Mama Bear’s Day Nursery provides a friendly, clean and comfortable, safe environment which children can find stimulating and challenging and where enjoyment and fun are linked with discovery and learning. It is a 67 place nursery with three rooms, a baby room for 3 months to 2 year olds, a Bouncy Bears room for children approaching 2 to 3 years and a pre-school for children aged 3 to 5 years. The nursery is passionate about outdoor play and adopt a free flow policy allowing children to move freely indoors and out throughout the day.  The outdoor environment reflects all the play and learning opportunities expected to be found indoors with the added benefits of being able to explore, build on a larger scale and discover new skills.

Qualifications and training: Level 3 diploma in childcare and education, Level 3 Playwork, certificate in leadership and management level 5.

Who to contact

Telephone : 01803 540578

E-mail : lrmanager@mamabear.co.uk

Website : www.mamabear.co.uk

Where to go

Name : South Devon College

Address : PAIGNTON
Devon

Postcode : TQ4 7EJ

Notes : South Devon College bus routes

Other Details

Costs

Details : We offer a Sibling discount

Availability

Age Ranges : From 0 years 0 months to 8 years 0 months

Related links : Ofsted Inspection Report

Inclusion Information

Wheelchair Access

Has Provision : Yes

Special Needs

Has Provision : Yes

Experience with : ADHD Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Downs syndrome

Details : Senco and sensory room on site. Please see attached Local Offer for full details.

Childcare Information

Vacancies

Details : Contact provider for vacancy details.

Funded Places

2 year old funding : Yes

3 & 4 year old 30 Hour funding : Yes

School Pickups

Offers pickups : No

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN: EY434985

Link to latest and historical ofsted inspection reports 

Local Offer

SEN Information

What special education provision is available at our setting?

The Nursery group within Torbay, benefits from experienced and specifically training staff who can support and deliver exceptional care for a variety of needs.

• Each of the settings has a named SENCo in place, who co-ordinates support, training and resources for all children and practitioners.
• The Nursery group holds a variety of equipment and resources to enhance the provision further in relation to needs of the child, all of which are readily available at any of the four settings.
• The Nursery group shares support and expertise from relevant practitioners in relation to the needs of the child. Utilising the knowledge held through various additional qualifications specialising in additional needs of children under five. Cascading this information to practitioners and the extended family of the child.

What criteria must be satisfied before children and young people can access this provision/service?

• Mama Bear’s Day Nursery is an inclusive provider, caring for children aged from 3 months to five years. Able to provide sufficient care and support for children with a variety of needs.
• Upon first contact with the setting, information is gathered from the family and any other source available upon authorisation from the parents/carers, (agencies, professionals supporting the child/family and/or any supporting documentation) in order to establish the needs of the child.
• Once this information is captured, the setting will seek out all support available from within the Nursery group and/or outside agencies/professionals who may or may not already be engaged with the family, in order to provide a service that fully meets the needs of the child/family in question.

How do we identify the particular special educational needs of a child or young person?

• Monitoring of individual children’s progress throughout the foundation stage is essential. Where a child appears not to be making progress then it may be necessary to use alternative approaches to learning. Ongoing difficulties may indicate the need for help above that which is normally available for children in the particular early education setting.
• Once a practitioner has identified that a child has SEN the nursery will intervene through ‘Early Years Action’. If this intervention does not enable the child to make satisfactory progress the SENCO’s may need to seek advice and support from external agencies. This form of intervention is referred to as ‘Early Years Action Plus’. Informing parents to contribute their knowledge and understanding of the child and raise any concerns they may have about their child’s needs and the provision that is being made for them is an initial step.

How do we consult with parents and/or children and young people about their needs?

• The Key Person and supporting colleagues who work with the child within the said key group, will communicate daily with the parents/carers and of course the child in relation to their needs. Regular meetings are held with the parents/carers extended family with the Key Person and SENco at the Nursery, in order to provide the parent/carer with an opportunity to share updates and the impact of any support put in place. Written updates, assessments and scrapbooks which capture how the child’s needs are being met are shared regularly.

