Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

 

At St Vincent's Nursery we are committed to the inclusion of all children. We believe that all children have the right to be cared for and educated to develop their full potential alongside each other through positive experiences to enable them to develop and learn from each other.

We provide a positive, welcoming, stimulating and enjoyable environment where children are supported according to their individual needs and we always ensure that no children are discriminated against of put at a disadvantage as a consequence of their needs.

 

Meet our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators (SENCo's):

Ivana.JPG           Chloe.jpg

                                                                                                                Ivana Butterworth/ Manager                          Chloe Chester / Curriculum Leader

 

Communication Champion:

We have our very own Communication Champion; this is a staff member who has undergone additional training to learn more about communication and language development of children under the age of 5.

The Communication Champion supports the nursery in a holistic way, ensuring that the learning environment is enriched with language opportunities, disseminating training to the team and overseeing the implementation of WellComm and TASS (please see more information below).

 

WellComm:

WellComm is a speech and language toolkit for assessing children in the early years from the age of 6 months. It plays a crucial role in identifying children with potential communication difficulties; it offers a range of customised intervention activities to help support language development.

 

Trafford Assessment of Speech Sounds (TASS):

TASS is designed to assess and gather information on a child's production of consonants in various work positions; it is designed to help identify any speech sound error so that practitioners can seek early intervention to support the child.

 

Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA):

We have an accredited Early Years ELSA, Chloe Chester; Chloe has undergone additional training to learn more about the social and emotional development of children under the age of 5 and how to support their social and emotional well-being.

Chloe works closely with the Educational Psychology service who provide termly supervision sessions; she takes a lead role in championing well-being for all children in our setting, as well as delivering 1-to-1 and/or group sessions for children requiring additional support in their social and emotional development. This may include:

  • Recognising and naming feelings - recognising the four basic emotions and being aware of how to expres them
  • Managing feelings - learning strategies that will help children express and manage their feelings
  • Self-esteem and confidence - learning strategies that help boost children's confidence and self-esteem
  • Social skills and friendships - supporting children develop healthy social skills and positive friendships
  • Separation, anxiety, loss and bereavement - providing strategies and support in sensitive periods of children's lives; helping them to find coping mechanisms and transition through these difficult time

 

 

What do external professionals say about us?

 

'St Vincent's Nursery provide a rich learning environment for children with a wide range of needs and abilities, and they are always proactive in seeking advice if they feel a child would benefit from a more targeted and specialist approach. This early intervention procedure ensures that advice from Trafford's Special Educational Needs Support Service is sought, and the advice given is promptly actioned. The experience that the team have built up over the past few years of working collaboratively with external agencies has benefited many children with a range of special needs.'

Sharon O'Driscoll (SENAS, 2021)