SEND Offer
Tiger Cubs Day Nursery is a fully inclusive nursery, we cater for all children’s needs.
Tiger Cubs Day Nursery has a designated Special Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENDCo) who works closely with room leaders, liaises with all practitioners, and offers support and guidance to the parents and carers.
Our SENDCo works with numerous outside agencies such as the Specialist Teachers and the Speech and Language Team.
The SENDCo will make sure a child with a special educational need or disability will have the appropriate and targeted support.
The SENCo will support the Key Person during the child’s sessions and provide what’s best for those children and those who need a little extra support.
We have an ‘open door’ policy, and we are always happy to talk through any SEND concerns you may have. If you are looking to register your child at Tiger Cubs Day Nursery and would like to discuss their Special Educational Needs or Disability, then please call us. You can find the details on our contact us page.
Our Local Offer
How does the setting identify children with additional needs or SEND?
When a child starts with us, we ask parents/careers to complete a form, this includes an ‘All About Me’ page where we can understand what the child’s favourite toys are, what their hobbies/ interests are, their personality and other family members that are close to them. It also allows adults to share the child’s routine and any preferences they may have
We use Tapestry, the online learning journal to identify their starting points, using the EYFS framework as guidance. Using these documents helps us identify any delay in development prompting discussion with parents/careers and discussing the next steps for the child, which may include additional support from outside agencies.
The key is always clear communication with parents/carers.
How will I be informed / consulted about the ways in which my child is being supported?
Every child at our setting is allocated a key person, we inform parents/carers who their child’s key person is when a bond has been made by the child. We will explain what the role of the key person involves. We are available every day for parents to have informal discussions about their child’s development and what they have been up to at nursery that day. Parents/careers can also request a private meeting with the child’s key person and SENCo.
Each child at our setting has an online learning journal that is competed by their key person, this includes photos and observations of your child’s development. Parent/carers can also contribute to the online journal, posting key information of home life and activities with family and friends. This is delivered by the platform called Tapestry.
If your child has a targeted plan in place, it will be discussed with you to gather your views and thoughts. Parents/carers are involved at every step of the journey. This is a partnership. Children get the support they require, when we work together.
How will the setting adapt the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum for my child’s needs?
At Tiger Cubs Day Nursery, we follow the EYFS framework. We use this as a guidance when planning the children’s next steps once we have observed and tracked their development.
Tiger Cubs Day Nursery is a part of Future Schools Trust. This means that the Nursery is supported by Tiger Primary School and has a specialist Early Years Teacher supporting the nursery, and your child’s development.
We will ensure that we are supporting children’s needs by adapting the layout and making sure the environment is safe and accessible for every child and their families.
What teaching strategies does the setting use for children with additional needs or learning difficulties?
We have enabled our environment to ensure that children can learn from a variety of open-ended activities with ease. We have developed the nursery rooms into different areas based around the seven areas of learning within the EYFS framework.
At Tiger Cubs Day Nursery, we promote the curiosity approach, meaning we have lots of natural resources, soft furnishings and a calm visual environment.
All our staff have a good knowledge of the Early Years practice and have regular training to ensure they have up to date knowledge, we use the best practise guidance documents to support our teaching. We also work closely with the Early Years Teachers from Tiger Primary School.
Our staff use simple Makaton signing and visual cards to help support children with their communication and interaction.
As a nursery, we are fully inclusive.
What additional support does the setting provide for children with additional needs or SEND?
If your child is not progressing in line with their targeted plan, the SENCO and child’s key person will discuss with you the need to refer to other outside agencies such as speech and language therapy. If additional support is required for your child, the targeted plan would be changed to a personalised plan.
Your consent will be required if we need to make a referral to the specialist teaching and learning service, the local inclusion team. If the referral is accepted, a specialist teacher would then visit your child to provide additional advice and guidance.
Parents/carers are informed at each step. We work in partnership with our families.
How will the setting monitor my child’s progress and how will I be involved in this?
Your child’s key person will be observing, accessing and tracking your child’s development. You will have access to view your child’s learning journal and hear about their progress at a parent’s consultation, this could be an opportunity to talk about any concerns.
Your child will have an overall assessment three times a year, Autumn, Spring and Summer.
As a Nursery, we use the online platform Tapestry. This allows you to access information about your child’s day and progress.
How do you ensure children with additional needs or SEND can be included in the same activities as other children, including trips?
When an activity is planned, the children’s key person will ensure that the activity can be adapted to meet the needs of every child. Extra staff members may be needed to support.
If a trip is taken, a risk assessment is carried out and a research trip is taken by at least two staff members to identify any risks that may arise and if any special equipment that may need on the day. We welcome parents/careers to accompany us on trips and outings.
At Tiger Cubs Day Nursery, we frequently visit the farm that is part of our trust. We also walk to the local fire station and visit local parks. All children are included in this.
How accessible is the building for children with mobility difficulties / wheelchair users?
The setting is on one level and the doors are extra wide allowing wheelchair access.
We have disabled toilets, easily accessible wash-hand basins at a low level to enable those in a wheelchair.
We also have an outdoor area, all on one level.
Parents/carers who may be disabled will be able to drive close to the nursery door. This supports with drop off and pick up
How will you support my child’s transition to a new setting or school?
Where possible, we accompany the children to extra visits to their new school or setting to make the transition easier. The child’s key person or SENCO will attend meetings with the new setting or school to discuss transitions and strategies. We will provide the new setting or school with the child’s unique progress trackers/ transition report and relevant paperwork, passed on with your consent.
On the weeks leading up to the last term before the children go to school, we set up the role play area as a school, providing school uniforms for the children to dress up in and display photos of the local schools.
We work hard to make sure the children are ready for school and feel confident about the changes.
How does the setting assess the overall effectiveness of its SEN provision and how can parents /carers take part in this evaluation?
One of the ways we access the overall effectiveness of our SEN provision is by regular staff meetings where staff have the opportunity to bring forward any knowledge or to share ideas with other staff members.
We also Liaise with the SENDCo from Tiger Primary and have strong working relationships with the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service.
We have regular communication with parents/careers to discuss how the children are being observed and accessed, it’s a great opportunity to discuss what is working well and what needs to be improved.
Parents are asked to participate in questionnaires and surveys regularly.
Our policies and procedures are regularly updated to keep in line with the new legislation.
Who should I contact if I am considering registering for a place at the setting?
Should you be interested in a place at Tiger Cubs Day Nursery, please contact the nursery directly.
If you are considering registering for a place at our setting, we will invite you for a tour of the nursery. This is an opportunity for you to see the setting and meet the staff.
During this initial visit, we can discuss any additional arrangement that may be needed such as home visits, additional settling in session and funding.
What arrangements does the setting have for feedback from parents / carers, including compliments and complaints?
Tiger Cubs have an available comments box for all parents to use.
We carry out twice yearly parental voice surveys, which we always act upon.
We also follow Future Schools Trust complaints policy.
We offer throughout the year, stay and play sessions where parents/ carers can openly talk about their child, while enjoying seeing them in the nursery setting.