What is our approach to teaching children and young people with special educational needs?

• The SENCO’s will take the lead in further assessment of the child’s particular strengths and areas of support in planning future support for the child in discussion with colleagues working with the child, and in monitoring and subsequently reviewing the action taken. The SENCO’s will ensure that appropriate records are kept including a record of statements.
• The practitioner usually responsible for the child, their key person, will remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis and for planning and delivering an individualised learning programme.

How can we adapt our curriculum for children and young people with special educational needs?

The SENco’s in consultation with the child’s parents, will decide on the action needed to help the child to progress in the light of any assessments. This action will compromise of individualised arrangements for learning and may include;

• Extra adult time in devising the nature of the planned intervention and monitoring its effectiveness
• The provision of different learning materials or special equipment
• Some individual or group support or staff development and training to introduce more effective strategies
• Access to LEA support services for one off or occasional advice on strategies or equipment
• Staff training to provide effective intervention without the need for regular or ongoing input from external agencies

How will we ensure we get the services, provision and equipment that children and young people need?

If practitioners in consultation with parents conclude that a child may need further support to help them progress, staff should seek the help of the nursery SENCOs. All known knowledge about the child will be collated and if not previously sought, the support of outside multi agency professionals will be implemented with parental consent.

How is this provision funded?

• Mama Bear’s Day Nursery is a private childcare company, open all year round except bank holidays and also between Christmas and New Year.
• Every child is entitled to up to 15 hours free nursery provision per week during term time from the term after their third birthday until they start school. Although children are able to access this funding throughout the year, using 12 hours free Nursery provision per week. These sessions are funded by the Local Authority and are known as the ‘Free Education Entitlement’. Parents / carers apply for the entitlement on a termly basis via the nursery.
• This is a simple process which we will help you with.
• When additional resources, support or Nursery sessions are required, additional funding will be sought through the local authority or relevant organisation.

What additional learning support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how do they access it?

• Learning support is available for children with special educational needs and ordinarily co- ordinated by the Key Person and SENco.
• When a child is identified as having a special educational need, interventions should be devised that are in addition to those provided as part of the settings usual curriculum. This is ‘Early Years Action’ Strategies employed to enable the child to progress will be recorded within an Individual Learning Plan, which will include the following ;
• The short term targets set for the child
• The teaching strategies
• The provision to be put in place
• When the plan is to be reviewed
• The outcome of the action taken
• Early Years Action Plus is characterised by the involvement of external support services who can provide more specialised assessments, give advice on the use of new or specialist strategies or materials, and in some cases provide support for particular activities.

How do we support and improve the emotional and social development of children and young people with special educational needs?

Within the Nursery group in the locality we have a trained THRIVE mentor who supports children on an individual basis as well as creating support materials and training to all practitioners. All settings adopt the THRIVE ethos and within each setting staff have had specific recognised training to embed the following  practices further;

• Safety/Security-  security within the adult – child relationship
• Use the Adult-Child Regulating Functions -these are key skills for the adult to use in the relationship with the child so that the child can learn them through experience
• Attunement- Regulation and soothing- Containment- Validation.
• Attitudes- practitioners are – Playful- Loving- Accepting- Curious – Empathic – PLACE an approach adopted by THRIVE – (Hughes, 1983)
• Practitioners that understand the role of emotions in learning. This includes understanding the role and function of the limbic brain and how to develop frontal cortex capacity to think about feelings. This involves understanding the impact of facial expressions, body language, gestures, looks and voice (tone, pitch, pace, intonation).Use your eyes and face to communicate interest, care, connection and value.
• The teaching of differentiation between:- Sensations- Feelings / emotions / ‘affect states’- Thought- Associated vocabulary.
• Creative, imaginative and arts-based activities to build a bridge between right brain and left brain capacity, in particular to be able to sense, communicate and express feeling states safely.
• Supporting each child to develop a continuing sense of self.
• Teaching children how to regulate their emotions by role modelling how to use the breath; how to recognise tension and how to relax;
• Practitioners that embody and role model behaviours desired in the child.

