🏠Local Offer

This Local Offer was adopted on 5 August 2020 and will be reviewed annually
1.How does the early years setting know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs or disabilities? 
Throughout your child’s time at the setting, observations are made on their developmental progress. These observations highlight any areas that the child may be struggling with, which can sometimes mean that they need extra help. 
If this is the case, we talk to you as a parent discussing our observations. We may seek permission to allow a professional in that area to observe your child and determine whether he/she needs more specific help. 
We hold parent meetings throughout the year to discuss your child’s development but we are also available to speak to throughout your child’s time at the setting. If you think your child may have special educational needs we follow the same process as above. We keep an open dialogue throughout, ensuring you are up to date with anything that we or another professional does. 
We are not a specialist nursery for special education but we strive to make our setting inclusive to all. 
2. How will early years setting staff support my child? 
Our education programme is based on activities your child is attracted to, and enhanced and extended by the staff. Your child is allocated a key worker who will work alongside parents and professionals supporting their learning and development. 
At the setting we have an Inclusion Coordinator (INCO) who supports each child’s extra needs, working with key workers and parents to develop an Individual Plan (IP) to help each child reach their next steps. The INCO and key worker will inform you of your child’s development and may suggest additional professional help that your child might benefit from. They will also offer parental support with ideas of activities or games to do at home to support your child’s learning. 
3. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs? 
Using observations recorded by key workers, and children’s interests, the curriculum is planned to provide activities that build upon the skills and knowledge already possessed by the children. 
For those with special needs or gifted and talented, an Individual Plan is put in place to ensure that the curriculum is adapted and differentiated to help your child to develop and learn. This may be through using simple tools for an activity or changing the environment where the activity is to take place. Using learning journals as part of our observation, assessment and planning process we are able to highlight areas to focus on. 
4. How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child's learning? 
Throughout the year we hold parent meetings with your child’s key worker to discuss your child’s learning and development although you are invited to speak to your child’s key worker at any time. There will be opportunities to talk with any specialists who observe your child about their progress and development. 
Through observations nursery staff know how well your child is developing and progressing towards the Early Learning Goals. By talking to your child’s key worker you will be able to determine the level your child should be at and how you can help them achieve this. 
You have the opportunity to add to your child’s Learning Journal through a secure password protected online page. There, you will be able to see all observations and photos taken of your child. Through the Online Learning Journal as well as within parent meetings, you are encouraged to give examples of progress and achievements seen at home and suggest next steps and activities to support your child’s development. 
We plan in the future to provide parents with home activity packs, containing resources to build on your child’s learning. During parent meetings and via our Famly App, we suggest ideas and examples of how to support your child’s development in the home environment. 
We currently don’t offer any parent training or learning events but aim to offer these in the future. 
5. What support will there be for my child’s overall well being? 
Most of our staff are qualified first aiders with a designated first aider on duty each day. We ask parents to fill out a care plan, if needed, before starting with us so that we are able to provide any extra care your child needs. 
Only a qualified first aider is allowed to administer medicine that has been signed in and prescribed by a doctor or pharmacist. 
We ensure that your child is taught how to wash their hands correctly and learns about personal hygiene. We do this through singing songs about how we wash our hands, as well as demonstrating to all the children. All staff support toileting and independence is encouraged. Our on site toilets are fully compostable, ensuring that we further reduce our mark on the land. Nappies are changed on an as and when needed basis. We are currently looking at a more economically friendly way of disposing of these. 
We view children holistically and recognise the importance of diet and exercise in promoting health and well-being. Our menus are nutritionally balanced using foods, which are often fresh from the farm and we encourage healthy attitudes to eating and to trying new foods. 
Our 33 acre site and outdoor-based curriculum allows plenty of scope for fresh air and exercise. We also focus on increasing strength and body control with opportunities for climbing, and managing diverse terrain. For children with reduced mobility, we tailor-make programmes to support their physical development and adapt the physical elements of the curriculum to make them as inclusive as possible. 
6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting? 
We work alongside other professionals including speech and language therapists, and health visitors. 
We currently do not have any specialist staff working on our team. 
7. What training are the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having? 
The Nursery Manager has had training on ‘Including all children’, ‘The Role of INCO’ and is also our trained Inclusion Officer. 
We plan to send staff members on training about the autistic spectrum. 
All staff have had basic training in health and safety, safeguarding and risk assessment. Prior to starting with us each member of staff is checked against the disclosure and barring service at an enhanced level. 
