EQUALITY AND OPPORTUNITY

Inclusion and Special Educational Needs and Disability

At LTNS we believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all children, families and staff whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, impairment, attainment and background. We will ensure that the ‘The Equality Act’ (2010) and ‘The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations’ (2014) and relevant Codes of Practice and Guidance are implemented effectively across the settings.

Our Nursery Schools are committed to providing an appropriate and high quality education to children living in our local area. We believe that all children have an entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of life. To achieve this we ensure full inclusion and the achievement of;

• girls and boys, men and women and those who identify as non-binary

• minority ethnic and faith groups

• children who need support to learn English as an additional language (EAL)

• children with 'Special Educational Needs and Disability’ (SEND)

• children who are disabled

• children who are gifted and talented

We aim for the environment to be one in which all children can thrive with appropriate regard to their rights and preferences as individuals. All children should be valued in nursery. We will strive to eliminate prejudice and discrimination, and to develop an environment where children can flourish and feel safe. Inclusion is most likely to be successful if the diversity of all staff, children and families are recognised and valued. The nursery recognises that individuals are unique in their interests, abilities, motivation and learning needs. All staff members across the nursery schools are entitled to be treated with respect and have their views taken into account. This links to the promotion of fundamental British Values within our settings.

Part of our strategic planning is to develop and improve the cultures, policies and practices to include everyone. We aim to engender a sense of community, but also to respond to children in ways that take account of their varied life experiences and needs. We consider our Curriculum policies, Admissions, Behaviour, Equal Opportunities, Health & Safety, and Staff Development policies to be seen as part of our continuing approach to improving our inclusion strategies.

Children, including those identified as having 'special educational needs' have an entitlement to a broad and balanced academic and social curriculum, which is accessible to them, and to be fully included in all aspects of nursery life.

Our commitment to educational inclusion is evidenced by the following practical strategies in the areas of:

i) Physical access

ii) Resources

iii) Communication

iv) Attitudes and collective responsibility

v) Multi-professional collaboration

Physical access.

Our Nursery Schools provide a welcoming environment for all staff, children, families and visitors, management and staff are enabled to actively address issues of inaccessibility by changing the environment to enable access. Each of our Nursery Schools offers differing levels of access and if any alterations need to be made these will be actioned on an individual basis through appropriate assessments for both staff and children. Currently, our Lavender Hill nursery has outdoor lift access for buggies and those less mobile. Our Clapham Old Town nursery is stretched across one level from Seeds to Twigs including the garden. Our Webbs Road nursery has two separate entrances for ease of access as required.

Resources and the environment.

This section is split into two parts, one for the resources and the environment for children and the other for staff.

Resources and the environment for children must include a range of media which represent each child within the nursery and offer the opportunity to learn about one another. The books, games and resources must have positive images and use positive and inclusive language to showcase people with disabilities, of different faiths and cultures and represent families from all communities including those who are LGBTQIA+. Resources and equipment, work and displays around the settings celebrate the diversities in society by the use of positive, inclusive images. Resources and equipment are placed at appropriate levels for open access for all children, this includes in baskets on the floor for babies and on low level shelving as the children move through each room in the nursery.

Resources and the environment for staff includes a staff notice board which celebrates where each member of staff is from, what languages they speak, their preferred name and pronouns. The environment must showcase the differences in people which includes cultures, religions, ethnicity, beliefs and members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our staff are our biggest asset and we are provide of the diversity within it.

If staff need to refer to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) and the SEND Code of Practice (2015) these can be found on our internal shared H drive or by asking their manager or SENDCO. There are also many different books available to support inclusive practices of SEND children and families. The Manager has responsibility for allocating resources. We have a Senior SENDCO who has overall responsibility at LTNS and a SENDCO within each nursery school.

Communication

New parents or carers, children and staff are informed of our Inclusive policy, ethos and practice which is embedded within the Froebelian approach. Staff use various varieties of ways to communicate to one another and to parents or carers as required e.g. photographs, pictures, large print. They use positive language and challenge offensive language relating to disabilities, race, gender or sexual orientation. The SENDCO offers advice to parents or carers about other organisations or settings within the borough that offer support. Tapestry provides a positive system of communication and staff offer parent or carers opportunities to inform them about their child by using their child’s profile on Tapestry. The parent or carers are involved in decisions to be made about how their child is being supported and the staff are pro-active in supporting a child's transition to a new school or setting.

Attitudes & collective responsibility

LTNS , nursery managers and staff have a commitment to valuing the whole child and enabling the individual to develop key skills in order to reach their full potential. They also have an understanding of the Social Model of Disability and keep up to date with legislation and good practice. Outside agencies are used for support and advice and all policies are based upon inclusive principles. All children are welcomed and valued and the whole staff team is committed to inclusion and are supported to discuss their concerns, triumphs and good practice on a regular basis. The Head of Schools, Deputy Head of Schools and Managers ensure that the curriculum and our approach are tailored to meet the individual needs of the children who attend. . All of our early years educators are valued and supported with appropriate training made available in line with the EYFS and the Froebelian Approach. .