How do we support children and young people with special educational needs moving between phases of education and preparing for adulthood?

As part of the transition process to school the SENco at the Nursery will normally visit the Primary School the child will be going to and transition meetings will be planned between school staff and the SENco at the nursery and school staff will usually visit the child at the nursery to see them in their familiar surroundings, these processes enable information sharing and ensures the transition process runs as smoothly as possible.

Throughout the Nursery children are supported between transitions to new ‘rooms’ as they progress through the provision. The SENco oversees transitions meetings between the current and future Key Person with the parents/carers, sharing relevant information, targets and assessments, and most importantly feedback from the child and family

What other support is available for children and young people with special educational needs and how can they access it?

Dependant on the specific needs of the child we can of course make every effort to access specific support to enhance the provision and care that child receives. This support may be available internally within the select setting or within the Nursery group, or alternatively within outside agencies.

What extra-curricular activities are available for children and young people with special educational needs?

Each setting has specific activities and additions to the Nursery provision that may benefit children with specific needs. When those activities and additions do not fully meet the needs of the specific child, additional support, equipment and resources are sought from a variety of means in order to adapt the provision and/or practice.

How do we assess and review progress towards agreed outcomes, and how are parents, children and young people involved in this process?

Strategies employed to enable the child to progress will be recorded within an Individual Learning Plan .The ILDP will record only that which is additional to, or different from the differentiated curriculum already in place as part of normal provision. The ILDP will focus on three or four key targets and will be discussed with the parent and where appropriate, the child. The ILDP will be kept under continual review and parents will be consulted as part of the review process. During review meetings (which are held as required) an action plan will be agreed and documented, recording what actions are to be complete and who will be responsible, eg, parent, SENco, portage worker or health visitor.

How do we assess the effectiveness of our special needs provision and how are parents, children and young people involved in this assessment?

Regular feedback is collected from all parents, carers and professionals through a variety of methods.

Our quality assurance schemes and the monitoring systems in place within the company require each setting to reflect fully on the inclusive practice and provision and encourage methods and guidance on driving quality further.

How do we ensure that teaching staff and other staff have the expertise needed to support children and young people with special educational needs?

Within the group there are a variety of key staff who are able to coach and mentor Key Person’s to fine tune their practice in relation to the needs of the child they are supporting. This is accessed regularly in addition to the continuous professional development of all practitioners being developed further through in house training workshops and training, forums held by the LA and other agencies/organisations.

Observation, supervision, appraisals and assessments of the training needs of the entire staff team highlight skills in need of further development/enhancement

How do we keep parents informed where children and young people have special educational provision but do not have an Education Health and Care Plan?

Parents/carers are informed ordinarily daily by the Key Person upon drop off/collection in regards to daily updates. The Nursery will always make time to meet with parents for meetings with or without notice – understanding that regular free flowing dialogue is vital in building trusting positive relationships with the family.

Summative assessments, regular written feedback all are provided to the parents of all children regardless of any needs.

How can parents, children and young people make a complaint about our provision?

Concerns relating to the provisions when possible are addressed and resolved by the Management of the select setting.

The Nursery group operates a complaints policy, readily available at the Nursery or online. which outlines the measures any service user or visitor can take to ensure their complaint is fully addressed and resolved satisfactorily.

How can parents, children and young people get more information about the setting?

The Nursery website lists information, reports and news stories for all four of the Torbay settings, along with all contact information. You are welcome to attend the Nursery for a tour without prior arrangement, where further arrangements can be made to meet specifically with key staff and the SENco. The family information service (FIS) lists information about the setting and the Ofsted website details information and reports of the Nurseries within the group.