This Policy has been created with regards to:

 

• The SEND code of Practice 2015
• Children and Families Act 2014 (Part 3)
• Equality Act 2010
• Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
• EYFS

 

Nursery Moksliukas has regard to the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice (DFE 2015) to identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational needs.

At Moksliukas nursery, we use the SEND Code of Practice (2015) definition of Special Educational Needs and Disability:

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

 

• Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
• Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age in mainstream schools.

 

 

The nursery’s philosophy

 

At nursery Moksliukas, we are committed to the inclusion of all children. Our philosophy is that all children with or without special needs should have the opportunity to develop to their full potential alongside other children in an educational environment through positive experiences, to enable share opportunities and experiences and develop, learn from each other.

We aim to provide a positive and welcome learning environment suitable for all children where they are supported according to their individual needs.

 

Education

 

At Nursery Moksliukas, we believe that each child’s needs are unique and we are committed to working with any child who has a specific need and/ or disability and making reasonable adjustments to enable every child to make full use of the nursery’s facilities. Each child’s ability, interests and needs are taken into account when planning and carrying out any activities, making sure each child’s individual needs are met.

In order to ensure every child in the Nursery is given the appropriate level of attention and care, a key person is appointed for each child. A key person is a named member of staff assigned to all individual children to support settling in period, to build a friendly relationship with children and their parents and meet children’s individual needs. We aim to make the Nursery a welcoming place where children settle quickly and easily because consideration has been given to the individual needs and circumstances of children and their families.

 

 

 

 

The Nursery will undertake a Progress Check of all children at age two in accordance with the Code of Practice. We also undertake an assessment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (in the final term of the year in which a child turns five) to prepare an EYFS profile of the child.

 

Where a child has additional needs, we feel it is vital to find out as much as possible about those needs and provide any additional help by:

• Liaising with the child’s parents

• Liaising with any professional agencies
• Reading any reports that have been prepared
• Attending any review meetings with the local authority/professionals
• Observing each child’s development and monitoring such observations regularly.

 

Developing a positive partnership with parents

 

Within any nursery or school, a good working relationship with parents is paramount to the education and development of every child. We welcome a parent’s guidance and knowledge, because they know their child best.

We would like parents to know that they are always welcome in the Nursery either to help out or to discuss any concerns they might have. Arrangements can be made for private discussions at a mutually convenient time.

If any Nominated Person has any concerns about a child in our care, they will always meet with the child’s parents privately to discuss any action that may need to be taken.

Our Nursery setting welcomes the opportunity for both parents and children, to come for visits prior to starting the nursery and to discuss ways in which the Nursery can meet the child’s individual Special Educational Needs. It will also make the child’s integration into the Nursery less frightening for the child.

 

We will: 

 

• Recognise each child’s individual needs and ensure all staff are aware of, and have regard for the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice
• Ensure all children are treated as individuals/ equals and are supported to take part in every aspect of the nursery day according to their individual needs and abilities
• Include all children and their parents/carers in our provision
• Identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and meet those needs through a range of strategies
• Encourage and teach children to value and respect each other
• Staff will be provided with specific training relating to SEND and the SEND code of Practice
• Ensure that the provision for children with SEN and/or disabilities is the responsibility of all members of staff in the nursery through training and professional discussions
• Set out in our inclusive admissions practice on how we meet equality of access and opportunity
• Make reasonable adjustments to our physical environment to ensure it is, as far as possible suitable for children and adults with disabilities using the facilities
• Liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and/ or disabilities and their families, including transition arrangements to other settings and schools.

 

• Use the graduated response system to assess, plan, do and review to ensure early identification of any SEND
• Ensure that all children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their parents are consulted at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their level of ability
• Review children’s progress and support plans and work with parents to agree on future support plans
• Ensure the effectiveness of our SEN/disability provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. additional support reviews, Education and Health (EHC) plans, staff and management meetings, parental and external agencies’ views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually
• Monitor and review our policy and procedures annually.

 

Staff training

 

Whenever the opportunity arises as many of our staff as possible attend different courses to broaden their knowledge on Special Educational Needs.

 

The role of the SENCO in our setting:

• Ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting SEN
• Advising and supporting colleagues
• Ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting
• Liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting
• Taking the lead in implementing the graduated approach and supporting colleagues through each stage of the process.

Our nursery Special Educational Needs Coordinator is Irma Cameron.  

