Send Provision | Scribbles Nursery & Pre-School

SEND and additional needs support

At Scribbles, we are committed to ensuring that all children, families, and staff feel valued, respected, and fully included as part of our nursery community. We actively promote a strong sense of belonging through group play and opportunities for children to interact across rooms, such as Sunflowers and Peonies coming together during quieter periods of the day. This helps children develop positive relationships, confidence, and social understanding. We work closely with our SENCO to ensure that children who require additional support receive tailored and effective provision. This includes children with speech and language needs, autism, social and communication delays, and those from disadvantaged or deprived backgrounds. Key workers and room leaders work collaboratively to gather evidence of a child’s development and any emerging concerns. This information is recorded through a chronological report, which helps us build a clear picture of the child’s strengths, needs, and patterns over time.

This process supports our SENCO in identifying the specific areas where the child may require additional support and in planning appropriate next steps. Where necessary, the SENCO also liaises with external professionals and agencies to access further guidance, assessments, or interventions. This ensures that children and families receive the right support at the earliest opportunity and that all children are able to thrive within our setting.

SENCO Role

Meet our SENCO lead, "Hello, My name is Beatriz, and I am the SENCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator) Lead at Scribbles Day Nursery, as well as the Senior Early Years Practitioner in our Peonies Room. I joined Scribbles in September 2024 and I am Level 3 trained and I have also completed specialist training in Attention Autism, equipping me with practical strategies to support children's communication, engagement and learning. Over the past few years, I have developed a strong passion for neurodiversity, inclusive practice, and positive behaviour support. I am committed to continually developing my knowledge to ensure that every child receives the highest quality of care and education, tailored to their induvial needs. As SENCO, my aim is to work collaboratively with children, families and other professionals to create an inclusive environment where every child feels valued, supported and able to flourish. I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident, curious and joyful learner, and I am passionate about helping them to develop skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential.

Identifying additional needs

At Scribbles Day Nursery, we believe that early identification is key to ensuring every child receives the right support at the right time. We continuously monitor children's learning and development through high-quality interactions, observations, and regular assessments.

Each child has a designated Key Worker who completes ongoing observations, records WOW moments, and carries out termly assessments using the EYFS and Development Matters guidance. These assessments help us identify children's strengths, interests, and any areas where progress may not be in line with age-related expectations.
- The statutory Progress Check at Age Two.
- Daily observations and interactions, including termly tracking reports
- Parent and carer discussions and information shared from home.
- Developmental tracking and monitoring.
- Health visitor reports and information from other professionals where appropriate

Where practitioners identify emerging concerns, they discuss these with the Room Leader and our in-house SENCO. We may then begin completing chronological reports to gather further evidence over time and build a clear picture of the child's development across different environments and experiences.

We also use information gathered from:

Our SENCO works closely with practitioners to observe children, offer guidance, and determine whether additional support or targeted interventions may be beneficial. This may include small group sessions, individual support, sensory strategies, communication aids, or Bucket Time.

If concerns remain following our graduated approach, we work in partnership with parents to seek advice and support from relevant external agencies, such as Speech and Language Therapy, Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, or the local Inclusion Partner, ensuring that any referrals are made collaboratively and with parental consent.

Throughout this process, we maintain open and honest communication with families. Parents are involved at every stage, attending review meetings where we celebrate progress, discuss any concerns, and agree personalised next steps. By working together, we ensure every child receives the support they need to flourish within our nurturing and inclusive environment.

This approach enables us to identify children's needs early, provide timely interventions, and ensure all children have the best possible opportunity to reach their full potential.

How we support and monitor children's individual needs

At Scribbles Day Nursery, we closely monitor children's individual learning and development through regular observations and ongoing assessments. Where we identify a potential concern or emerging need, we begin compiling chronological reports to build a clear picture of the child's development over time and gather evidence to inform appropriate support.

We provide targeted small group sessions based on children's individual abilities, interests and developmental needs, using these opportunities to further support their progress. For children who require additional support, including those with speech and language needs, English as an Additional Language (EAL), or where there are emerging concerns relating to Autism or ADHD, we complete an Individual Child Profile. These profiles identify the child's strengths, interests, areas requiring support, personalised next steps, and any involvement from external professionals.

