Nursery

Blossom House Nursery is a specialist provision for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. The children have access to a small group learning environment for all activities with a high adult to child ratio. The group is led by a teacher, a speech and language therapist and two classroom assistants who have received internal training to support children with language difficulties and who understand the children’s specific needs. 1:1 support is provided if it is required, particularly for children who need extra support with their behaviour and may require specific behaviour strategies to be implemented.

Teaching staff have QTS and therapists (SLT, O.T, Physiotherapists, music therapists and art therapists) are registered members of the HPC. All staff are required to participate in continual professional development courses.

All staff provide sufficient time and individual attention to all the children, to ensure that they have understood what is being taught and to avoid them learning from their own misunderstandings. The children are provided with a broad and balanced curriculum, including the Foundation Stage Curriculum, which is adapted for children with language disorders and to meet their individual needs. It is based upon learning in small, progressive steps with opportunities to gain full mastery of each skill before moving on. The curriculum is delivered by a specialist teacher who is trained and experienced in working with children with receptive and language and motor disorders and provides multi-sensory specialist teaching.

Daily access to small group activities with a high adult to child ratio provides the children with opportunities to develop imaginative and interactive play skills and attention and listening skills.

The children receive intensive speech and language therapy input. Speech and language therapy is an integral part of the nursery curriculum. All language used throughout the nursery activities is modified to account for the children’s needs. Structured activities target specific language and social development targets. Daily intensive on-site speech therapy is delivered in school by a speech and language therapist who works with the class throughout the week. There is close liaison between the therapist, the class teacher and all other staff involved with the children. Makaton and Signalong training is delivered as part of our continual professional development programme. The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used when appropriate for the individual child.

The children are taken on trips outside school where they have the opportunity to integrate with others, such as trips to the farm, local shops, ‘tigers eye’ and the farm. Joint placements with mainstream nurseries are always possible, if it is felt to be in the child’s best interests.

All children have access to one group occupational therapy session and two group physiotherapy sessions a week. Both our Occupational Therapist and our Physiotherapist are integral members of the nursery team and are involved in our planning, target setting and ongoing assessment for all the children. They can provide individual therapy if it is felt to be necessary and/or it is written on their statement.

IEPs are set once a term and monitored half-termly. Parents are given copies of all IEPs. Parents attend a termly curriculum meeting to hear and discuss the themes and topics for each subject. This is also an opportunity to discuss vocabulary that will be used in lessons and can be reinforced at home. Parents are also invited to a social evening once a term to meet others and listen to speakers invited in, such as researchers, other parents, support groups and health professionals. The principal, therapists and teachers are available for meetings before and after school if necessary.

Blossom House School is an independent specialist setting to which the phased approach in the Code of Practice does not apply. As an educational setting we make provision which is over and above that which could be made in an LEA mainstream setting for a child with a statement. The provision made is in fact over and above that which can be made in many LEA specialist language units.