Nursery chains have a huge opportunity when it comes to inclusion. Not only can they apply good practice to individual settings but they can take a positive ethos to the group as a whole.
In line with Ofsted requirements, all chains must have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) on site and this has helped them to become more attuned to individual children's needs. SENCOs also help to create a strategic dimension to a nursery's special needs approach, by developing relationships with parents and accessing a wider support network through local authorities.
All nurseries also have to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act which came into force last year. In line with this they must ensure their buildings are physically accessible, which could involve anything from installing ramps to changing the use of rooms.
The 'reasonable adjustments' outlined in the Act mean that a nursery must examine all its policies, including its admissions policy, and ensure that conditions in the policy do not discriminate against disabled children.
For example, if a hearing-impaired child joins the nursery, the management should provide training for the staff in the use of radio aids and microphones.
At Puffins of Exeter Childcare Centres, development manager Colette Poulson says that having a SENCO makes an inclusive approach work on a practical day-to-day basis.
'For example in one of our nurseries there is a child who has a hearing impairment and the SENCO's role is to ensure that he participates in all activities,' she says. 'This has involved training in Makaton signing so he can communicate effectively, not only with practitioners but with other children as well.'
Ms Poulson points out that it takes a particularly committed member of staff to become a SENCO and train on an ongoing basis. 'They are a crucial link in the nursery chain because they also liaise with other members of staff, and ultimately inform the way all the nurseries work,' she says.
Dietary needs
Special needs to do with diet and allergy are becoming an increasing issue for nurseries and they have a responsibility to access as much information from parents as possible.
Ms Poulson says, 'Children have an extensive settling in period during which it is up to the keyworker to obtain a detailed form filled out by parents. The keyworker may make home visits to ensure that an accurate picture of the child's home life and diet is obtained.'
She emphasises that it is Puffins' policy to ensure that babies are never given food that they haven't already tried at home. 'If we are introducing something new they take a sample of food home to try it,' she says.
At Just Learning's Huntingdon nursery, manager Chrissie Richardson says the nursery regularly encounters a wide range of dietary special needs, with egg allergies and gluten-free requirements the most common.
'We work our menus around children's specific needs but essentially they all have the same food,' she says.
'What's important is that a child with an allergy doesn't feel they are missing out or being made a special case. When we serve a celebration cake, for example, we make sure that it is safe for all the children to have a piece.'
Ms Richardson underlines that disseminating information is vital, 'We display informative posters on the walls so that parents don't do things like bringing in cakes with nuts in them.'
Staff have been taught to use injection kits such as Epipen and have regular training updates from the local hospital. 'We had a child who attended the nursery on a full-time basis who was on a gluten-free diet,'
she says. 'This involved a lot of adjustments but our cook was able to work closely with the parents to devise menus that were safe but which also meant she was eating the same thing as the other children.'
Holistic approach
For Just Learning, accommodating dietary needs is just one aspect of addressing children holistically, which means that inclusion becomes an automatic way of life.
'All children are different,' she says. 'They move through the nursery as and when they are ready and they are very closely observed, so we know if there is a problem. Sometimes it is upto the parents to contact outside agencies or there are times when we do this ourselves.'
Other special needs children at the Huntingdon nursery include two on the autistic spectrum and another who requires physiotherapy during the day.
'The nursery environment is designed on one level and does not present difficulties for a child with a physical disability,' Ms Richardson says.
At Asquith Nurseries, any child with a special need is integrated into its development and learning programme according to its particular age group.
Marketing director Olive Glass says, 'It comes down to team work within each setting. Practitioners have to ensure that any child with special needs is not segregated and this can only be done with the acquisition of specific skills such as sign language.'
For this reason Asquith Nurseries says its training programme is ongoing and it has to be consistent across all of its 108 nurseries. 'We have a mixture of settings but all of them have dedicated areas for various age groups and we ensure that these can accommodate all types of children,'
says Ms Glass.
However, currently Asquith Nurseries does not have a significant quota of children with special needs. 'Allergy and dietary requirements are the most common needs we encounter and each nursery has a set procedure to follow that involves working with parents to ensure that children are given the best possible diet,' she says.
A close eye
Bringing up Baby has an open door policy for parents to help ensure that all special needs are met. Marion Bones, Hammersmith branch nursery manager, says, 'Sometimes it is a case of the nursery picking up on the child's problems first and it is important to talk to parents as soon as possible. For example, we had one child who had delayed speech which hadn't been noticed because the older sibling did all the talking. In this case we were able to give the child a lot more time to itself for one-to-one interaction as well as involving it in all the usual group activities such as rhythm and rhyming games.'
Ms Bones believes it is important to keep a close eye on how special needs are being met and continually look at what can be done to improve things.
'We work in partnership with parents but we also get a lot of support from Fulham and Hammersmith social services. It is now straightforward to access early years services and this is very helpful.'
As Ms Bones points out, nursery chains are in a strong position to be inclusive by adopting a strategy that works across all their settings. 'A consistent approach means that all children benefit,' she says.
CASE STUDY: PUFFINS
Jenni Hewings (see photo), a SENCO for seven years, is based at Puffins of Exeter Childcare Centres' Neighbourhood Nursery in Torquay. She finds it particularly rewarding when a child with special needs is able to progress through the nursery and into mainstream school.
'One child joined the nursery at 18 months with a range of problems including cerebral palsy and epilepsy,' she says. 'Her grandmother was her main carer and at the initial parents' evening we exchanged information and established a relationship. As the child progressed we developed individual education plans and looked at ways she could achieve her goals.'
Ms Hewings says it was important to involve all the children in her activities and sometimes this came down to small details - such as having chunkier paintbrushes and special threading materials. 'Although she was paralysed on her left side and had to have regular massages during the day, this was not a barrier to her enjoying nursery life. She has now gone on to mainstream school with a one-to-one helper,' she says.
The number of children entering the nursery with speech and language difficulties is on the rise according to Ms Hewings. 'We recently had one child in the Foundation Stage who could not speak at all so it was important that we used Makaton sign language, and involved the other children in doing so as well.'
Behaviour problems are often linked to communication difficulties and Ms Hewings regularly finds herself working with speech therapists and other professionals. 'It is down to the SENCO to co-ordinate meetings and monitor the child's progress,' she says. 'It is important to be both flexible and responsive.'