What is SEND?

A child has special needs requiring differentiated educational provision if they have a learning difficulty or is gifted.

In weekly room meetings educators are given the opportunity to bring up any concerns and observations regarding a child’s learning and development.

The Lead Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCO) for LTNS is:

Name: Dora Rizmayer

Job titles: Deputy Nursery Manager

Contact telephone number: 0203 900 2737

Contact email addresses: dora@ltns.org.uk

The Lead Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCO) for this setting is:

Names:

Job titles:

Contact telephone number:

Contact email addresses:

The LTNS Head of Schools is Holli Williams. She is responsible for the day to day operation of the LTNS SEND policy. Anita Sawyer is the lead SEND co-ordinator for LTNS and works alongside Holli to support the nursery managers and the SENDCO co-ordinator of each setting where necessary.

This will be achieved in the following ways:

Induct new staff and ensure they are aware of and trained in recognising signs of SEND
Have up to date knowledge of the SEND children across all three nursery schools
Oversee individual action plans of SEND children
Oversee any referrals to outside agencies
Meet with outside agencies to discuss individual children as required
Oversee the writing of summative reports or specific SEND reports as required
Set goals/targets for the SENDCO of each setting as required
Attend meetings to discuss the developmental progress of SEND children
Attend meetings with parents of SEND children as required
Review individual action plans of SEND children for moderation and consistency
Support the SENDCO of each setting by organising quarterly meetings
Key person to be involved through the process

Support the SENDCO of each setting with any training and ongoing professional development as required by co-ordinating with the training manager

All meetings conducted internally between SENDCO’s and key person must be recorded as well as the meetings with the parents and any other professionals.

Learning Difficulty

A child has a learning difficulty if:

a) they have a significantly greater degree of difficulty in learning than themajority of children of their age.

b) they have an impairment which prevents or hinders the use of educational facilities generally provided for children their age.

Gifted or More Able Children

Gifted and talented children are recognised as having Special Educational Needs and Disability. These needs may be academic or may occur in other areas such as sport, music, art, . At Linden Tree Nursery Schools we aim to provide differentiated provision and enrichment activities in addition to, or otherwise different from, the provision made generally for children of his or her age. In order to provide this provision we ensure that through our planning and observation processes, a child’s key person will be able to plan appropriately for every child’s needs in relation to the EYFS, while working alongside the SENDCO in reporting a child’s significant achievement in a particular area.

Our SEND action is detailed below.

SEND Academic Provision

Strategies:

a) Inclusion

b) Differentiation

c) Enrichment or extension

d) Individual or small group lessons

SEND School Action and School Action Plus

Our Nursery Schools are committed to implementing the SEND Action and Action Plus as stated in The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014.

SEND Action

a) The practitioner identifies SEND

b) Refers to SENDCO

c) SENDCO observes child

d) SENDCO consults with parents and decisions on support are made with an Individual Education Plan (IEP)

e) SENDCO or practitioners and parents have regular reviews of child's progress and update IEPs, usually on a summative basis.

Action Plus

a) if little or no progress, over a long period of time, has been made then in consultation with parents outside agencies are employed to give further support.

b) Specialist assessments will be the basis for further IEPs.

Statutory Assessment

If children do not progress through Action Plus it may be appropriate, in consultation with the parents and outside agencies, to consider a Statutory Multi-Disciplinary Assessment.

Our Nursery Schools must ensure that the curriculum is fully accessible to children with special educational needs and disabilities. In light of evidence about a child's particular needs, provision can include:

a) alerting all practitioners and support staff to the child's needs

b) helping the child develop appropriate practices for taking down and recording information e.g. laptop computer

c) providing alternative sources of information.

Staffing Policies

Support Services

a) We invite Local Speech and Language Therapists, Early Years Advisors, Occupational Health Advisors, Educational Psychologists to the setting in line with Multi-agency collaboration.

b) We invite self-employed, specialist teachers into the school to give children with special educational needs and Disabilities individual or paired lessons. These teachers are responsible to the nursery and work through the SENDCO but the financial arrangements are made privately between the teacher and parents.

c) We advise parents on a wide range of available services.

Links with other Schools

We support parents and carers with their decision in choosing a primary school for their children. We understand that this can be a daunting process and offer as much support as we can to aid this transition for their child. We do this by:

a) On-going consultation with parents and child

b) Developing and maintaining links with other schools in the area, both mainstream state and private and special schools. We do this through communication with the schools via email or in person visits.

Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-Ordinator

The SENDCO has responsibility for the day to day operation of the nursery’s SEND policy and for co-ordinating provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disability. LTNS has one SENDCO per setting.

