‘At the time of looking, Windmill was the only nursery that was going to keep my son with his peer group, because that’s what I wanted, regardless of whether he could or couldn’t walk’.

Quote from a parent

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1How does Windmill Day Nursery know if your child is in need of extra help?
The child’s key person will know the child well enough to notice if they need extra help or support. This will become apparent when they are gathering observations and assessments on the child, as it will show a delay in their progress. The Nursery Manager also monitors the progress of all children so if a child is not meeting the expected development milestones for their age, this may suggest they need extra help. Your child’s key person will develop a good partnership with you so it may be that you have made us aware that your child needs extra help.
2What should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs or disabilities?
Please speak to the child’s key person if you have any concerns and they will seek help from the nursery’s SENCO or the Nursery Manager.
3How will the staff at Windmill Day Nursery support my child ?
  • It is the key person’s responsibility to gather observations and plan for the next steps in each child’s learning. We regularly gather information from you, on a ‘bubble’ sheet that asks about your child’s learning at home and their current interests. This information, together with our own observations, is used to plan the next steps in their learning. Each child has a learning journal which is available for you to look at any time you wish to see it. You are able to sign out the journal and take it home and take a thorough look at it, or share it with other members of your family.
  • We hold parent’s evenings twice a year where each child’s development is discussed in more detail with the key person.
  • Our SENCO is available to support members of staff and for them to seek help if they have a concern about a child.
  • There may be occasions when outside agencies, such as Speech and Language, may be asked to provide support or guidance. If a referral is needed, the key person will discuss this with the parent and gain their consent before making a call to either Speech and Language Setting Support (SALSS), the Family Information Service (FIS) or Targeted Setting Support (TSS), as these are our point of call for receiving advice on how we can best support a child with additional needs. All aspects of the feedback are shared with you and every member of staff to ensure your child is fully supported in the setting.
  • When a parent was asked how we support their child, they replied ‘Suggestions made by the Speech and Language Therapist are implemented and discussed with me. Windmill staff have adapted the ways they communicate and also staff have attended training’.
4How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs ?
  • A learning journal is provided for every child in the setting.
  • Each journal shows observations, assessments and planning.
  • A developmental progress review is provided for each child using the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to track and monitor progress.
  • The key person will plan next steps for your child taking into account individual needs and interests.
  • One parent commented, ‘Windmill views every child as an individual – disabilities aren’t going to be in the way of development’.
  • The ‘bubble’ sheet you provide will be used to help write their next steps and a photocopy of their next steps is provided for you, which gives ideas on how the child’s learning can be supported at home.
  • Activities are planned which are specifically tailored to your child’s interests and learning style and which support the development of the next steps in your child’s learning.
5How will Windmill Day Nursery and I know how my child is doing and how will Windmill help me to support my child’s learning?
  • Parent’s evenings are the key means of discussing your child’s progress. However, the key person is always available if you need to discuss a concern.
  • At the end of each day, you are given a verbal handover of how your child’s day has been and this is an informal opportunity for you to discuss how they are doing.
  • By writing next steps and progress reviews, the key person will be able to keep a close eye on your child’s progress. This information is shared with you regularly to ensure that you are also kept up to date and showed your child’s progress. Next steps include ideas of how your child’s learning can be supported at home to help us work together to support your child’s learning and development.
  • Communication/home books can be requested and provided when needed. These are sent home and returned every session informing you of your child’s progress and development day by day. These are particularly useful if you do not bring or collect your child to and from nursery each day, or if your child is not able to tell you about their day due to communication difficulties.
  • Play plans can be provided which use information from home and the setting, and are regularly reviewed and updated.
  • If SALSS, FIS and/or TSS are involved in helping the setting, they will provide information on how the child’s needs are to be supported both at home and at the setting.
  • We are hoping to soon provide some in house parent training on supporting children’s learning at home.
  • Each child between 2-3, will receive the Two Year Progress Check which will be discussed with you and your child’s Health Visitor during a meeting with you at the nursery.
6What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
  • The SENCO, the child’s key person and their buddy key person are there to support your child.
  • All staff members are made aware of our Promoting Positive Behaviour policy and a consistent approach to dealing with inappropriate behaviour is provided throughout the setting.
  • Daily risk assessments and checklists are carried out to ensure the safety of the building and the children.
  • All support provided takes into account the individual needs of all children
  • Equipment is provided to help children (e.g. height adjustable furniture, chairs of differing heights) 

