Puddleducks @ Meadoway's

Local Offer

Please feel free to find information on Lancashire County Website 

 

 

We are situated within a rural area in Church, Accrington. The setting has been given a total refurbishment to design our nursery to provide children with a safe, happy, healthy and exciting open plan environment to learn and develop. We have a dedicated baby room (butterfly babies) this room gives our babies a sensory and natural approach to learning. This room is self-contained with direct access to outdoors.

 

Moving on from our younger babies aged 1-2yrs, we have developed a Tweenie room (little ladybirds) where our older babies are able to explore and find their creative side whilst learning through play.  

      We have 2 rooms designated for the Pre- Pre children aged 2-3yrs(Growing Grasshoppers) this area is not only enabling the children to learn through play, we are helping them to gain their independence before Pre-school, this is also a room where the children have direct access to the outdoors.  

​

       Our Pre-school room (Busy Bees) is situated in a separate Annex building on site with access to the outdoors. Our children learn ‘in the moment’ where they are encouraged to share their interests with their peers whilst the staff enhance further to promote learning. Monthly topics are also followed.

​

       Our management team consists of the nursery owner, nursery Manager and a Deputy Manager. All staff have key children including the deputy who are responsible for the monitoring of individual children’s care and development. We have a designated PICO (parental involvement coordinator) an ENCO (equal opportunities coordinator) and a behaviour monitor for the setting.  The nursery manager and a senior member of staff are both trained and skilled in meeting the needs of children with additional needs and share the role of SENCO. The nursery manager and the deputy manager are the Designated Lead Professionals for Safeguarding children. All senior members of staff also have their Level 2 qualification in Safeguarding.

​

Accessibility and Inclusion

• The main entrance can be accessed via a level entrance from the public footpath, which is secured by two gates.

• There is a small car park situated across from nursery with some parking spaces available and there is on street parking which leads to the entrance on level ground, we have gates at the front which will be closed at all times and the nursery grounds are all fenced and secured all the way round, with 2 small yard areas fenced off at the front of the nursery.  

• We have 2 small toilets situated in the sleep room leading of from the tweenie room, two small toilets in the pre-school room, and 2 small toilets located in the Pre-Pre room, these are easily accessible.

• Children will be able to access all indoor and outdoor areas and where necessary, staff will be trained in moving and handling to be able to transport children safely if requiring support.

• There is one toilet for adult’s use, this may be a little restricted due to the size of the cubicle.

• The nursery environment has been designed to let in natural lighting and adaptions have been made to manage noise, i.e - carpeted areas.

​

Information

• Parent information boards are in the entrance area, these boards include information on funding, school admissions and Parents Safeguarding boards, these are updated regularly and when required.

• Signposting to outside agencies, i.e - local children’s centre, parenting classes etc.

• We have parent partnership displays with nursery with activities, planning and suggestions of how to support learning at home.

• All nursery policies and procedures are accessible to parents/carers along with a Covid 19 file and risk assessments.

• Newsletters are produced up to 3 times a year – at least once per term.

• Parents evenings: For our 2 years olds we invite parents in to discuss their child’s progress with their child’s key person (we call ourselves ‘special aunties’) between 2years and 2years 6months. Our pre-school parents are invited in to a Welcome to Pre-school Meeting in August or September, then they have a settling in meeting in January or February, then a transition to school meeting around June time. When assessments are sent home, parents are asked if they have any queries that they would like to discuss further in a meeting with their child’s ‘special auntie’.

• Email contact and consultation appointments arranged on request.

• All nursery policies and procedures and other information is available in large font on request. If required, we can arrange translation into other languages or other informational access.

• We are continually developing our communication with families with EAL and will look to translate information as far as possible.

​

The Rooms

• The rooms are arranged to create space for children to move around and explore their environment safely in continuous provision.

• Furniture can be used to define areas such as the home corner, messy play etc.

• Quiet, cosy areas are defined to enable children to rest, sleep and engage in quiet activities if they please (Children can also make use of sleep mats). The use of lie flat prams for all our younger babies/toddlers are available for fresh air and comfortable nap times.

