Specialist Support
👥 Specialist Support with External Professionals
For some children, we may need to invite external specialists to assess and plan more targeted support. These specialists work alongside our team to gain a deeper understanding of your child's needs and help us develop more specific strategies and interventions, ensuring your child gets the right support at the right time.
We continue to work in partnership with you throughout this process, keeping you fully informed and involved in all decisions about your child's provision.
When We Involve External Specialists
We may involve external professionals and specialist agencies when:
- Your child needs more specialist assessment or advice
- We need expert guidance to develop specific strategies
- Your child requires highly personalised resources tailored to their specific needs
- We need to consider whether an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment may be appropriate
Who We Work With
External specialists may include:
- Speech and language therapists - to support communication and language development
- Occupational therapists - to support sensory processing, fine motor skills and daily living skills
- Educational psychologists - to assess learning needs and advise on strategies
- Early years SEND team - for specialist early years support and advice
- Health visitors - for health and developmental support
- Specialist teachers - for specific areas such as hearing or visual impairment
- Physiotherapists - for physical development and movement
- Sensory consortium - for children with sensory needs
What This Looks Like in Practice
When external specialists are involved, they will:
- Assess your child's needs through observation and assessment
- Provide advice and recommendations for specific strategies and interventions
- Help us develop bespoke learning opportunities and individualised programmes
- Work with our staff to implement their recommendations
- Review progress and adjust strategies as needed
We implement their advice through:
- Highly personalised resources and strategies tailored to your child's specific needs
- Staff training on specialist approaches
- Regular communication between nursery staff and specialists
- Ongoing monitoring and review of progress
Working Together
Throughout this process, we work closely with you and the specialists to ensure:
- You understand the specialist's recommendations
- You're involved in all decisions about your child's support
- Progress is regularly reviewed
- Strategies are adjusted based on what's working
If you have questions about specialist support, please speak to your child's key person or contact our SENDCo.