Our experienced SENCO works closely alongside practitioners to provide guidance, implement appropriate strategies and ensure that children receive the support they need. Where appropriate, we work collaboratively with external agencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for the child.

Partnerships with parents and carers are central to our approach. We build strong, trusting relationships with families, valuing the information they share from home while keeping them fully informed of their child's progress within the nursery. We hold regular review meetings to discuss progress, celebrate achievements, and agree next steps together, ensuring a consistent and collaborative approach to supporting every child's development.

Visuals and resources

We provide a wide range of resources and strategies to support children with additional needs and ensure they can fully access our curriculum. Where appropriate, children are provided with sensory aids, including oral chew tools and a variety of tactile and visual sensory resources to support regulation, concentration and sensory exploration.

For children who require communication support, we create personalised communication aids, such as core boards, tailored to their individual needs, interests and stage of development. These are regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure they remain effective.

Our SENCO is trained in the Attention Autism approach and delivers structured Bucket Time sessions to develop children's attention, listening, communication and engagement skills. These sessions are offered on both an individual basis and in small groups, depending on each child's needs and the intended learning outcomes.

We continually adapt our environment, teaching strategies and resources to ensure every child feels included, valued and supported, enabling them to make the best possible progress in line with their individual needs and abilities.

Professional partnerships

At Scribbles Day Nursery, we work closely with a range of external professionals and agencies to ensure children receive the most appropriate support for their individual needs. These may include Health Visitors, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, the Local Authority Inclusion Team, Family Hub, and other specialist services where appropriate.

Where we identify that a child may benefit from additional support, we work in partnership with parents to seek advice and make referrals, with parental consent. In some cases, families may choose to access private services independently. We fully support this and, where possible, welcome external professionals into the nursery to observe or work directly with the child within their familiar environment. This enables us to work collaboratively, implement consistent strategies, and ensure recommendations are embedded into the child's daily experiences.

By maintaining strong partnerships with families and external professionals, we ensure a joined-up approach that enables every child to receive the support they need to make the best possible progress.

Our inclusive approach

We celebrate diversity and recognise that children learn in different ways and at different rates. Our practitioners adapt activities, teaching strategies, and the learning environment to meet each child's individual needs, enabling all children to access our bespoke Joyful Learner Curriculum and achieve their full potential. We provide planned opportunities for children to learn about different cultures, religions, and celebrations through focused sessions and meaningful discussions. We also encourage parents to share their home experiences, languages, and cultural traditions with us, which supports children’s curiosity and helps broaden their understanding of the diverse world around them.

As part of our inclusive learning, we celebrate a wide range of global events and festivals, including Chinese New Year, Diwali, Holi, and Black History Month. These experiences are embedded into children’s learning in an age-appropriate and respectful way.

We aim to make learning immersive and engaging. For example, we welcomed the Mango Tree Company into the setting to support children’s understanding of African culture through music, traditional clothing, instruments, and discussions about wildlife. These experiences help children to appreciate differences, develop respect for others, and celebrate diversity.

Our inclusive approach extends to our staffing team. We have staff members from a range of cultural backgrounds and encourage them to share aspects of their heritage and traditions. This strengthens our community and supports both children and adults in learning from one another.

By creating an inclusive, nurturing, and supportive environment, we ensure that every child feels they belong, is empowered to succeed, and is given every opportunity to become a confident, capable, and joyful learner.

FAQ:

Will my child need a diagnosis before receiving support?

No. Children do not need a diagnosis to receive additional support. We provide support based on a child's individual needs and strengths, following the graduated approach recommended in the SEND Code of Practice and Essex guidance.

How does the support look like on a day to day basis?

Support is tailored to each child's individual needs and may include:

Small group or one-to-one activities
Visual timetables and visual supports
Sensory resources and calming strategies
Communication and language activities
Adaptations to the environment and daily routines
Additional adult support where appropriate

What is the graduated approach?

Assess – understanding your child's strengths and needs.
Plan – agreeing how we will support them.
Do – putting the support into practice.
Review – evaluating progress and deciding next steps.

This ensures support is regularly reviewed and adapted to meet your child's changing needs.