• Display boards show the children’s work they have been doing and can be discussed to promote self-esteem. We acknowledge British values and characteristics of effective learning in all areas of nursery life.

• All toys and resource boxes are clearly labelled with text and images to promote self-choice and independence skills.

• Children with SEND will be supported through the use of visual timetables, communication books and prompt cards and auditory materials.

• All furniture is free standing so can be moved and rearranged to make space for specialist equipment or to ensure the room is accessible for children using walkers or wheelchairs.

• All toys, equipment and furniture are developmentally appropriate for the age and stages of the different children.

• Tuff trays are used to bring activities to floor level, for easy access.

• Treasure baskets are used with babies to support play and encourage exploration.

• All resources can be shared between the rooms to suit the development needs of individual children

• Cause and effect toys and toys that light up, vibrate or make sounds are available to the children.

​

 The Outdoors

• The outdoor consists a artificial grass play area for the baby room which is all level, and is all secure at the back of the building. There is a raised outdoor area with artificial grass where the children can explore. The toddlers and preschool also have an area which they can use the bikes and outdoor kitchen. Children can also access the 2 front yard areas for physical play.

• Storage units are accessible to the children which promotes independence and free choice of activity and there is a range of outdoor small world resources.

• The playground at the back of the nursery building has seating that allows for outdoor stories and provides communication friendly space for children to sit and talk together.

• Schema’s can be developed here as they can transport and enclose at their leisure.

• Resources are taken out daily which are chosen by children from their storage areas. Resources are adapted to suit the needs and interests of the children attending the setting.

• All areas are easily accessible, and adaptations can be made for other disabilities. The whole outdoor area is safely fenced to prevent children leaving or unauthorised people accessing the nursery. The steps out to the outdoor areas can afford a ramp where needed.

​

Identification and Early Intervention

• Each child is assigned a Keyworker on admission and they are responsible for monitoring the development of their children and ensures that no child’s needs are missed.

• We track children’s progress to identify strengths and any areas in need of development.

• Two-year-old progress checks are completed in collaboration with parents and shared with health care professionals where appropriate

• Good practice of working together with parents and the observation and monitoring of children’s individual progress helps us to identify any child with special educational needs and provide the support they need.

• The nursery will sign post parents to other services such as speech and language drop in sessions where required.

• Our nursery has identified members of staff as SENCO’S who will work alongside parents to assess the child’s strengths and plan for future support. Our SENCO’s are experienced in the care and assessment of children with additional needs.

• We have a comprehensive SEND policy in place.

• Provision mapping identifies what we provide for all children (Wave One), for children who require a little bit of extra input in a specific area (Wave Two) and children who require more specialised or intensive intervention (Wave Three).

• Parents can raise any concerns they have with their child’s keyworker or the nursery SENCO.

• The setting will work in partnership with parents and outside agencies in order to meet individual children’s needs. We will seek advice, support and training where necessary.

• One of our nursery SENCO’s is trained in medication handling. Our Proprietor is also a qualified nurse and is always on hand for advice where needed.

• Following request for involvement and an identification of an additional support need we will continue to liaise with other agencies such as speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and will request involvement of an educational physiologist when required. All decisions relating to a child will be made in consultation and agreement of parents and all other agencies involved.

​​

The nursery, parents and agencies involved will decide if there is a need to request assessment for an EHC (Education, Health Care Plan). We will support the child and parents through the process of developing the EHC Plan.

​

Teaching and Learning – Practitioners and Practice

Our setting works within the Framework of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). The Statutory Framework is mandatory for all early years’ settings and places a duty on us to promote the learning and development of all children. We must consider whether a child has a special educational need or disability which requires specialist support. We are required to use ongoing assessment to understand the child’s level of achievement, interests and learning styles and to shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations. Assessments help parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress and to plan meaningful and relevant activities and support. Our nursery delivers educational programmes to promote the seven areas of learning. There are the three Prime areas (Personal, Social and Emotional development, Physical development and Communication and language) and four specific areas of learning (Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the world and Expressive arts and design). For our youngest children we focus strongly on the prime areas before increasing the focus on the specific areas of learning as the child ages, develops and progresses.