8. How will my child be included in activities outside the early years setting including school trips? 
All our activities are currently held on site. Most of are activities are accessible to all abilities or adaptable. Some forest activities may not be available to those with mobility difficulties (e.g. tree climbing), though alternatives will be on offer. 
Using each child’s Learning Journal we are able to determine which activities are appropriate and accessible to each individual child. We select activities with the needs and abilities of our children in mind. If particular children would not be able to access or benefit from a particular event, we would seek an educationally equivalent alternative option. 
9. How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors and outdoors) 
As our setting is part of a 33-acre farm, we regret that currently we are not fully wheelchair accessible. We encourage parents to visit in order to assess the suitability of the environment and invite suggestions for any adaptations that we could make to increase accessibility, on a case-by-case basis. 
For those who have English as an additional language we provide a range of dual language books and signs in each child’s home language alongside ones in English to help children and adults to know where everything is. If any forms need to be translated, we try our best to use translating services to translate all information correctly. 
We are hoping to be able to offer visual support within our environment and some staff members have attended Makaton training. 
10. How will the early years setting prepare and support my child to join the early years setting, transfer to a new setting/school? 
To help settle your child in to our nursery, we offer settle-in sessions. Upon signing up to Natural Nurture you are sent a settling in book with pictures of staff, animals and activities that we get up to here at the setting. 
Transitioning to school, children have the opportunity to visit their school, in the term before they start to familiarise them with the environment. We have strong links with local primary schools, which will visit the setting from time to time on farm visits, allowing your children to get to know the staff and other pupils. 
When your child leaves our setting, their school (or new setting) will receive your child’s Learning Journal with all their development progress recorded in it. If there is any contact with other professionals during your child’s time at our setting, this information will also be passed to the new school. 
Through liaising with the new school or setting, we ensure that your child has a smooth transition to their new environment. This is done through face-to-face meetings and telephone calls. We make sure that the school or setting are ready for your child by providing all the necessary information that they need and telling them about your child’s likes and dislikes as well as any particular worries they have about the transition to school, and ways to best comfort and reassure them.
11. How are the early years setting’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs? 
Any funding received for special educational needs is used to enhance the setting through providing new equipment, creating easier access to the environment and/or bringing in new resources to support learning. Individual funding such as the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) will be used to support that specific individual during their time in the setting, through new equipment, resources and staff to support their learning. 
12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive? 
Through meetings with you as the parent and our Inclusion Coordinator, we will discuss what is an appropriate type of support and how it will be delivered by the setting. As part of this we will set up an Individual Plan (IP) that is developed to suit your child’s needs and monitored and reviewed regularly. 
13. How are parents involved in the early years setting? How can I be involved? 
Parents’ views and opinions are highly valued at the setting. Through our Online Learning Journals you are able to add and comment on your child’s observations through your own secure account 24/7. Through this you are able to make suggestions about next steps and activities, which you think may help your child’s developmental progress. 
We also have a comment box at the setting where parents can make comments anonymously. Staff are available to talk to and discuss ideas for planning, throughout your child’s time at the setting. 
We hold parent consultations throughout the year, with a chance to speak to your child’s key worker at any point. 
We encourage parent feedback, so that we are able to continuously improve the service that we provide and uphold our high standards of care. This is currently done through parent questionnaires. 
14. Who can I contact for further information? 
If you are considering this setting for your child and would like to learn about other support services, arrange a visit or require further information, please contact the Nursery via phone 01403 782787 or email [email protected] 

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Lone Working Policy

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Contents

1.How does the early years setting know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs or disabilities?

2. How will early years setting staff support my child?

3. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

4. How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child's learning?

5. What support will there be for my child’s overall well being?

6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?

7. What training are the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having?

8. How will my child be included in activities outside the early years setting including school trips?

9. How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors and outdoors)

10. How will the early years setting prepare and support my child to join the early years setting, transfer to a new setting/school?

11. How are the early years setting’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

13. How are parents involved in the early years setting? How can I be involved?

14. Who can I contact for further information?