Special Educational Needs & Disabilities (SEND)

Our Inclusive Ethos

At Little Pickles Nursery, we offer a warm, inclusive and nurturing environment where every child is valued and supported to thrive. We understand that children develop in different ways and at their own pace, and we work closely with families and professionals to ensure each child receives the right support at the right time.

What is SEND?

SEND stands for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. A child may have SEND if they need additional support with areas such as communication and language, learning, social interaction, sensory or physical needs, or emotional wellbeing.

How We Identify SEND

We identify SEND through ongoing observations, assessments, information shared by parents, and input from other professionals. Any concerns are always discussed sensitively with parents, and next steps are agreed together in partnership.

Our Graduated Approach: Assess, Plan, Do, Review

We follow Kent’s graduated approach to SEND support:

Assess a child’s individual needs
Plan appropriate support strategies (often using Small Steps)
Do – put agreed strategies into practice
Review progress regularly with parents

This ensures support is tailored, effective and responsive to each child’s development.

SEND Roles

Rebecca Taylor, SEND Coordinator (SENCo), works closely with children, families and staff to coordinate support.
Katie Holmes, Nursery Manager, oversees inclusive practice and ensures SEND provision is well supported across the nursery.
Your child’s Key Person provides daily support and works closely with the SEND Coordinator to meet your child’s needs.

Working With Professionals & Professional Resource Group (PRG)

With parental consent, we work closely with a range of external professionals, including Speech and Language Therapy, Portage, the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS), Health Visitors and other relevant services.

For children with more complex or ongoing needs, a Professional Resource Group (PRG) meeting may be arranged. This brings together parents, nursery staff and involved professionals to share information, agree targets and ensure consistent support. Parents are central to these discussions and fully involved in all decision-making.

Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP)

In some cases, a child’s needs may be significant and long-term and require a higher level of support. Where appropriate, and always in partnership with parents, Little Pickles Nursery can support and contribute to an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment request.

An EHCP is a legal document that outlines a child’s education, health and care needs and the support required to help them achieve the best possible outcomes. We can provide observations, reports and evidence as part of this process and will continue to support your child while assessments are ongoing.

Quality Advisor & Additional Support

Where appropriate, we may seek advice from our Quality Advisor or specialist services. Additional support may include SENIF funding or involvement from services such as Portage, SIP and STLS. All decisions are discussed fully with parents.

Kent Local Offer

Kent County Council provides information about services available for children with SEND through their Local Offer, which can be found at:
www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/special-educational-needs

You can also view details of our SEND provision here:
https://local.kent.gov.uk/kb5/kent/directory/service.page?id=gNiyYFgnW5w&childcarechannel=0

Contact Us

If you have any questions about SEND support, please speak to your child’s Key Person, Rebecca Taylor (SEND Coordinator) or Katie Holmes (Nursery Manager). We are always happy to talk and work together to support your child.