate all children with Special or Additional Needs. Curriculum planning is individual and unique and will be formulated by the child’s key-person.

If extra support is required then the process of Targeted and/or Personalised Plans are introduced, using any information or advice given from parents/carers and outside agencies. The targets incorporated within these plans are ‘SMART’ targets: (Specific, Measurable, Accessible, Realistic/Relevant and Time bound), a recipe for success. These agencies may come and assess your child before advice is offered; this is often to be expected and should be welcomed as it will ultimately benefit your child’s learning and development.

At Manor House Nursery School all our practitioners are welcoming and approachable people.

• Our Nursery plans for each individual child, including the characteristics of effective learning. Assessing how a child’s learns and their own learning style, helps staff to plan appropriately for each child.
• Where group activities are taking place, resources and activities can include additional plans to simplify or adapt them for children with additional or special needs. This strategy promotes equality and a multi-sensory approach to children’s learning.
• Our SenCo co-ordinates all matters of progress and development between the child, the parent/carer and any outside agencies. This central approach ensures that all records are centralised in once place for ease of reviewing, and ensures that all staff have a consistent view and approach to that child’s learning and development. Part of the SenCo role is to ensure that any recommendations from outside agencies including therapy programmes are adhered to and incorporated into children’s planning.
• Our SenCo has a wealth of visual supports to support children with special or additional needs, which she shares within her individual work with children, and with small groups. The Senco has her own quiet space, to carry out her individual support and small group work. Other quiet areas within the nursery lend themselves to our ‘family time’, which is another effective small group time that key-persons use.
• The majority of our staff are trained in Sign Supported English (including Makaton and British Sign Language) to universally support all of our children, promoting our inclusion policy.

Many strategies are used within the setting, with regard to Speech and Language support, to bridge the time spent waiting for therapy, as this can be considerable. The Senco and Directors are very mindful that all our staff need continuous professional training to update their skills and knowledge of specific children they are supporting.

At Manor House Nursery School Nursery your child’s well-being is of utmost importance.

• We recognise that all children are individuals and that this is reflected in their general well-being as well as in their learning and development.
• We understand that some children will need more support than others, for example: a reassuring hug or adult support to access activities. The staff at Manor House Nursery School, are very sensitive to this and are very responsive to each child’s needs. We promote close working relationships between key-persons, SenCo and parents/carers.
• The monitoring processes undertaken by our SenCo are vital for the full support that the child receives when attending the setting. The SenCo receives regular information from our local Children’s Centres which she signposts to our parents/carers.
• The Nursery has clear guidelines on behavioural expectations and although it is recognised that due to illness or disabilities these may not be always achievable, the nursery still has a duty of care for the safety of all children that attend and therefore will discuss strategies to limit inappropriate behaviour especially if it is needed as part of a Targeted and Personalised Plans.
• The nursery has a comprehensive list of policies and procedures in place that ensure the smooth running of the nursery, these include regularly reviewed and updated risk assessments, as well as policies for medication storage and administration.
• Manor House Nursery School has the benefit of a wonderful outdoor Forest School educational programme, which especially enhances certain qualities for children who may find being inside all the time particularly difficult. Our own case studies have concluded that all children, and especially those with certain additional needs and SEND benefit hugely from outdoor learning. This is especially relevant to their independence, confidence and resilience.

• Continual observations informs key-persons, Managers and Senco of your child’s on going progress. We use observations to inform individual on going planning and next steps to further their development in all areas of the EYFS. We use summative assessments in times of transition, including moving classroom, and when going to school.
• Our SenCo liaises with key-person and parents when reviewing Targeted and Personalised Plans to move the children on to progress their targets. Our Managers review all children’s development prior to completing Cohort Tracking, and during that process analyses the data that has been recorded for individual children, for small groups and for the whole year group. This assists us to ascertain the development of targeted groups and allows us to reflect and continually improve our provision. This is particularly important for any vulnerable children attending.

Informal opportunities are taken to discuss children’s progress both at nursery planning meeting, and at parent/carer pick up and drop off times. We make every effort to make ourselves available to parents at any time. Formal opportunities occur when parents have a designated appointment with the key-person at open evening or simply because they have a concern, with the SenCo at parent evenings, or during the numerous private appointments parents can access easily. These appointments often include the specialist teacher or the speech therapist.

• We offer additional support staff for children who are funded. This ensures that especially on trips where the risk assessment dictates one to one staff or reduced ratios, children with additional needs or SEND can be included in all of our activities, and be kept safe.
• Planning at the Manor House Nursery School is unique to each child, so individual planning is the norm. However, during group planned activities, we may use additional resources, additional areas, additional staff or make adaptations or adjustments to our environments to ensure all children’s needs have been considered, and that they are included and needs met.

We research in advance, all trips to ensure that a robust risk assessment is prepared prior to the trip taking place, and discussed with all staff. This ensures inclusion and safety for all children. Feedback from staff is evaluated and any improvements that can be made for the next trip, are implemented.

