Our key person system ensures a smooth transition from home to school and nursery to other settings, including primary schools. Initially when assessing children, we take account of each child’s interests/needs from their families and other establishments. Our staff will assess your child’s progress against developmental milestones after observing their overall achievements. This is used to form his/her next steps. We also carry out a statutory two-year-old assessment, details of which are inserted into your child’s red health check booklet. This enables us to identify any possible concerns, which we will share with you. We will not make any referrals to seek assistance from other professionals without your explicit consent. We hold regular parent meetings for you to evaluate our performance and discuss your child’s progress. You will also receive two, written summative reports per year, which will set out your child’s progress in detail. You can request and arrange mutually convenient meetings with your child’s key person to discuss any concerns you may have.
Our staff will assist children needing additional support by agreeing and implementing, with your assistance, an Individual Plan, which your child's key person will use to monitor his/her weekly progress. Additionally, we target and focus on each child’s needs in our planning cycles. Individual plans are re-assessed at 12-week intervals. With your consent, we will enlist the guidance of Brent’s Early Years Inclusion Support Team (EYIST), and utilise strategies and techniques recommended by specialist agencies who know your child.
Key persons have regular meetings with parents to discuss children's Individual Plans, which run for 12 weeks at a time, and play plans (six weekly). We also hold bi annual meetings with parents to discuss children’s written summative reports, general progress and wellbeing. We also have multi-agency meetings with outside professionals when required.
Our staff carry out wellbeing observations when assessing children. We nurture children prior to their transition to new settings and primary schools by helping them to overcome worries such as going to the dentist, hospital or doctor, and potential fear of animals by reading simple stories and providing first-hand experiences where possible. We teach children how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and how to keep themselves safe.
On entry to nursery, and at the beginning of each term, our staff will carry out a baseline assessment of your child's abilities. This will be matched to the appropriate Early Years Foundation Stage age-related milestones and will serve as a starting point for their learning journey. Play materials and equipment are made easily accessible to all children in accordance with Early Childhood Environment Rating Scales (ECERS). Differentiated and integrated learning experiences will be offered to children with additional needs based on advice from outside professionals, such as speech and language therapists, occupational health, paediatric services and the area SENCO.
After getting parental consent, BrightStart ChildCare and Education may make referrals to Brent’s EYIST, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, community paediatrics and the under-fives specialist nursery panel. The nursery, unfortunately do not have training and resources to deal with children with complex needs. Our families are mainly Asian Indians, English, Black, Muslim and Eastern European, the majority of whom have English as a second language. We also cater for children who have speech and language delays. To meet their needs, parents of children who have English as an additional language are encouraged to share key words in their home language so that staff can communicate with their child and meet their needs.
We enlist the help of parents, bank staff (?) and volunteers to assist with the children on organised trips, such as the eco garden at a local school, our local library and park. We organise frequent outings, which we believe provide opportunities for spontaneous learning and allow children to relive familiar experiences in different environments and contexts. We adjust our staff to child ratio according to the needs of children attending trips. For example, multiple trips of one adult to two children instead of fewer trips with a greater number of children. Risk assessments are carried out to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children we accompany.
Our premises, although not purpose built, have accessible entrances, and disability toilets. However our outdoor area is limited to the confines of the building and there is limited access for wheelchairs due to a number of steps. The nursery is open plan, ensuring all children have access to equipment and toys.
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We prepare written end of year reports, along with development data for each child, to help ensure a smooth transition to their new school. Details of your child’s achievement are sent on to their school, along with a feedback form, which the school will use to evaluate the accuracy of our transition documentation and our assessment of your child. Children are well prepared for their move to a new setting through common activities, such as circle time stories and peer and family support. Additional meetings with new school will be arranged for children with SEND.
Parents of children who have English as an additional language are encouraged to share key words in their home language so that staff can communicate with children to meet their individual needs. We encourage parent helpers by using a rota system. We keep parents informed by encouraging information and sharing consent and promote the use, at home, of strategies to achieve consistency in children routines. We arrange regular meetings with key persons every time a new play plan is devised. We encourage parents to give us their views/opinions using our comment book and suggestion box.