​

Organisation of the setting

• The rooms within the setting are resourced according to the age range and needs of the children within them. These are altered throughout the year to reflect the increasing age and developmental needs of the children.

• The areas of provision are arranged to promote learning across all areas of learning and development.

• Activities, enhancements and resources reflect children’s interests and development stage as identified through ongoing observation.

Assessment and monitoring​

• All children will be assigned a keyworker who will ensure the effective assessment and monitoring of their children’s development, each child has a monthly summary written and this is also shared with parents.

• The keyworker will share their child’s learning journey with parents/carers during parent’s evenings. During daily discussions with parents’ achievements are highlighted and concerns explored by staff with parents and carers.

• The manager and deputy manager will be available at either end of the day for parents to speak to for advice or information in relation to their child and their development.

• Each child will have a baseline assessment completed on entry in conjunction with the parents, whilst they are completing the initial admission paperwork.

• We track children’s progress and share our assessments at least twice per year.

• All children will undergo a two-year-old progress check between their second and third birthday. These assessments will be drawn up in collaboration with parents and shared with health care professionals where appropriate.

• Activities and provision are differentiated to suit the interests and needs of individual children. For children requiring additional differentiation, the nursery will refer to the setting provision map to assess the best level of support for the child.

​​

Provision and practice for children with SEND

• The nursery SENCO will support the child’s keyworker in identifying and implementing targeted support for a child. The child’s keyworker will be supported to deliver targeted support and will liaise with the child’s parents/carers, SENCO and other professionals to report on the child’s progress.

• The SENCO will work with the child’s keyworker, parents/carers and outside agencies to draw up Targeted Learning Plans, review progress against set targets and will prepare the relevant paperwork for review and transition meetings.

• The nursery has a Provision map which helps us to identify the level of support needed to meet the needs of children on wave 1, 2 or 3. Targeted Learning Plans will be used to support children on wave 2 or 3 of the provision map.

• Through differentiated learning programmes we ensure that provision meets the individual needs of the children.

• All nursery planning is displayed for parent’s information and suggestions of how learning can be supported at home is offered. Any differentiated learning programmes for individual children are drawn up in collaboration with parents/carers and provides clear strategies to support learning.

• We will sign post parents to any support agencies, training or learning events known to us as deemed relevant.

​

Children’s views

• Children’s views are sought on a regular basis. Children are able to use tablets to capture their favourite activities and experiences and are encouraged to share their views and thoughts during activities such as circle time (these will be sought and purchased).

• Ongoing observations and assessments ensure that we can ‘tune in’ to children’s thinking and understanding to be able to plan meaningful experiences to promote development.

• We plan around the children’s interest if they tell us what they have been doing this is recorded on the planning sheets as ‘trigger’ planning.

​​

Teaching and Learning – Provision and Resources 

• The nursery is well-resourced and an effective auditing system is in place to ensure that equipment and toys are relevant, stimulating, age appropriate and organised for the children using them.

• Additional funding allocated to the setting will be used for additional staffing needs and to purchase toys and equipment to meet children’s special educational needs.

• The nursery will work with other agencies in identifying any specialist equipment needs and will accommodate provision for the storage of and safe use of the equipment within the setting as far as possible.

• The setting will liaise with the Inclusion Disability Support Service (IDSS) to ensure best practice in supporting children with special educational needs. The nursery SENCO will access services such as health, therapy and social care services when needed and will ensure that time is allocated to effectively liaise and meet with the relevant people and the child within the setting.

• The nursery SENCO is experienced in the care and education of children with special educational needs. She has experience of working with children with a range of special needs including speech and language.

• Access action plans identify any barriers to inclusion for individual children. The nursery will always endeavour to remove any barriers faced to ensure full inclusion of all nursery activities and experiences.

• Staffing ratios, the safety of all children, the support needs of any children with special educational needs and parental consent will determine the planning of trips and outings.

• The setting has use of two minibuses and trips out will be frequently arranged for fun, exercise and real-life experiences based on topics, themes and interests. By sharing children’s home experiences through the ‘My time at home’ sheets we aim to visit the wider community – including parks, play spaces, museums, visitor centres such as Airport, Lifeboat station, Castles, ice cream parlours and monuments. The minibus can have the facility for a wheel chair access with a ramp. Car seats are provided by nursery, and parents are welcomed on trips.