7Administration of medicines/medical needs.
  • Medicines are only given by a qualified member of staff with a current first aid certificate and witnessed by another qualified practitioner. They are stored in a locked cabinet in the Manager’s office. Most medicines will be prescribed by a doctor and it must be provided in its original container stating this.
  • Non-prescription medication will be administered when it is essential in maintaining a child’s health and well-being and considered absolutely necessary. 
  • Health Care Plans are provided for those with medical needs. These are written by yourselves and are shared with all staff members in your child’s care, as well as the SENCo. These are regularly reviewed and updated to support the child. 
8What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by Windmill Day Nursery?
  • Sometimes we may need to liaise with outside agencies to provide more specialist care. This can be done through FIS, SALSS or TSS where we can access Portage, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Early Support and many more. If necessary, with your permission, the SENCO or manager may contact your GP or Health Visitor to be able to further support your child. We also have close links to our local Children and Family Centre.
9What training are the staff supporting children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities had or having?
  • The nursery’s designated SENCO has had training provided through West Sussex County Council and regularly attends network meetings to keep up to date with all the most current and relevant information.
  • All staff members are provided access to training in: Child Protection, Behavioural Management, Paediatric First Aid, Health and Safety, Manual Handling. In staff meetings those who have attended the training will cascade the information to all the other members of staff. Staff who have attended a training course are expected to consider what changes to our practice we need to make to fully utilise the new skills learnt from the course. The effect and impact of these changes are monitored and evaluated by the Nursery Manager so we can ensure we are making a difference to the children.
  • Some training staff attend will be specific to supporting individual children’s needs. To keep up-to-date, the setting aims for every member of staff to attend one training course per term and we will also consider providing in-house training from outside experts. The whole staff team received training on using sign language to support communication skills, and this continues to be a daily focus so that when new staff join our team, they have the opportunity to learn basic signs too.
10How will my child be included in activities outside the classroom including nursery trips?
  • With every trip we would carry out a detailed risk assessment beforehand ensuring that it meets our health and safety requirements. If necessary, your child would have 1:1 support during the outing so they can fully participate. We would also take any necessary medication with us to use in case of an emergency.
11How accessible is Windmill Day Nursery’s environment indoors and outdoors?
  • As we are located on the first floor and in an old building, unfortunately we are not fully wheelchair accessible. Although we aim to be fully inclusive, our premises sometimes hinder us with this desire!
  • We do have one bathroom that provides wheelchair access.
  • We provide words and posters all through the setting in multiple languages to help support those with English as an additional language.
  • Visual timetables and choice cards are used throughout the setting, together with pictorial symbols on key rings.
  • Our outdoor environment has tarmac, pavement, and grass areas. All children have full access to the entire garden. The garden has 5 steps leading into it, with a handrail each side at different heights to support children of all ages. It also has a protected, enclosed area for non-walking, less confident children.
12How will Windmill Day Nursery prepare and support my child when joining or leaving the setting?
  • When joining the setting, we provide the child with two or three pre-entry visits. The first visit we ask you to stay for the duration of session so your child can start to feel comfortable in the environment, knowing that you are close by. This time also gives you the opportunity to get to know your child’s key person and to tell us everything there is to know about your child! Subsequent visits are a chance for your child to continue to build a bond with their key person. During these visits we ask you to leave your child with us, if and when you are happy to do so.
  • You will be invited into the setting to discuss the individual needs of your child and what support we can provide for them and for you. If necessary, we will also arrange meetings with other professionals who are involved in your child’s care and we will organise appropriate training for our staff so that your child can be suitably looked after and supported. If you prefer, we can visit you at home to discuss your child’s complex needs.
  • All about me’ booklets are provided by the key person to gather certain information from you detailing your child’s daily routine and a breakdown of their individual needs and interests.
  • When transitioning to school, we invite your child’s new teacher to come in and meet your child and to be able to sit down with their key person and discuss any important information. If necessary, we will organise visits to the new school with your child’s key person. We will also put together a picture book of the new environment and include photos of the new teachers.
  • All children leaving the nursery take with them a One Page Profile which details key information about them to help their new teacher get to know them quickly.
13How are Windmill Day Nursery’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
  • All funding is dependent on the child’s individual needs, but it is our aim to purchase additional resources if they are needed. We regularly carry out audits on our equipment and we aim to continuously improve the facilities we offer.
  • If we are able to receive inclusion funding or enhanced funding, then an additional member of staff will be deployed as an extra support for your child and the setting.
  • Funding can also be applied for to receive additional resources for further support. We also have the ability to borrow resources from our local Children and Family Centre.
14How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
  • The key person, the manager, the SENCO, and/or other staff members who work with your child will carry out observations on your child.
  • What they observe will be discussed with you and the level of support needed will be agreed. It is the Manager’s responsibility to ensure this level of support is provided by the key person, with the support of the SENCO. If the setting needs to, we will access information, advice and tools from the West Sussex County Council website. We will also book and attend relevant training and cascade information to further develop staff practice and our provision. We will take advice, plan, and implement strategies to help meet the needs we have identified.
  • If further inclusion support is needed to reduce your child’s barriers to learning, a request form will be submitted to local colleagues at the Children and Family Centre requesting Targeted Setting Support (TSS).
15How are parents involved in Windmill Day Nursery? How can I be involved?
  • We are run by a Management Committee and we hold our AGM in March of each year. Parents are invited to attend the AGM and to join the Committee.
  • Every term all parents receive a newsletter from the Nursery Manager which includes ideas about how to help.
  • Messages are written on all of the white boards in the setting detailing important information, and details of your child’s day.
  • All parents are able to contact the Manager at any time by email or phone and the Manager has an open door policy, so you are welcome to chat with her at any time.
  • We have a compliments and complaints book in our hallway, accessible to parents at all times. We also welcome comments and suggestions in line with our complaints policy, and we use these opportunities to identify any areas where we can make improvements.
  • Every month we display one of our policies in the hallway for parents to read and add on any comments or suggestions.
  • Each year, parents are issued with questionnaires asking for feedback and suggestions for improvements. This information is used to help us to implement changes.
  • Parent’s evenings are held twice a year, in January and July, for you to discuss your child’s development with their key person.
  • Throughout the year, we hold various fundraising events that parents are welcome to attend. Parent’s views were gathered when putting this offer together.
16Who can I contact for further information?
  • Our first point of call for any queries or concerns is our nursery manager, Georgia Batchelor-Baker.

    She can be contacted by telephone 01342 328544, or by email

    info@windmilldaynursery.co.uk.