Support
Shadwell Childcare is an inclusive setting that welcomes and values the different experiences, capabilities and strengths of each child.
Our setting aims to incorporate the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 and the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice 2015, alongside the guidelines supplied to providers of private and voluntary pre-schools education.
It is our intention that every child will reach his or her maximum potential in a caring, supportive environment that provides equal opportunities for all.
In line with the SEN Code of Practice Shadwell Childcare is committed to providing an early years' education that enables all children to:
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- achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes, and
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- become confident young children with a growing ability to communicate their own views and ready to make the transition into compulsory education
To do this we aim to work in partnership with parents and external agencies in order to ensure that children with SEN are quickly identified and receive the support they need to engage in all of the activities of our nursery.
The setting has a designated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, Claire Lewis. Claire has a wealth of experience working with children with additional needs and their families. Having been with our setting for almost a decade, Claire has established strong policies and efficient processes throughout the setting to support ALL children and ensure that parents are fully supported and have a thorough understanding of how we are supporting their child.
Shadwell Childcare works in partnership with parents and outside agencies including the Leeds Early Years Special Needs and Inclusion team to ensure a graduated response of "Assess - Plan - Do-Review" is undertaken and that appropriate support plans are in place to meet the individual needs of the child.
The setting also prides itself on Speech and Language Therapy awareness and works with parents, and agencies where needed, providing one to one and small group sessions for SLT support and on how parents can continue this at home.
Claire has undertaken specific training courses to enhance her understanding of the needs of children, in particular to support those with communication difficulties, and she liaises with the staff team to ensure that this knowledge is shared across the setting and that all practitioners are aware of their responsibilities to children with SEN.
The staff within Shadwell Childcare all share a passion for supporting all children and many have taken SEN and additional support qualifications to assist their key children and to be able to work closely with the SENCo providing continued support.
Our SEND and Inclusion policy is available via the link:
SEN and inclusion policy and statement
Our Equality and Diversity policy is available via the below link:
If you have any questions regarding the policy or how your child can be supported, please contact us.
Support for parents can be found
Makaton at nursery
We have some exciting news to share. We are very proud of our setting being truly all inclusive and we are excited to be able to teach the children Makaton so every child has a voice.
Each week Claire, our SENCo, will introduce some Makaton signs to the children and we will practice them throughout the week. We will also share the Makaton signs with you via video and it would be wonderful if you could practice this with your child.
Please click the link to our YouTube channel to watch the videos:
https://youtu.be/Makaton week 1
https://youtube.com/Makaton week 2
https://youtube.com/Makaton week 3
https://youtube.com/Makaton week 4
https://youtube.com/Makatonweek 5
https://youtube.com/Makatonweek6
https://youtube.com/Makatonweek7
https://youtube.com/Makaton week 8
Makaton is the sign and symbol language designed to support spoken language. The signs used in Makaton are from British Sign Language (BSL), which is the language of the deaf community in Britain.
Signs are used along with speech to help children and adults to communicate. Using signs can help children who have no speech, either because they have communication difficulties or whose speech is unclear.
Many children’s understanding develops ahead of their speech. This can leave them feeling frustrated as they might know what they want but not be able to express it. Using signing can help empower them to express what they want to say and alleviate frustration.
We have spoken with our children and they are very excited to be able to learn Makaton and to use it with their friends.
How to use Makaton
- Use the sign or symbol for the important word in the sentence
- Remember to speak and sign at the same time
- Use clear, short sentences
- Remember to make eye contact and use facial expression, body language and gestures
- Use real objects and mime to give reference and meaning
- You may need to guide your child’s hands to help them to make the sign
- Reward any attempt at communication and use the sign and symbol for ‘Good’ to give praise
You will be able to find more information especially for adults by using the link https://youtu.be/tRiW0s7wWIc
Children can continue learning on by using the following link https://youtu.be/tRiW0s7wWIc
Thank you for your support, we know you will enjoy learning them as much as the children are.