About Us
Within the Nursery there are 18 places for children from 2-5 years with a wide range of special needs. Most children have complex needs.

The Nursery has a specialism in language, communication and social difficulties, and the staff have long term experience of teaching children with a range of learning difficulties and children on the Autistic Spectrum.

Aim of the Nursery: To provide a high quality learning curriculum delivered by dedicated specialist staff who work in partnership with parents. This is provided within a safe, stimulating and secure environment where children enjoy learning and are well prepared to move on to their next phase of education.

Organisation
The nursery is co-ordinated by the Head of Nursery, who also teaches in one of the two classes. By offering two classes we are able to meet the different individual needs of a wide range of children.  The classes are separate for the main sessions of the day but join together for activities such as singing, physical activities, outside play. Children are able to transfer between groups as their needs change. Staffing is usually 6 children to 2 or 3 staff, dependant on need. (A list of staff is at the end of the brochure)

What will your child do in the nursery?
Your child will have a wide range of play activities linked to the Early Foundation Stage Curriculum and leading to the Early Learning goals.

Your child will have a high level of support on activities, some 1:1 time with an adult, time to choose their own activities, small group activities, time for working on language programmes and physical programmes as necessary. Outside play is in a safe, secure environment with a range of activities to suit a wide range of need.

We try to maintain a routine to the session to give security, and children are supported in understanding this by objects of reference, photographs or symbols.
        

Language and communication
Each child has their own programme to develop language and communication and a range of strategies are used to meet individual needs.

A range of systems are provided to support individual children’s language and communication needs e.g. objects of reference, photographs, signing, symbols.

Some children respond to specific approaches e.g. Picture Exchange, TEACCH approach, Intensive Interaction. From our assessment and from discussion with you we use the approaches that suit your child best.

As well as individual time given to communication and language, within the day there are many opportunities built in for developing language, communication and social skills, to ensure that your child is able to communicate in a range of everyday situations e.g. snack time is used to give choice and create a communication opportunity.
 
Your child will have a named speech and language therapist who will liaise with us and you during their time with us. The staff have extensive experience of working with children with language and communication difficulties and they will be responsible for ensuring that programmes are carried out throughout the day.

What is the Curriculum on offer?
The Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum is made up of 6 areas of learning and we give particular focus to language and communication, social skills, self help skills and developing pretend play.

The areas are:

Personal, social and emotional development Communication, language and literacy, Problem solving, reasoning and Numeracy     Knowledge and understanding of the world. Physical development. Creative development.

Activities are carefully planned to provide all children with opportunities to develop a wide range of skills and concepts. Each term activities are based on a topic e.g. ‘ourselves’. The topics are based on the early vocabulary children learn. Activities are planned for outside and inside.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
We focus on children learning how to play; both with adults and with each other; and learning how to co-operate and concentrate. We learn about how to care for ourselves and others and in becoming aware of relevant cultural and religious beliefs. Children also learn skills such as feeding, dressing and toileting. Toilet training is carried out in discussion with you at the appropriate time. (Full facilities for changing are in place).

Communication, language and literacy
We focus on children’s early communication skills and understanding and use of language. We develop children’s listening skills and understanding of books and stories and develop their skills in early reading and writing.

Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy
We develop matching and sorting skills and number as well as the language around concepts of size and shape. Children are encouraged to problem solve in a range of situations.

Knowledge and understanding of the world.
encourage children to use their senses to investigate in a range of activities and to experience the world outside, in the garden and by going on visits. Some children may be hypersensitive in certain areas e.g. touch, sounds and we build a programme in to everyday activities to help them overcome this. We experience cooking, constructional toys, water play, sand and many more activities. We use a range of technology from switch toys and touch screens to using tracker balls and a mouse to control the computer.

Physical development
We develop children’s awareness of their bodies, how to imitate physical actions and give opportunities for developing co-ordination, balance and awareness of space. Learning about safety can also be important both in themselves and to others. We practice ball skills and enjoy activities such as the climbing frame, parachute and bikes.
Developing hand skills and using simple equipment such as pegs and scissors is built in to a range of interesting activities.

Creative development
Learning how to play can be important for some children and extra importance may be given to the development of pretend and social play with others. We also create using a range of craft materials and paint.
Singing is used interactively with many children and is often their first experience of a small group situation. We learn action rhymes, songs and use musical instruments.
      
 

Additional Opportunities:
We have a super sensory room which can be used for many purposes and staff are very skilled at gaining the most from this experience.

Some children also benefit from some time with the music therapist to develop interaction and communication.

We are able to use the hall in school for physical activities and apparatus for the older pupils. 
   

However children do not need to have a statement to be offered an assessment place.

