Orchard Day Nursery was founded in 1989 and is set in half an acre of grounds on Henley Road in Caversham. The setting currently provides Nursery care for children from 10 months of age to 5 years, Preschool for children aged 3 years to 5 years and After School and Holiday Care to Children in the Infants (Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes).

Features of the setting are its extensive outdoor learning environment. We also believe strongly in the importance of creativity and the arts in promoting children's imagination and adaptability whilst preparing them for a rapidly changing world. We employ many staff who have backgrounds and experience in the creative and expressive arts. We draw upon the contributions of many theorists and remain abreast of current trends in Early Years.

Updated and reviewed - April 2024

Additional needs are generally identified in one of two ways. The first is when parents come to the setting already with concerns or knowledge of Special Educational Needs or a disability. The second is when additional needs are identified during a child's attendance at the setting. We maintain records of each child's learning and development which we share with parents, and produce regular progress reports. If there are any concerns about a child's progress, we discuss this with parents.

All children are unique and have their own likes, dislikes and preferences. Every child at the Nursery has a key person who is the point of contact between parents and the nursery and it is part of their role to maintain an ongoing dialogue with parents throughout your child's journey through the nursery. All provision is tailored to meet the specific and varied needs of all the children. If we have a concern that a child is having significantly more difficulty learning than the majority of others, the key person will discuss this with the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and we will arrange a meeting with the parents to share our concerns, pool knowledge and agree actions.

When additional needs are identified, we will meet with the parent to discuss these and draw up an IEP (Individual Education Plan). This will define concerns, set aims and formulate an action plan. The precise details will depend on the nature of the difficulty your child is experiencing. The IEP will also set a review date when progress is evaluated and the plan modified. Where appropriate, and only with parental consent, we will seek the advice and support of specialists in the area such as Speech and Language Therapists or Early Years Support Teachers.

Specific strategies will depend on the actual nature of the child's needs and any advice we receive.

We always strive to meet the individual needs of all children and families who use our services. If an individual child requires one-to-one support, we will undertake to apply to the Local Authority for additional funding to provide a one-to-one carer to support the child.

We make observations of the children and maintain records of each child's progress and link this to the Seven Areas of Learning outlined in the Government's Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum. This record is available for you to see at any time and we encourage you to contribute to it. We will also produce written progress reports (about every 3 - 4 months) and share these with you and ask for your comments. With children with additional needs, in addition to the above reports, the IEPs descibed above are reviewed and modified regulary with you at Review Meetings (as needed).

Through differentiation as required by their needs.

There are ramps to the entrances of buildings and between rooms on different levels. The setting is built on a sloping land so there are some challenges to children with mobility problems.

When children move on to school, we work with the schools to make the transition as easy as possible. We produce a Transition Report that goes to the school describing the child's abilities and strengths. This is much like the Regular Progress Checks you receive. Many of the schools will send their reception class teacher to visit their prospective children at the nursery (to be reintroduced once conditions allow this).

As described above, there are regular reviews of IEPs with the SENCO, the Key Person and the parents and further specialist advice or assessment is sought where this is considered appropriate.

Initially contact the administrator of the setting for a registration form and to arrange a visit. If you are having concerns about your child's progress or they already have a known Special Educational Need or Disability, ask to speak to the SENCO to discuss how these needs can be met.

Every child has a key person. Parents are able to discuss all the minutiae of a child's individual care with the key person in an ongoing partnership. We greatly value daily informal contact in providing quality and personalised childcare. There are also the formal reports described above in which we invite your comment. Should you feel unhappy with any aspect of our care, you can always ask to speak to the manager. We take all concerns very seriously and value parental feedback. We are grateful for positive appreciation and praise and always ensure this is passed on to the individuals concerned. We are equally grateful to receive feedback about anything that is wrong so that we are able to rectify it. There is also an official complaint procedure clearly outlined in the policy pack received by all parents on admission.