ACTION
About a quarter of all children currently attending Ladybirds and Brookvale nurseries in Halton, Cheshire are recognised by the settings as having special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The nurseries are not advertised as specialising in SEND care, but two years ago cluster manager Julie Dean noticed numbers rising. She organised additional training for her staff to meet children's particular needs, such as British Sign Language or Makaton. However, as the nurseries' reputation for good SEND support increased, so did the number of children referred to it by other nurseries and the local authority.
As the SEND requirements rose, it became difficult for the settings' deputy managers to cope with additional paperwork and organisation. Dean asked the Pre-school Leaning Alliance, which operates the cluster, to provide a special educational needs co-ordinator (Senco) for both sites.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