Education, Health and Social Service personnel can make a referral for an assessment place using a form from the Early Years SEN panel at County Hall in Matlock. This is submitted to the panel who meet regularly. If a place is agreed, we are contacted by an officer from the Local Authority to offer your child a place. This would be for 12 weeks initially.

What is a 12 week assessment place?
The child is offered a place for an initial assessment period during which time their needs are assessed and a programme to meet these needs is put in to place. This programme is shared with you and the outcome of this will then be discussed at the end of 12 weeks with you and all professionals involved e.g, educational psychologists, speech and language therapist. A decision is then made either:

1.  To continue with a further 12 week assessment period

2.  To ask the Local Authority for a statutory assessment and remain in the Nursery whilst this takes place.
                               
3. Your child would return to a mainstream setting with a supported outreach package.

If at the end of these processes the child has a statement of special educational needs and it is decided by the LA in consultation with you that the child stays in the nursery, there will be regular reviews of progress and of the placement.  

The nursery day
Children are offered a morning place or afternoon place.

A child may have 15 hours in a range of ways and this will be discussed with you before your child started. Not all children attend for 3 hours nor 5 days a week, particularly to begin with.
 
For some children it will be important that lunch time is part of their learning and if agreed at a review this can be arranged.

Older children who are nearing transfer to primary school will be offered a full time place if agreed at review.

Some children may attend the nursery on a split placement with a mainstream nursery.

What happens when your child starts?

Once a place has been requested the Head of Early Years will contact you and arrange a start date and decide with you the best way of introducing your child to the nursery. On the first day we usually ask parents to stay so that we can gather as much information as possible about your child and for you to get to know the staff.

Each child manages parting from their family differently and we are led by you as to how gradually we work through this process. When you do leave your child for the first time we always maintain contact by telephone so that you can feel confident.

Medical Needs
If your child has any medical needs we complete a health care plan with you.
If your child is on doctor prescribed medication the staff will administer this if we are given full details of name, dose and any side effects. A form is also completed for this and we need your signature.

Clothing
Please: dress your child in tough clothes that can cope with nursery activities. Help your child by providing clothes that are easy to manage, with not too many buttons and fasteners, name your child’s clothes and provide a change if they are likely to have accidents.

If your child wears nappies please let us have a pack and some wipes or send them in daily. It is also useful if your child could have a bag to carry pictures home and the home/school diary. We try to complete this daily and we like parents to use this also.

Accidents
We do our best to ensure accidents do not happen but they do sometimes. All staff have a one day qualification in first aid and one staff member has a full 3 day qualification. Minor cuts and grazes are dealt with quickly, anything more serious we would contact you and if necessary get further professional help. Please ensure we have an up to date contact number. 

Discipline
This is carried out in accordance with the whole school discipline policy.
A positive and caring attitude is shown to each pupil. Positive behaviour is praised and re-enforced.
The nursery follows the County’s Child Protection procedures.

Transport
Parents, if they are able, bring their child to nursery on a daily basis. Many children travel to and fro from nursery on a taxi, supported by an escort if they live outside a 2 mile radius of the school. The children usually thoroughly enjoy the journey. The service is arranged by the special needs department at County Hall. We like the first journey your child does to be the homeward one so that we can introduce them to the escort and they are coming home to you.
 
Ongoing Contact with parents
We use a diary to maintain contact or find time to chat if you come daily. We also encourage parents to use the phone if they need to. We arrange termly meetings with you to discuss your child’s programme and if necessary will also make a home visit.

If your child remains in the nursery as part of the statement of special educational needs we hold 6 monthly reviews as well to look at progress and review the objectives in the statement.

What happens when your child leaves nursery?

For some children parents and the professionals involved may decide the nursery is the correct provision until they transfer to their Primary phase. Two terms before they are due to leave we hold pre-school review to discuss your child’s next placement.

There is no automatic transmission in to the Infants class of the school; it is a separate provision. If parents wish to access a place there it is done via the statement.

Whenever your child leaves during his/her nursery years or to transfer to Infants school we liaise with the future school and plan a smooth transfer with you. This may involve some training for the future school and several visits to ensure your child feels happy about the change and school staff have a good understanding of your child’s needs.

We hope this brochure has answered most of your questions. Do not hesitate in ringing us if you wish to know more.

Contact Name:
Head of Nursery - Mrs Sue Firth
Stratford St,
Ilkeston
Derbyshire
DE7 8QZ

Head teacher of Bennerley Fields School – Mrs Margaret Stirling

Tel: 0115 9326374

Comments from the latest OFSTED report

"Children's progress is outstanding"

"Children make excellent progress, particularly in their communication and early literacy skills. This is because of the expert nature of the staff and the support they give the children"

"Staff use carefully prepared resources and very interesting activities to engage the children"

OFSTED report February 2006