• Access to the nursery building and garden areas can be accessed easily as the ground floor entrance is very flat. Access to the downstairs classrooms and garden areas is accessible to all, as we have portable ramps to use for wheelchairs. We also have permanent slopes for children go down into the paved areas of garden.
• Our pre-school is situated upstairs. Very rarely, where mobility is an issue, children and their own support worker access the same preschool curriculum, but register and spend time in the older downstairs classroom. Special arrangements and equipment is sought to enable children with mobility difficulties to take part in park trips, community trips and forest school sessions. We have also given free forest school sessions to parents who prefer to attend these more challenging outdoor areas themselves.
• The nursery is situated over two floors, and the upper floor is preschool only (see previous point) we have adult and children height hand rails on all stairs. Our toilets and changing facilities on the ground floor are all fully accessible to all, and specific toileting requirements are needed, we work in consultation with the Occupational Therapist and Physiotherapist.

We have a large flat accessible car park to the rear of the building, which is accessed by a flat pathway.

• We welcome families to come and visit our setting to ensure that the facilities we have to offer are right for you. We encourage you and your child to spend part of a session with us prior to starting at the nursery so it becomes a more familiar environment.
• During periods of transition, we plan to support each child onto the next stage of their journey. When moving between classes within the nursery, transition forms are completed and the children have settling in sessions in their new rooms. We always aim to move children with their key-person, but almost always achieve this with support workers and children with additional needs and SEND.
• There is always a Thanet Area Schools transition meeting which the SenCo always attends to discuss any children with additional needs or SEND thoroughly. She takes all relevant documentation to the meeting to complete a thorough handover of information (with parents consent). The SenCo also contacts the school to have a special transition meeting with both the teacher and the parent/carer present to further discuss the child’s needs where the most up to date information is shared.
• When children are going to school, we invite class teachers to attend the nursery to meet the children. Within our own preschool year group, towards the end of the children’s time with us, we discuss school life, we set up our own role play room into a classroom, and include familiar items such as book bags and all differing school uniforms, for the children to dress up in. We ask schools to send photographs in so that children can see their new environment and we ask that all children have a visit to their new school with either ourselves or with parents.
• For children with additional needs or SEND, our SenCo works collaboratively with the new setting or school where she details all the successful strategies that we have used, for them to consider in their setting. This has proved successful in helping children with a smooth transition. Our SenCo always makes herself available to speak with the new setting or school after transition has taken place, to help with any unforeseen issues.

• Manor House Nursery School send questionnaires to parents, three times a year which gives a formal opportunity for parents to take part in the evaluation of the care and education being given to their child.
• Our SenCo attends local SenCo Forum meetings, and is confident about the input and case studies that she can discuss at these meetings, and is reassured that we are delivering excellent support to our children. As a setting, we are monitored by a SENIF practitioner who review our overall effectiveness. We are also guided by the KCC Specialist Teachers who monitors and reviews our methods and gives us feedback.
• Our SenCo recommends training courses for specific members of staff and for groups of staff, as and when differing circumstances arise. This training has enables many of our staff to become competent with the children that they work with, and have provided a support to parents. Some of this knowledge that is gained through formal training can be shared in staff meetings, so that other key-persons can also meet the needs of other children.
• Since the abolition of Ofsted’s requirements for a self evaluation form, the Nursery has found other methods to reflect and analyse its overall effectiveness of its SEN provision. This includes robust record keeping for all SEN children. We provide detailed evidence of the children’s needs to the funding sources, we have been able to access the optimum amount of financial support for the most vulnerable children.
• The SenCo has a noticeboard called ‘Ladder of Success’ which is a visual record and reflection of the children’s achievements. Our SenCo has a reputation for successful support of children with additional needs and SEND and because of this was invited to sit on a panel of LIFT Executives, which debates provision within the local community and the resources available to children and their families.

• Parents can visit the setting, email or telephone, and an appointment will be made with a Manager to show you around all of the setting. The Manager will outline our admissions policy.
• If you decide to register with us and you consider your child may have an additional need or SEND, we will arrange a meeting with our SenCo and Manager, who can have a private conversation with yourselves and discuss your child’s individual and on going needs. We can then make an informed assessment on meeting your child’s needs.

If you decide to register your child with our Nursery, each child will then attend settling sessions for as long as it takes for your child to feel secure. These are free of charge, and it is a great opportunity for you to be able to spend time in the classroom with your child, to meet all the staff personally, and make an informed decision as to whether this setting is a good fit for your child.

• As previously mentioned, we have regular questionnaires for parents to complete. We often place a suggestions box on the reception, which parents can add to should they wish. Both of these methods can be anonymous also.
• We are always happy to receive feedback, either complaints or compliments by telephone to a Manager, Director or SenCo, or by email.
• Parents can access our website for additional information, including other parent reviews. We also produce a full brochure with lots of information about nursery life, including SEN and our Registration Form also contains terms and conditions.

The nursery has a Facebook page for parents to share information if they choose to..