Specifically, the duties of the post are:

To be responsible for producing and implementing guidelines for Special Needs and Disabilities throughout the Nursery to ensure development, continuity, progression and differentiation.
To co-ordinate and oversee the implementation of identification and assessment as laid out in the SEND policy.
To co-ordinate and liaise with Special Needs support staff within the Nursery Schools and with outside agencies to provide appropriate support for children with Special Educational Needs.
To liaise with and advise colleagues on identification, assessment and classroom management.
To contribute to the In-Service training on SEND for staff, including using outside agencies.
To oversee record keeping, including the SEND register.
To control, evaluate and requisition equipment and resources for the teaching of Special Needs and Disability within the nursery.
To liaise with parents and promote open communication and understanding.
To keep up to date with current educational thinking by reading books, journals and government publications.
To attend courses and to disseminate to colleagues where necessary.
To review the nursery's practices in providing for SEND.

Equality, Equity and Diversity

At LTNS we are proud of our diverse nursery teams and the community in which the nursery schools reside. Lambeth and Wandsworth offer a rich culture which the staff teams and children live in. We ensure that the children are exposed to positive experiences of the community and are involved in events and festivals which support their understanding of the world around them. The Froebelian approach guides us through clear principles which ensure we show respect and empathy towards one another. All staff and families in the nursery community are encouraged to understand, appreciate and value the differences between us. Encouragement and praise should be the foundation of relationships between children, staff and parents. Each child is treated with love and care irrespective of race, colour or creed. Children of different cultures are embraced where emphasis is placed on equality. Parents of children are invited to help with specific multi-cultural topics, and partake in the celebration of cultural and religious festivals.

Equal opportunities underpin the value system of the nursery. Therefore the curriculum must display a commitment to these ideals so that all children have access to the same facilities and opportunities.

As Nursery Schools we undertake to;

Encourage everyone to value the contributions of others regardless of cultural and religious differences
Provide opportunities for all members of the team to understand roles in society free from prejudice based on race, gender and religion
Provide the children with the opportunity to experience aspects of different cultures at first hand
Promote the needs and rights of others
Encourage the development of personal, social and professional relationships
Acknowledge individual's rights and roles in the world of work and in the work environment

The curriculum in the nursery will achieve these aims by using positive images to combat negative stereotypes;

By being aware of different types of learning, developing and encouraging different teaching methods to take account of these
By ensuring that children with special needs have access to the curriculum through implementation of the special needs policy
By screening the reading and audio-visual resources to ensure that positive images of people of different races and cultural backgrounds, and people with disabilities are promoted
By the use of circle time as a forum where the children are encouraged to acknowledge and celebrate individual and cultural differences

Staff

The Senior Management Team is committed to a policy of equal opportunities of employment. This policy aims to ensure that no employee or job applicant receives less than favourable treatment because of race, colour, ethnic or national origins, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, disability or is disadvantaged by conditions and requirements which cannot be justified.

Procedures for selection, promotion and training will be under constant review to ensure that individuals are considered solely on the basis of merit and ability.

English as an Additional Language

Within our Nursery Schools approximately 40% of the children speak English as an additional language and 20% of children who come from homes where additional languages are spoken. The term EAL means 'English as an additional language' and includes those children for whom English is not the first language spoken at home and children who are bilingual.

Aims

• To create a welcoming and supportive environment which will encourage EAL children to participate fully in all areas of nursery life.

• To value and respect the cultural and linguistic identities of EAL children, and use these to enrich the learning of all children.

• To develop the oral and literacy skills of EAL children so that they can understand and use English confidently and competently across the curriculum and maximise their potential in all areas of nursery life.

EAL children are entitled to the full curriculum. We value, respect and celebrate the cultural identities and experiences of all children and these are celebrated through both class based and nursery wide activities. We recognise that the use and development of each child's home language is an essential part of the child's linguistic development. We support cultural and linguistic diversity through our displays using a variety of resources, such as artefacts, books, posters, maps, tapes and musical instruments. Children's religious and cultural beliefs and backgrounds are celebrated and valued through circle time and activities. Parents and members of the community are a valued resource and are utilised to enrich children’s learning and cultural awareness. Parents are invited and welcomed into the nursery community and encouraged to participate in the life of the nursery. Parents (and staff) may be used as interpreters for other families, help in the classroom, go on trips, and share experiences and expertise.

The staff are the fundamental resource for raising the achievement of EAL learners. Multicultural and language resources are found across the nursery schools and are available for use by any member of staff. Additional resources can be purchased as required.

When assessing communication, language and literacy skills, practitioners must assess children’s skills in English. If a child is struggling in these areas within the EYFS, practitioners must work with the family and SENCO to explore the child’s skills in the home language to establish whether there is cause for concern about language delay.

Updated July 2023