The team consists of Portage, the Early Years SEND Team, including Early Years Communication and Interaction advisors/practitioners, and the Early Years Inclusion Practitioners.
For more details, please Information for parents
Attending a Specialist Nursery placement
There are four Early Years Specialist Nurseries across Leicestershire:
- Wigston Menphys Nursery School
- Sketchley Hill Menphys Nursery School, Burbage
- Oasis “The Retreat”, Melton Mowbray
- The Beacon Academy Nursery, Loughborough
The nurseries support children aged 2-4 years with a wide range of special educational needs and disabilities. If your child attends an Early Years Specialist Nursery, they will be closed from Early Years SEND/Portage caseload and will receive support from the nursery.
A place at an Early Years Specialist Nursery is subject to a set of guidance questions being answered, alongside a recommendation from your child’s Early Years SEND Advisor.
Placements are reviewed at set periods of time throughout the academic year to ensure the place continues to be the most appropriate. If at any of these reviews the place is no longer deemed appropriate, a discussion will be held with parents/carers to plan a supportive move into a mainstream provision. When children have successfully settled in the mainstream provision, the child will then move back to an Early Years SEND Advisor for on-going support.
Attending an Early Years provision
For 3 or more sessions a week
If a child attends an Early Years provision (pre-school/nursery/childminder) for three or more sessions a week, the teams would solely support the child in the provision and maintain contact with families through telephone conversations/meetings.
For less than 3 sessions a week
If a child attends an Early Years provision (pre-school/nursery/childminder) for less than three sessions a week, the teams would support the child in the provision and offer home teaching.
If a child does not attend an Early Years provision
If a child does not yet attend an Early Years provision (pre-school/nursery/childminder), then the team will support with home-based learning and will also support families in finding suitable provisions and helping with the transition.
A child supported by the Inclusion Practitioners
Children on an Inclusion Practitioner caseload are offered bespoke intensive support to support the child accessing the provision or school. Families of children on an Inclusion Practitioner caseload will receive limited home support, due to the focus of this team.
For further advice on any of these services, please telephone 0116 3057136 or email: childcare@leics.gov.uk
To refer to the Early Years Panel for involvement from the Early Years SEND team, please complete our online referral form