​

Reviews

We regularly review children’s progress and have a range of strategies to share information with parents. These include:

• Parent’s evenings

• Learning Journey /Settling in reviews

• SEN Reviews and TAF meetings

• Termly assessment reviews

• Baseline assessments

• Two-year-old progress checks

• Parent Forums

In addition, parents will receive information regarding their child’s day as we ensure that our keyworkers are available to speak to at either end of the day.

We have an open-door policy and parents are welcome into the setting at any time to discuss their child’s development and well-being.

We ask parents to contribute to nursery planning by sharing their child’s current interests or special events with the nursery team. We request that parents contribute to the baseline and assessments completed by the staff team by agreeing the set targets and providing us with a comment.

We encourage parents/carers from diverse backgrounds and different occupations into the setting to talk to the children about culture, festivals, hobbies and work etc.

​

Transitions

Transitions can be a difficult time for children and our setting is experienced in managing children’s transitions to make them as smooth as possible. We will:

• Operate a pre-visit system which allows parents and children to get to know the nursery and staff prior to the child starting with us.

• Allocate children with a keyworker who will be responsible for settling the child in to the setting alongside other staff.

• Ask parents and children to complete ‘All about me’ booklets to enable us to get to know the child better.

• Share home-made books to show to the children to strengthen the communication and relationships between the home and nursery setting.

• When a child is transitioning through into the next room, children will have transition ‘days’ in the next room so they are completely settled when they transition through fully into that room.

• Complete transition reviews to share information with colleagues, parents and other settings as a child moves from room to room or onto a new setting.

• Liaise with the child’s new setting and visits can be arranged from setting staff to come and see the child in our nursery.

• Liaise with any other childminders or other settings the children attend alongside our setting; staff will complete a liaison form to enable us to liaise with them about the child. This supports our Working in Partnership with others.

• Arrange TAF meetings, prepare transition paperwork and provide new settings with access to targeted learning plans and access action plans for individual children with special educational needs.

​

 Staff Training

• The Proprietor has 30 years plus of experience in providing childcare and now offers support to all her settings. She holds a BA[HONS} in Early Childhood Studies, EYP, Level 5 Management, C&G 4 Adult Teaching. Additionally, trained as a Registered General Nurse.

• The Manager has been employed by the company since September 2017 and holds an BTEC National Diploma in Early Years, awarded Level 3. She is the Designated Lead Safeguarding and Prevent Officer for the setting. She has training in Moving and Handling, CAF and Con (Common Assessment Framework and the Continuum of Need)/Early Years Paediatric First Aid/Level 1 Safeguarding/ Level 2 Designated Lead for Safeguarding, and Management and Supervisory skills.

• The Deputy Manager has a BA Hons in Education Studies and has worked for the company since April 2015. She has Safeguarding Level 2 training and is the Nominated Safeguarding Lead alongside the Manager and continues to attend any courses to further her professional development. She also has management and supervisory skills.

• All mandatory training is up to date by all staff, and this is checked regularly through our training matrix.

• All other members of staff are qualified to level 3 or working towards their level 3 qualification.  

 

• Staff have a continual professional development programme and undertake training and refresher courses annually.

• Some staff have completed short courses such as Autism Awareness, Portage, Valuing Diversity Mathematics in early years and Behaviour Management, which they can access via noodle now online training.

• All staff are trained in Safeguarding and hold Paediatric First Aid Certificates.

​

Further Information

Keyworker’s will be free to talk to parents at either end of the day. The Manager or Deputy will be available to speak to parents throughout the day if they have any concerns or alternatively appointments can be arranged to suit their needs.

 

If you require any further information, please get in touch by:

• Telephoning the nursery on - 01254 875319

• By email - puddleducks3meadoway@outlook.com

• By using our open-door policy - 7.30am - 6 pm. We are happy to arrange a time outside of these hours.

• Contact with the proprietor can be arranged – please request this on the number above.