Whipper-snappers Local Offer for Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

The purpose of a local offer is to enable parents and carers to find out which services are available for children with SEND in their area and how to access them.  The following questions and answers show how we provide for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

How do staff at Whipper-snappers know if children attending their setting need extra help, and what should parents/carers do if they think their child may have SEND?

Each child has a designated key person who develops a trusting relationship with parents/carers and children that enables respectful sharing of information.  If parents/carers have any concerns about their child’s development, they are encouraged to discuss this with their child’s key person or with our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators, Lynda Bocarisa or Nikki Smart.

Ongoing observational assessments of all children are undertaken, and these are linked to the Birth to Five Matters ages and stages of development.  If individual needs are identified, they are discussed with parents/carers, and plans are put in place to support the child’s learning and development.

Each child’s key person will carry out a “two-year-old check” summarising all areas of development.  This is shared with parents to support the “two-year-old check” carried out by their child’s Health Visitor.

Our SENCo will support and advise staff in the setting and, with parents/carers’ permission, will liaise with our Inclusion Partner to seek outside support from professionals if considered necessary.

How do we support children with SEND?

All children and their parents are supported by their designated key person, who will observe, assess, monitor, and plan individual activities based on each child’s interests, needs, and next steps. This is further supported by two- year checks and Wellcomm assessments. Should needs be identified by the key person, SENCo or parents, then Whipper-snappers will work closely with the parents and offer support, liaising with outside agencies as well as starting the One Plan Process and Graduated Approach (Assess, Plan, Do, Review).

• Assess: Gathering information (observations, assessments).

• Plan: Developing targeted support plans (what, how, by whom)

• Do: Implement the support.

• Review: Regularly checking progress with parents and adjusting plans.

Reviews (TAF meetings) are held regularly, and any reports or information from outside agencies are added to the One Plan. A One Plan is written with the help of the Essex Ordinarily Available Document, and if needed, with the support of our Inclusion Partner.

Whipper-snappers works closely with other professionals where possible and, with parents’ permission, will seek specialist support through our Inclusion Partner.

Our SENCo’s Lynda Bocarisa and Nikki Smart attend regular cluster meetings within our quadrant. This is a great place to get advice and additional support from other professionals and local settings.

Courses, updates, and the Essex Local Offer newsletter are also shared with parents to provide further support.

Staff at Whipper-snappers work with parents/carers to support their child and explain how their individual needs are met through the One Plan process and the Graduated Approach (Assess, Plan, Do, Review). We work in partnership with parents/carers and hold One Plan review meetings to plan targets together.

How do staff at Whipper-snappers create learning and development opportunities for individual children with SEND?

In addition to the One Plan process, all children have an online Learning Journey that includes photographs, samples of work, written observations and individual planning in the form of next steps. Our teams of experienced, qualified teachers and nursery practitioners work together to ensure the environment, routines and activities support the needs of all children in their care.

When a child joins Whipper-snappers with an already identified SEND, copies of any reports or assessments from professionals will be sought, enabling staff to take these into account when creating appropriate learning and development opportunities.

How do staff at Whipper-snappers work in partnership with parents/carers?

We are a friendly and welcoming nursery, and we work closely with parents to create and maintain a positive partnership which supports their child(ren).  Parents are kept informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their child’s education.  Regular TAF meetings are held with parents to review their child’s One Plan. They are also provided with information on relevant sources of independent advice and support.

A robust settling-in process that meets the child’s needs and routine is in place to support children and parents to build a trusting relationship with their key person.

We hold regular parents’ evenings for all children; this is a nice opportunity, outside of the One Planning TAF meeting, to have further discussions with key people.

At Whipper-snappers, we operate an online learning journey that enables parents and primary carers to add comments to observations.

How do staff at Whipper-snappers support the well-being of young children with SEND?

The service provided at Whipper-snappers is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children, particularly those arising from their ethnic heritage, social and economic background, gender, ability, or disability.  We are committed to anti-discrimination practices to promote equality of opportunity and value diversity, inclusive of all children and families.  We aim to:

• Provide a secure and accessible environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued.

• Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity.

• Provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and disabled people.

• Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting equality and valuing diversity.

• Make inclusion a thread that runs through all the activities of the setting.

All nursery practitioners are paediatric first aid trained.  A vigorous recruitment process is in place, references are taken up, and all staff are required to have an enhanced DBS check. Tina Carnegie-Dielhenn, Emma Sainsbury and Charlotte Bocarisa are the Designated Safeguarding Officers, and they attend regular conferences and training.

Personal Health Care Plans can be adopted if required, and staff undertake training whenever necessary.

We communicate openly with parents about all aspects of their child’s day and will work with them and their child to provide a consistent and planned approach to any behaviour concerns.

We follow our Behaviour and Relationship policy to create a supportive atmosphere that guides children to positive outcomes.

All policies and procedures are available to view in our office and via our online platform Famly.

What training and experience do staff at Whipper-snappers have in supporting young children with SEND?

