Click here for our: SEND information report
Here at the Meadows Nursery School we believe every child matters. We have a fully inclusive and supportive policy where all children are entitled to a learning environment that meets their needs.
At the Meadows we have a fully qualified Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who works closely with our children, our parents and outside professionals so that a child’s specific needs can be met. They offer regular training as part of ongoing professional development to ensure staff are trained to meet the needs of every child.
Identifying children:
In Early Years, children who may require additional support are those that:
• have significantly greater difficulty in learning than most children of the same age
• need extra or different help from that given to other children of the same age
• need support with managing their behaviour and emotions.
We use many methods that ‘track’ children’s development, i.e. monthly data tracking, group tracking data and integrated reviews (i.e. two year old checks). These methods provide us with information on a child’s level of development and thus inform us whether a child may need additional support.
Targeted Plans (TP):
Children who require focused support or are working with an outside specialist teacher will have a ‘targeted plan’ (TP). The targeted plan is used to support the child, where it focuses on what a child has achieved, what they are working on and how this will be achieved. This is shared with the parent to allow them to become involved in their child’s learning. These are provided on a regular basis.
Support and Outside Agencies:
Often those children that need support can be given this through our nursery provision, our SENCO and their class teacher. However, sometimes specialist teachers or outside agencies, i.e. a physiotherapist, emotional and behaviour intervention support worker, specialist teacher will be involved in a child’s development. They are used to support the nurseries SENCO and nursery teachers, so that they can provide specialist methods of support that a child may need.
Makaton, symbols and ‘now and next’ boards:
Alongside the specialist knowledge of our nursery teachers and their understanding of children’s development, we work to use Makaton signing, symbols/images as part of everyday conversations/activities, which support children’s language development and ability to fully communicate and engage in the nurseries provision. Alongside this timelines and ‘now and next boards are’ used. Symbols are used to help support what we are saying, clarify words and support some children on what we are doing throughout the session, for some this is imperative.
Our Communication and Language Group:
Here at the Meadows we monitor and track children’s communication and language development. Some children that require additional help with their language will be supported through working with our ‘Language and Communication Coordinator.’ This will take place in small groups. These activities are based around the methods employed in the ‘Elklan training’ and ‘Chatterbox’ scheme. Parents will be notified of their child’s involvement in these groups and kept informed of their development.
Working with the Parents:
We believe in the importance of working collaboratively with the parents and work hard to develop a two way exchange, where parents work in conjunction with our practice.
USEFUL LINKS:
Provided is a booklet that explains our Local Offer and what we provide: SEND information report
Provided is a link to East Sussex County Councils Local Offer Booklet:
East Sussex: The Local Offer Booklet
Meadows Nursery School 