SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY (SEND)
Bear Necessities, The Field Barn, Weston Park Farm, Weston on the Green, Bicester Oxfordshire OX25 3QE
At Bear Necessities we recognise that every child should be equally valued and included and have the right to be
given the opportunity to achieve their full potential. Bear Necessities is committed to the inclusion of all children and
believes that they have a right to gain experience and develop their knowledge and understanding alongside their
peers no matter what their individual needs.
The nursery and staff are committed to:

Creating an environment that meets the Special Educational Needs of each child;

Ensuring that the Special Educational Needs of children are identified, assessed and provided for in accordance
with the DfES Special Educational Needs Code of Practice;

Enabling all children to have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, allowing them to progress and learn
at a pace and level reflective of their individual abilities.

Ensuring that parents are able to play their part in supporting their child’s education;

Ensuring that children have a voice to express their feelings and identify their personal preferences and
interests, particularly in relation to their learning and any programmes of support;

Liaising with other agencies, including local authorities, and seek advice, support and training where
appropriate;

Ensuring that all children are given equal opportunities and are encouraged to take part in every aspect of the
nursery day.

Promoting positive images of those with special educational needs or disabilities wherever possible.
Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disabilities are defined in the revised Code of Practice and Education Act
(1996) as follows:
Children have special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty which calls for special educational
provision to be made for them.
Children have a learning difficulty if they:
a) Have a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age; or
b) Have a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of educational facilities of a kind
generally provided for children of the same age in schools within the area of the Local Authority;
c) Are under compulsory school age and fall within the definition of a) and b) above or would do so if
special educational provision was not made for them.
Early identification of any barriers to learning or to a child reaching their full potential is vital. All practitioners at Bear
Necessities are required to regularly observe and monitor each child’s development and learning through accurate
observation and record keeping, using the Early Years Foundation Stage as a starting point. The progress of all
children is regularly shared with parents informally through daily contact and formally through reports and meetings
with their child’s Key Person every 3-6 months. Through this process, practitioners are required to identify any child
who may be experiencing difficulties in specific areas and ensure the needs of such children (and any children who
start at the nursery with individual needs already identified) are met.
Practitioners will inform parents at the earliest opportunity of any concerns they may have about their child’s learning
and development, and will provide support for parents, recognising that they may not have been previously aware
of their child’s difficulties, whilst ensuring that information shared is full and accurate. Only by working in effective
partnerships with parents will practitioners be placed to meet the needs of individual children fully. Therefore,
Bear Necessities/My Big Boots Ltd Policies & Procedures
Special Educational Needs
31.03.14
practitioners will enlist their help and participation in supporting their child through all stages of Special Needs
provision.
Bear Necessities follows the guidance of the Code of Practice and adopts a graduated approach to special
needs provision:.
Initial Action:
If an informal approach to supporting the child is deemed appropriate then it may be necessary to present different
opportunities, use alternative approaches to learning or introduce simple measures and strategies to support the
child’s development. This is called Initial Action. The child’s Key Person/Lead Practitioner will work closely alongside
parents in devising suitable additional support for their child, and will closely observe and monitor their progress.
Early Years Action:
If a more formal and structured approach to special needs provision, (or if a child is not considered to be making
sufficient and appropriate progress even when specific support to improve the child’s identified area of weakness is
given to as part of Initial Action), the child’s practitioners, in consultation with their parents, will seek the help of the
setting’s SENCO. The SENCO will work closely alongside colleagues and parents to assess, observe and record
the child’s needs whilst taking into consideration any differing perceptions. An Individual Education Plan (IEP)
detailing strategies to enable the child to progress will then be compiled from all the observation evidence. The IEP
will include information about: the short term targets set for the child; the teaching strategies; the provision to be put
in place; when the plan is to be reviewed and the outcome of any action taken. The IEP will record only that which
is additional to, or different from, the differentiated curriculum in place as part of normal provision.
Early Years Action Plus:
If a child is still not considered to be making sufficient and appropriate progress, the SENCO and practitioners, in
consultation with the parents, should implement Early Years Action Plus. Under Early Years Action Plus,
practitioners will seek the advice of external support services who can provide more specialist assessments, give
advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials and in some cases provide support for particular
activities. The external specialist may act in an advisory capacity, provide additional specialist assessment or be
involved in supporting the pupil directly. Practitioners within the nursery are required to act upon the advice of
external professional agencies, incorporating their guidance into the child’s IEP and providing relevant information
where needed. Delivery of the IEP will remain the responsibility of the Early Years practitioners.
Statutory Assessment:
If the child continues to demonstrate significant cause for concern, despite the additional support given through
Early Years Action Plus, then it may be necessary for the SENCO, with consultation with the child’s parents and
any external agencies involved, to make a request for Statutory Assessment to the LEA. Statutory assessment
involves consideration by the LEA, working co-operatively with parents, the child’s setting and other agencies, as
to whether the degree of the child’s learning difficulty and the nature of the provision necessary to meet the child’s
special educational needs is such as to require the LEA to determine the child’s special educational provision
through a statement of special education need. This will detail the child’s special needs and identify the special
educational provision necessary to meet the pupils special educational needs as well as the non-educational
provision to meet the relevant non-educational needs of the child.
Bear Necessities/My Big Boots Ltd Policies & Procedures
Special Educational Needs
31.03.14
If there are any concerns or complaints about a child’s Special Educational Needs provision, then this should be
made to the SENCO or management who will follow the appropriate complaints procedure (See complaints
procedure).
Special Educational Need Co-ordinator (SENCO)
The SENCO will have the responsibility for:

Managing the day-to-day operation of the policy;

Ensuring liaison with parents, other professionals and external agencies in respect of children with special
educational needs

Advising and supporting other practitioners i n the setting;

Ensuring that appropriate IEPs are in place where appropriate;

Co-ordinating the provision for, and managing the responses to, children’s special needs;

Monitoring and evaluating the Special Educational Needs provision;

Managing a range of resources, human and material, to enable appropriate provision for children with
Special Educational Needs;

Contribute to the professional development of all practitioners in relation to current legislation; information
regarding the child’s individual needs and practices for supporting children’s learning and development;
Special Educational Needs Co-coordinator:
Samantha Eilertsen and Nicky Wooberry
We also have access to an area SENCO provided by Oxfordshire County council who provides a supportive and
informative role on request.
Date 31.03.14
We are fully aware that change are being made with regard to the SEN reform and code of practice and both the
SENCo’s above have/are attending training in relation to this. We are sure to be updating the policy once the
changes have been fully confirmed and all reforms are implemented and understood.
Bear Necessities/My Big Boots Ltd Policies & Procedures
Special Educational Needs
31.03.14