Little Cakes Montessori is committed to providing an inclusive environment where every child, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), has equal opportunities to thrive. We adhere to statutory guidance, including the SEND Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years, with a particular focus on Chapter 5 for early years providers. The Owner of the Nursery is SENDCO trained, and Catherine Swift, Inclusion Development Officer, provides training, guidance, and support across all areas of the company in all areas relating to SEND.

​

You can download this document HERE.

 

Our SEND Local Offer

​

Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Local Offer sets out the support available in the borough of your chosen nursery location for children aged 0 to 5 with SEND. This includes children and young people with or without an Education, Health, and Care (EHC) plan. 

 

We aim to: 

– Provide clear, accessible information about available services and support. 

– Ensure that children with SEND, and their parents and carers, are listened to when local services are developed and reviewed.

​

You can see the types of support you can get through the SEND Local Offer, including: 

– Education 

– Health 

– Social Care

 

Support We Provide

 

Little Cakes Montessori School is a privately owned nursery group for children from 12 months until age 5. We welcome all children and families and make all reasonable adjustments to meet their needs. As an inclusive run business, we pride ourselves on a personal approach, aiming to build positive relationships with children and their families. We encourage parents to be fully involved in the nursery and to share their hopes and concerns with us. We have high aspirations for all children and collaborate with parents to support each child’s individual development and learning. 

 

Which SEND Needs Can We Support?

​

We endeavour where possible to support a range of SEND needs, including: 

– Autism 

– Social, emotional, and mental health difficulties 

– Hearing 

– Communication and interaction 

– Sensory and physical needs 

– Cognition and learning 

– Visual  

 

Our Aims for Children with SEND and Their Families

​

We aim to give children the best possible start to their education. To achieve this, we: 

– Work with families to seek support from outside agencies when appropriate. 

– Implement recommended strategies tailored to individual needs. 

 

Our Welcome Commitments – before their child’s first session every family will have:  

• A welcome meeting with the Manager of Nursery  

• A key person selected for their child   

• Their child’s essential information gathered to support top quality care  

• Their care and service preferences explored with the Manager and key worker

• Access to the Blossom app  

• Access to all the essential policies and guides  

 

The Key Person  

• Ahead of your child starting the nursery you will be allocated a key person who is a child’s primary carer in the nursery and the unconditional champion for the child.  They will be the main support for the care and education of a child, leading the communication between the nursery, parents and carers, and any other supporting parties.  

• To support healthy relationships, each child also has a nominated buddy key person who, in the absence of the child’s key person, will use their bond and sound knowledge of the child and their family.  

  

Training and Development 

SEND-specific training our team : 

– Supporting Children with a Hearing Impairment 

– Speech and Language Development 

– Understanding Autism  

– EY SENCO Training (local borough) 

– British Sign Language  

 

Involving Parents 

We actively involve parents through: 

– Regular stay-and-play sessions, events, and activities. 

– Providing access to an online record system for sharing observations and photos. 

– Termly parents’ sessions to discuss children’s progress. 

– Frequent updates and meetings tailored to children with SEND. 

– Opportunities to meet professionals, such as speech and language therapists or occupational therapists. 

– Assess Plan Do review weekly catch ups
 

Accessibility 

Our nursery environment is wheelchair accessible indoors, and most of the garden is accessible.
 

Transition and Settling 

We recognise that transition needs vary for each child and work with families to offer: 

– Home visits. 

– Frequent settling-in sessions. 

– Transition support  

– Shortened sessions as needed. 

We collaborate with local schools and invite them to visit children transferring to their settings. 

 

Future Plans for SEND Development 

– Planning a whole-company SEND training day. 

– Conducting a SEND skills and knowledge audit to plan further training. 

– Developing a quiet sensory area for focused activities and to provide a calming environment for children needing respite from the busy nursery setting.

 

Conclusion

 

Little Cakes Montessori School is dedicated to supporting families and providing high-quality, inclusive childcare for all children. By working in partnership with parents, carers, and professionals, we aim to meet the diverse needs of children with SEND and foster their development in a nurturing environment.