Lynda Bocarisa and Nikki Smart, the nursery SENCos, have many years of experience working with children with specific needs.  They have attended and hosted Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings.

The vast majority of Nursery Practitioners at Whipper-snappers are qualified to level 3 or 4 in childcare.  We also have 6 Early Years Teachers.  All staff have a very good understanding of child development and are confident to seek guidance and support when assessing individual needs.

We have access to an online speech platform called Speech Club, which includes short videos made by speech therapists and resources to complete the activity afterwards.

We use the WellComm Assessment tool to assess all children’s speech and language development, and we follow the advice and guidance in the Big Book of Ideas.  We discuss any concerns with the child’s parents and, if necessary, advise referral to a speech and language therapist.

Ongoing Continuous Professional Development for all staff has a high priority.  Staff have attended many courses, including speech and language, autism, medical/physical needs, and TPP (Trauma Perceptive Practice) training, which has been cascaded to staff and adopted through our Behaviour and Relationship policy.  We have worked with children with a wide range of SEND, including Autistic Spectrum Disorders and speech, language and communication difficulties.

We also have experience working with children who speak English as an additional language, as well as those with mild and serious health conditions and allergies.

All staff have safeguarding and paediatric first aid training.

What specialist services and expertise are accessed by Whipper-snappers?

The Equality and Inclusion Officer at Essex County Council provides support to nursery staff, helping children attending our setting with EAL.

Our Inclusion Partner provides support to the setting as and when necessary.  We have extensive experience working with health visitors, speech and language therapists, specialist teachers, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and educational psychologists.  We have links with the local Children’s Centres.

How does Whipper-snappers include young children with SEND in community-based activities?

We plan activities and visits that enable all children to take part.  Risk assessments are carried out for all activities and visitors attending the setting to ensure the safety of all children.

Short walks to the post box or along the local nature trail may be planned with permission sought before each outing.

How accessible is our environment?

Our nursery and kids club are housed in five fully refurbished barns.  We have an accessible adult toilet with a handrail, and two of our children’s toilets can be used with supporting frames.  Our doorways are wheelchair accessible, and all nursery rooms are on the ground floor.  We have plenty of outdoor space, divided into gardens for children of different ages.  There is ample parking space available around the nursery. Regular risk assessments are carried out.

How do staff at Whipper-snappers prepare and support young children with SEND when they join the setting and when they transfer to another setting or school?

Children experience many transitions in their early years, and nursery staff are sensitive to the difficulties they may face during these transitions.

Before starting at Whipper-snappers, children have several complimentary settling-in sessions.  Parents/carers stay with their child for the first session and, as appropriate, on all other settling-in sessions.  They will be asked to complete an All About Me form and share information about their child’s strengths and needs.  If there are any special requirements or concerns, these can be discussed with the key person or our SENCOs’.

When children move rooms due to age- and stage-appropriate readiness, we work with parents to ensure a seamless transition that fully supports the child.  The child will spend short sessions in their new room before the permanent move to help them feel comfortable in their new surroundings. We may also arrange opportunities for their child’s new key person to spend time with the child in the room they are moving from, as well as offer a meeting so parents can meet the new key person, see the new environment and ask any questions.

When children attend more than one setting, we liaise with them and arrange exchange visits for staff.  We use a communication book to share next steps and future plans for the child’s learning and development.

Starting school is a huge transition, and the nursery will do all it can to make the move as smooth as possible.  Our Pre-school staff make visits to the local feeder schools, and the reception class teachers are invited into our setting to meet the children joining their schools.

Children with SEND will be supported into their new school through meetings and discussions with the school SENCo and the reception teacher to determine the best strategies that suit the individual child.

How we organise our resources to meet the needs of young children with SEND.

The nursery has a wealth of resources available to meet the needs of all children.  Specialist equipment and resources are purchased or loaned when they are required.  Our staff often make and adapt equipment following ideas and suggestions they have learned on training courses.

How we decide on appropriate support for young children with SEND.

We pay regard to:

• The SEND Code of Practice 2015

• Children and Families Act 2014 (part 3)

• Equality Act 2010

• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2025)

• EYFS. (2025)

Following discussions with the child’s parent/carer, key person, and SENCo, a decision will be made on whether to seek outside support. Reports from external professionals will be used to determine the next steps and targets.

How Whipper-snappers involve all parents/carers in our setting

Parents/carers are encouraged to contribute to their child’s learning journey and share ideas and next steps.

We have two parents’ evenings each year, plus several events to which parents are invited.

Who can I contact for further information?

The nursery owners are Lynda Bocarisa and Dr Tina Carnegie-Dielhenn.  They can be contacted on 01371 821131 or by email at info@whipper-snappers.co.uk.

Further information about the setting can be found on our website www.whipper-snappers.co.uk

The Local Authority’s Local Offer can be found on the Essex County Council website www.essexlocaloffer.org.uk.

Local Offer – updated January 2026