Early years inclusive learning service - information for parents and carers

Children with additional needs attend mainstream nurseries and schools across the city. Including children with additional needs has benefits for all children, not just the child themselves! You can find early years settings in your area including playgroups, pre-schools, nurseries and childminders here: Synergy - search by route.

Questions to ask when visiting a nursery:

• Who is the SENCO?
• How do you support children with additional needs?
• How do you work with parents of children with additional needs?
• How do you work with other professionals such as speech and language therapists?

What support is available in nurseries?

The setting SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) will talk to you if they have concerns about your child’s development or if they think that your child needs extra support in the nursery. They will:

• work alongside you as Parents and any other professionals who are involved with your child.
• assess your child’s development and track their progress.
• work with you to set targets for your child and then review the progress towards these targets.
• use extra strategies to support your child’s development and understanding.
• signpost you to helpful websites, groups and services.

The SENCO may also talk to you about:

• Referring your child to other services, such as speech and language therapy.
• Referring your child to the Early Years Forum..
• Asking the Local Authority for extra funding to support your child’s needs. The SENCO will then apply for this funding.
• Asking for advice and support from a member of the EYILS. This might be via a phone call, email or setting visit – the SENCO will arrange this.

SHINE Award – Nurseries in Stoke-on-Trent can work towards an award that shows they do an excellent job in supporting children with additional needs in their setting. Look out for the SHINE logo. You can find out more about SHINE nurseries here: SHINE.