Inclusion & Transitions

At Riverside Day Nursery we have an Inclusion and Transitions Officer, Helen, who supports practitioners with all issues based around the Inclusion of all children and their families and the different types of transitions that they go through.

This includes children with additional needs, children and families with English as a second language, moving rooms within the nursery and starting school.

When English Is A Second Language

Riverside Day Nursery, based in East Reading, has a percentage of children with English as an additional language. We embrace all the languages that our children, parents and early year’s practitioners use and try and implement them into our everyday practice.

Home Visits

Home visits are offered to all children when they start at Riverside Day Nursery. This is a time where the child’s new key person and the Inclusion and Transition Officer can visit the child and their family at their home.

The key person can observe how the child behaves in their familiar surroundings with familiar people. This is also an ideal time for the key person to talk with the child’s family about their interests, likes and dislikes, other groups they may attend, hobbies that they may have, the child’s dietary requirements and any other information that the family feels is important to know.

A record of the home visit and discussion will be made and a copy will be given to the parents.

Settling In Visits

We offer minimum of two free pre-visits which usually take place over a period of one to two weeks. The number of visits may be extended based on the needs of individual children.  Visits are conducted in the morning (9.30am to 11.30am) or in the afternoon (1.30pm to 3.30pm).

First Visit

A stay and play session, during this visit we encourage the accompanying adult to play with the child and to assist them with engaging in activities as appropriate. If you’ve not already been introduced to your child’s key person you will be able to meet them during this visit.

Second Visit

A stay play and go session, as this is the second visit it may be appropriate to leave your child for a short while to bond with their key person, this will be decided between you and the key person based on the individual needs of the child. Much the same visit one you should encourage your child to engage in activities with your support.

Special Educational Needs

The nursery has an appointed Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) who works with all practitioners who care for children with a range of special educational needs. The SENCo attends training and network meetings in order to keep skills up to date and relevant. The SENCo also co-ordinates all multi-agency work with other professionals including speech and language therapists, educational psychologists, physiotherapists and early years inclusion advisors. The SENCo can offer advice and support to parents of children with special educational needs and work with the child and their family to deliver them the best possible care and education.

School Visits 

When a child is preparing to leave our setting to start at primary school we support them in their transition. Reading Borough Council deal with the Schools Admissions process which starts in November with relevant paperwork coming to Nursery for us to give to parents.In March once a school place has been allocated Helen will co-ordinate the transition process.

The Inclusion and Transition Officer will contact the child’s new school and arrange a time to visit. This is a time for the Inclusion and TransitionOfficer and the child’s new teacher to discuss the child’s current level of development, actions that they have been working towards, the child’s likes and dislikes and any other relevant information. 

The Inclusion and Transition Officer will also share the child’s Learning Journey with observations, example pieces of work and development notes made from observations.

A record of the visit and discussion will be made and a copy will be given to the parents.The child’s key person will also talk with the parents and help prepare the child for their new school through activities, books and conversation.