 

Effective assessment of the need for Early Help 

Local agencies should work together to put processes in place for the effective assessment of the needs of individual children who may benefit from early help services. Children and families may need support from a wide range of local agencies. Where a child and family would benefit from coordinated support from more than one agency (e.g. education, health, housing, police) there should be an inter-agency assessment. These early help assessments, such as the Common Assessment Framework, should identify what help the child and family require to prevent needs escalating to a point where intervention would be needed via a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989.

 

 

 

 

The early help assessment should be undertaken by a lead professional who should provide support to the child and family, act as an advocate on their behalf and coordinate the delivery of support services. The lead professional role could be undertaken by a General Practitioner (GP), family support worker, teacher, health visitor and/or special educational needs coordinator. Decisions about who should be the lead professional should be taken on a case-by-case basis and should be informed by the child and their family.

• The assessment should be undertaken with the agreement of the child and their parents or carers. It should involve the child and family as well as all the professionals who are working with them;
• A teacher, GP, health visitor, early years’ worker or other professional should be able to discuss concerns they may have about a child and family with a social worker in the local authority. Local authority children’s social care should set out the process for how this will happen; and If parents and/or the child do not consent to an early help assessment, then the lead professional should make a judgement as to whether, without help, the needs of the child will escalate. If so, a referral into local authority children’s social care may be necessary.

If at any time it is considered that the child may be a child in need as defined in the Children Act 1989, or that the child has suffered significant harm, or is likely to do so, a referral should be made immediately to local authority children’s social care. This referral can be made by any professional. Working together to safeguard children 2018

Graduated approach 

At Nursery Moksliukas, we follow the SEND Code of Practice (2015) recommendation that, in addition to the formal checks above, nurseries should adopt a graduated approach to assessment and planning, led and coordinated by a SENCO. We believe that a good practice of working together with parents, and the observation and monitoring of children’s individual progress, will help identify any child with special educational needs or disability This graduated approach will be led and coordinated by the SENCO and appropriate records will be kept according to the Code of Practice.

Assess, Plan, do, review 

 

 

 

Assess – the key person works with the setting SENCO and the child’s parents and brings together all the information, then analyses the child’s needs.  This initial assessment will be reviewed regularly to ensure that support is matched to need. Where there is little or no improvement in the child’s progress, more specialist assessment may be called for from other specialists/agencies beyond the setting. Where professionals are not already working with the setting, the SENCO will contact them, with the parents’ agreement.

Plan – the key person and the SENCO will agree, in consultation with the parent, the outcomes they are seeking for the child, the interventions and support to be put in place, the expected impact on progress, development and behaviour and finally a date for review.

The support and intervention provided will be selected to meet the outcomes identified for the child, based on reliable evidence of effectiveness, and provided by practitioners who are working with the child. Any relevant staff development needs should be identified and addressed. Parents will be involved in planning support, and, where appropriate, in reinforcing the provision or contributing to progress at home.

Do – the child’s key person implements the agreed interventions or programmes. The key person will be working with the child on a daily basis. With support from the SENCO, they will oversee the implementation of the intervention agreed as part of SEN support.

Review – the effectiveness of the support and its impact on the child’s progress will be reviewed in line with the agreed date. The impact and quality of the support will be evaluated by the key person and the SENCO in full consultation with the child’s parents and taking into account the child’s views. Information will be shared with parents about the impact of the support provided.

Education and Health Care Plan 

Some children and young people may require an EHC needs assessment in order to decide whether it is necessary to develop an EHC plan. The purpose of an EHC plan is to make adjustments and offer support to meet the special educational needs of the child, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care.

The local authority will conduct the EHC needs assessment and take into account a wide range of evidence, including: Evidence of the child’s developmental milestones and rate of progress, information about the nature, extent and context of the child’s SEN,  evidence of the action already being taken by us as the early years provider to meet the child’s SEN,  evidence that, where progress has been made, it has only been as the result of much additional intervention and support over and above that which is usually provided, evidence of the child’s physical, emotional and social development and health needs, drawing on relevant evidence from clinicians and other health professionals and what has been done to meet these by other agencies.

We will then work with the local authority and other bodies to ensure that the child receives the support they need to gain the best outcomes.

 Confidentiality

 

 

To meet the needs of all our children in our care it may be necessary at times to share information with parents and with staff in order to support the children’s development. Nursery will work closely with parents and outside agencies for guidance and support and will make careful and regular observations, recordings and reports in order to identify special needs. All information will be on a need-to know basis and the parent’s permission will be requested.

 

 

This policy was adopted on	Signed on behalf of the setting	Date for review
21/02/2025	I Cernychiene	08/2025
05.02.2026	I Cameron	09.2026