SEND and Additional Needs: How We Support Your Child

Every child develops in their own way and at their own pace.

Some children may need a little extra help at certain points in their early years. For others, their needs may be longer term or require more individualised support.

At The Treehouse, our aim is to notice what each child needs as early as possible and work closely with families to make sure they receive the right support.

We do not wait for a diagnosis before supporting a child.

If a child needs something different, additional or adapted in order to thrive, we will look at how we can support them.

We start by getting to know your child

When your child first joins The Treehouse, we begin by building a picture of their development, interests, strengths and individual needs.

This starts with their baseline assessment.

Your child’s key person will get to know them through everyday play, interactions, routines and conversations with you.

We look at where your child is developmentally when they start with us and use this as a starting point to understand their progress over time.

Your knowledge as their parent or carer is a really important part of this.

You know your child better than anyone, so we want to hear about:

• what they enjoy

• how they communicate

• their routines

• anything they find difficult

• what helps them when they are upset

• any previous support they have received

• any concerns you may already have.

This helps us understand the whole child, not just what we see during their nursery day.

How we monitor development

Once your child has settled, their key person continues to monitor their development over time.

This does not mean constantly testing children.

Most of what we learn about children comes from watching them play, talking with them, noticing what they can do independently and understanding how they respond to different experiences.

We use this information alongside our knowledge of child development to identify:

• what your child can already do

• what they are beginning to learn

• areas where they may need more support

• whether they are making the progress we would expect for them.

Because we have a baseline from when your child starts, we can look at their individual journey rather than simply comparing them with other children.

What happens if we notice something?

Sometimes a key person may notice that a child is finding a particular area of development more difficult.

This could relate to things such as:

• communication and language

• social interaction

• understanding

• physical development

• sensory needs

• emotional regulation

• attention and listening

• independence

• learning and development.

If we have concerns, we will talk to you.

We will explain what we are seeing at nursery, listen to what you are noticing at home and agree together what might help.

Sometimes a child simply needs a little more time or a slightly different approach.

We may adapt activities, change the environment, use visual support, provide additional adult interaction or introduce specific strategies to help your child access nursery successfully.

We will then continue to monitor how they respond.

If you have concerns at home

Please do not feel that you need to wait for us to raise something first.

If you have concerns about any aspect of your child’s development, speak to their key person.

Even if you are unsure whether it is something to worry about, we would always rather have the conversation.

You may be seeing something at home that we have not yet seen at nursery, or we may have noticed something similar.

Sharing information helps us build a much clearer picture.

A conversation with your key person does not automatically mean your child has SEND or that they will need a referral.

Sometimes parents simply need reassurance. Sometimes we may agree to keep an eye on something. At other times, early support can make a real difference.

Our SENCO

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator, or SENCO, supports children who may need additional help with their development.

If your child’s key person feels that further support would be helpful, they may involve the SENCO.

The SENCO can:

• spend time observing your child

• support the key person with strategies

• help us adapt the environment or routines

• work with you to agree next steps

• help us monitor your child’s progress

• support referrals to other professionals where appropriate

• help coordinate additional support.

Parents and carers are an important part of this process and we will keep you involved.

Support does not have to wait for a diagnosis

Children do not need to have a formal diagnosis before we put support in place.

If we know that something helps your child communicate, participate, regulate their emotions or feel more secure, we can begin using that support.

The focus is always on what your child needs rather than on a label.

For some children, this may mean small adaptations.

For others, we may create a more individualised plan and work with outside professionals to make sure support is consistent.

Working with other professionals

With your involvement, there may be times when we seek advice from other services.

Depending on your child’s needs, this could include professionals such as:

• speech and language therapists

• health visitors

• paediatric services

• occupational therapists

• educational professionals

• local authority early years or SEND teams.

Working together allows everyone supporting your child to share information and use consistent strategies.

Where advice is given by another professional, we will work with you to incorporate this into your child’s nursery experience.

Education, Health and Care Plans

Some children with more significant or complex needs may eventually require an Education, Health and Care Plan, often referred to as an EHCP.

An EHCP brings together information about a child’s education, health and care needs and sets out the support they require.

Not every child with SEND will need an EHCP.

Where one is appropriate, we will work alongside parents, the local authority and other professionals involved with your child.

Transitions

Transitions can sometimes be particularly important for children with additional needs.

This might include:

• moving rooms within nursery

• changing key person

• moving to another setting

• starting school.

Where a child needs additional support with transition, we will work with families and the receiving setting to share relevant information and help make the change as smooth as possible.

This may include additional visits, photographs, visual information, meetings between professionals or a more gradual transition.

We focus on what children can do

Additional needs should never become the only thing people see about a child.

Every child has strengths, interests, personality and potential.

Our role is to identify where a child may need additional support while continuing to build on everything they already do well.

We want every child to feel that they belong at The Treehouse and can take part in nursery life in a way that works for them.

Please speak to us

If you are worried about your child’s development, behaviour, communication or anything else you are noticing at home, please speak to their key person.

You do not need to wait for a parent meeting or developmental review.

We can look at your child’s baseline, the progress they have made since starting nursery and what we are currently seeing in the setting, alongside what you are seeing at home.

From there, we can decide together whether any additional support would be helpful.

Early conversations help us understand children better - and the sooner we understand what a child needs, the sooner we can make sure the right support is in place.