A Unique Child Inclusion: Put into words

The outstanding inclusive practice at Howard Street Nursery School in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, has been hailed by Ofsted. The 52-place nursery has a history of working with asylum seeker children and those with English as an additional language. They have managed to integrate their support of these children with the work they do with ten children attending who have speech and language difficulties.

Eleven different languages are spoken by children at the nursery this year, ranging from Asian heritage languages to Turkish. 'To have all these different cultures that we can use as part of our teaching is just fantastic,' says headteacher Lynda Barlow.

Dual purpose

One child from a family seeking asylum is currently on the roll, although the nursery has accommodated as many as six in the past. It started the year with two asylum seeker children, but one was sent back to their home country. 'It was really distressing, because we had built up relations with the child and their family and then they were suddenly gone,' recalls Ms Barlow. 'We know that some of our families have come to England from very difficult circumstances, so it is hard for all the staff.'

The children from asylum seeker families often have chaotic backgrounds, but they can thrive thanks to strong initiatives put in place by the nursery, including an induction programme (see box), regular contact with parents, who are welcomed into the nursery at the beginning and end of every session, and links with other agencies, particularly the attached children's centre team, ethnic minority achievement team and Rochdale asylum team.

Staff have found that many of the strategies and language activities put in place for the children who have speech and language difficulties, accredited by charity I CAN, also benefit those children who are learning English. 'It was not possible to have staff who could speak all the different languages, but I could see that the way we teach the children with speech and language difficulties fits very well with the children who don't speak English,' explains Ms Barlow. 'Their language skills are often very limited when they come into the nursery, but then we do have children who attend and are very articulate, so we have a wide range of needs to accommodate.'

The nursery has introduced communication methods such as:

- Visual timelines, giving instructions on what children should do, such as pictures over the washbasins showing the correct order for handwashing

- Makaton, the sign language, which is always used to accompany speech, never by itself

- Staff picture cards, which they carry to give a visual prompt on what activity is happening next, such as snack time, circle time or a visit

- Children's picture cards, which they take home to tell their parents what they have been doing. They also take home books saying what they have done, which the parents can add to.

'We are very inclusive, so all the children take the pictures home if they choose,' says Ms Barlow. 'I have to say to parents that their children will use Makaton at home but not to worry, because once they have got all the verbal language skills they will stop. Some parents get anxious that their child will use it all the time. For some of the children, if they want to communicate with an I CAN child or some of the second language speakers, it is the only way that they can get them to understand.'

Words and phrases

The nursery day is structured to ensure that all children have regular interaction with staff members. Ms Barlow wants the children to have long periods of uninterrupted play and select activities, but she has found that unless there is a structure, some children will not pick up the English language as quickly as they could, or receive help in managing their structured language.

'We were worried that some children could come into the nursery and spend their whole time without talking to anyone because they were completely self-sufficient,' she explains. 'It is important to give children, particularly the second language ones, the language in the right syntax and context of words and phrases.'

Staff have introduced some small group sessions which often feature language activities, lasting five to 15 minutes. All children are encouraged, but not forced, to participate. During this first term, staff have been concentrating on language activities that have helped the children to get to know each other and become familiar with toys and equipment used in the setting. Activities include:

- Name Game Children sit in a circle with a ball. They say who they want to roll the ball to - 'I am going to roll it to Jack' - and then that child will name another and roll the ball to them. Initially, if they do not know names, they can point and the staff will name the child.

- What's in the bag? Pieces of equipment that children may not know the names for are put into a small bag. Children take turns to select an item and, if possible, name it. Otherwise, the group will talk about what it does and the staff member will name it. 'Through this activity we are giving the children the language that they will need to operate within the provision areas,' Ms Barlow explains. Later in the year this will be extended by a child putting their hand in the bag, feeling an item and describing it to the others, who have to guess what it is.

- Milk time is also used as an informal time when language for sharing and turn-taking can be modelled. Staff encourage children's recall skills, helping them to talk about what they have been doing and to project what they will be doing next.

- Story time Staff may use the same book over two or three weeks. This helps the children, especially those with language delay, to be secure with the story and allows them to hear the language repeatedly so they become familiar with the words and their sounds.

Ms Barlow notes that the nursery is fortunate to be in a town where there have not been incidents of racial tension, unlike in neighbouring areas. It also attracts parents from both traditionally working class and middle class backgrounds. She says, 'It is that mix of families that is a strength of the school in supporting the children with their language development, play skills and social skills.'

INDUCTION PROCESS

Parents are told about the induction process, which takes two weeks, when their child is enrolled and are asked whether they are happy to be visited at home. Ms Barlow recalls only two refusals in 30 years. 'I'm very clear that I'm not looking at the house but want to meet the parents and child where they feel secure,' she explains. Home visits are held in the morning.

- Staff conduct the visits, which take about 30 minutes, in pairs.

- Families who speak Urdu, Punjabi and Mirapuri are visited by a staff member who can speak those languages. Other language speakers are often supported by friends or an interpreter.

- Staff take photographs of the nursery to show the child, and a puppet to act as an ice-breaker.

- Parents are given a school booklet containing general information and an 'All about me' sheet which they are asked to fill in, or staff help. The sheet gathers information that can help settle the child into nursery, such as who lives in the house, any pets, or anything they are frightened of.

The parents then bring their child to the nursery that afternoon so it is fresh in their mind. This helps parents to meet staff, feel welcome at the nursery and get involved in their child's learning, something they may not be familiar with in their birth country.

Children start attending the following week, for an hour-long session at first and gradually building in time as the child becomes more settled, often taking five to six days.