Nurseries

[MrsBubble]

Hi all,
My son has been given a place at two nurseries to start this September and I am still debating over where to send him- one is a school nursery and the other is a local authority maintained nursery. I have confirmed that both have spaces so that I am not wasting anyone's space making my mind up.
My son is currently non- speaking and 3 years old. He has been referred for a possible ASD diagnosis but we are yet to see a paed/have any speech therapy on the NHS.
He has not had any experience of any type of setting as he has been at home with me till now. As a former teacher myself, I am really apprehensive about the level of care and attention he will be getting, especially as his communication is limited (hand leading mainly).
I had made my mind up about the school nursery because I am familiar with some staff there and it seemed like the better option for connections with other professionals but the local authority one has also informed me they'd have the same connections. His keyworker there would be the SENDCo and their OFSTED report happened to mention the SEND provision being very strong. It's also a little nearer to us and the school attached to the other nursery has had mixed reviews lately so not sure I even want him there for primary onwards.
TBH I don't want to send him to any setting but my husband is keen to see how he progresses around other children.
Just need some opinions on if and what type of setting your children went to with similar needs. TIA!

My 4 year old went to a private nursery. He has ASD and global development delay. At 3 he didn't talk at all so communicated in other ways. He coped well at the nursery and his key worker (trainee SENDCO), the SENDCO and all the other staff were brilliant and really understood him. They were integral to getting his EHCP and referrals to SALT and other agencies. He's now left the nursery as he starts school in September. Thanks to his time at nursery, his development has come along from being around his peers, he has a lot more words and is now using singular words to tell me what he wants, he doesn't engage with other children but is not fazed by being around them even in big groups. It's put him in the best position possible for starting his mainstream school next month. I can totally understand your preference to not send him to a setting but it may really boost his progression and confidence.

To be honest if I was in your position I would go for the one with the OFSTEAD report saying the SEND provision is strong.

Wishing you the best of luck ❤️

Hiya, thanks so much for sharing your positive experience 😘I know all children are different but I really hope my little boy thrives in the same way too. I am gearing towards the smaller setting with the mentioned SEND provision too. Fingers crossed x

I would go with the nursery you feel is the most supportive and inclusive when you talk to them. I wouldn’t put too much store by OFSTED reports, especially if it is old.

If you haven’t already, you should request an EHCNA. On their website, IPSEA has a model letter you can use. Ask the nurseries if they will support an EHCNA request. That will tell you a lot. Lots of settings don’t support EHCNA requests and incorrectly try to put parents off.

Thanks so much. You're right about OFSTED- the last report is only from last year but I know from working in sch the things OFSTED place importance on is not a reflection of how well the children are looked after. Both spoke very well about their inclusivity so it makes it harder

Forgot to mention thank you for mentioning EHCNA- I will definitely look into this