First Leap Nursery

First Leap Nursery is the specialist nursery for Thanet, based at Foreland Fields School.

Pre-school children with identified special needs can be referred through the local Specialist Teaching Service or Portage Service to receive specialist interventions either on or off site. These are supported by the team of specialist Teacher and Nursery Staff at First Leap Nursery and can take a range of different forms. It is intended that these approaches be complementary to each child’s existing provision in their mainstream settings therefore, most interventions are offered on a dual placement basis (meaning that children attend both specialist and mainstream settings each week).

Specialist interventions are allocated for 12 weeks in the first instance, taking place during the child’s pre-school year (ie age 3-4 years) and are reviewed regularly.

The special nursery team provide advice and support to mainstream settings working with our pupils in order to ensure consistency of approach, effective strategies and realistic expectations before, during and after each child’s specialist intervention period.

Nursery staff work as part of the team around each child to develop parents’ understanding of services and support parents in identifying and accessing appropriate school age provision for their children. It is not necessary for the children to have an EHCP to access First Leap Nursery; if appropriate, evidence will be gathered during the specialist intervention to support the process of developing an EHCP and the special nursery staff will support the child and parents through the statutory assessment process.

Specialist interventions are all delivered through a play based approach to learning, in a bright, well organised and well resourced nursery.

Please feel free to contact Jo Norman (Nursery Manager) should you have any queries about specialist provision and interventions at First Leap Nursery.