At Footsteps we believe every child should feel happy, included, understood and supported.
Every child develops at their own pace and in their own way. Some children may need additional support with areas such as communication and language, physical development, social interaction, emotional regulation or accessing particular learning experiences.
Our approach to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) is centred around the individual child. We focus on their strengths, interests and abilities, while identifying where additional support or adaptations could help them get the most from their time with us.
Our aim is simple: to give every child the opportunity to participate, develop confidence and reach their individual potential.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to SEND.
We take time to understand each child, observing how they learn, play, communicate and interact with the world around them.
Depending on the individual child, support may include:
Wherever possible, support is incorporated naturally into everyday nursery life, enabling children to continue learning, playing and developing alongside their friends.
The early years are an important period of development, and identifying where a child might benefit from additional help can enable the right support to be introduced at an early stage.
Our experienced practitioners get to know the children in their care extremely well.
Through everyday interaction, observation and communication with families, we can build a picture of each child’s development and recognise areas where they may need some additional encouragement or support.
If we identify something we would like to explore further, we will talk to parents and carers and involve them throughout the process.
Needing some additional support does not necessarily mean that a child has a special educational need. Children develop at different rates, and sometimes a little additional help at the right time is all that is required.
You know your child best.
That’s why parents and carers are central to our approach to SEND. We encourage open, ongoing conversations between families, key people, practitioners and our SENCO teams. Sharing what we see at nursery alongside what you experience at home can help us develop a much better understanding of your child’s individual needs.
If you have any concerns about your child’s development, whether or not they have an existing diagnosis or identified additional need, you are always welcome to talk to us.
Where additional specialist advice may be beneficial, our SENCO team can also work alongside families and appropriate external professionals to help ensure support is joined up and focused on the individual child.
At Footsteps, children learn through play, exploration and experiences that capture their interest and imagination.
This child-led approach can be particularly valuable when supporting children with additional needs because activities can be adapted around the individual rather than expecting every child to learn in exactly the same way.
Whether children are exploring outside, enjoying sensory and messy play, listening to stories, cooking, creating, singing, developing early maths skills or simply playing with their friends, we look for ways to make experiences accessible and enjoyable.
Our focus isn’t on what a child can’t do. It’s about understanding what they can do and finding the best way to help them take their next step.
Children’s development involves so much more than preparing them academically for school. We want children to develop confidence, independence, communication skills, emotional wellbeing, physical abilities, friendships and a genuine enjoyment of learning.
For children with additional needs, progress may look different and that’s absolutely fine. We recognise and celebrate those individual achievements, whether it’s communicating a need, joining a group activity, trying a new experience, developing a new physical skill or becoming more confident and independent.
We understand that choosing childcare can feel like an especially important decision when your child has additional needs.
We welcome conversations with families before they join us. Tell us about your child, their personality, what they enjoy, what they find difficult and any support they currently receive. It gives us the opportunity to understand their needs and talk openly about how we can support them within the setting.
Each of our Footsteps nursery and pre-school settings has a SENCO lead (Special Educational Needs Coordinator).
The SENCO lead works closely with our practitioners, children’s key people and families to help identify and support children who have, or may have, additional needs.Importantly, our individual SENCO leads don’t work in isolation.
Footsteps has two senior members of staff who are Level 3 SENCO qualified and provide additional support, a wealth of experience and guidance to the SENCO leads across our settings.
This additional layer of expertise enables us to share knowledge and good practice across Footsteps and helps us maintain a consistent and supportive approach to SEND provision throughout our nurseries and pre-schools.
Kathy and Hannah provide an additional senior layer of support to our SENCOs across Footsteps, sharing their knowledge, experience and passion for SEND. They work closely with our teams to share good practice, offer guidance and help ensure we provide a consistent, inclusive approach across our settings.
Together, they help our SENCOs feel supported and confident, with the shared goal of giving every child the opportunity to be authentically themselves.
Laura is a Level 3 qualified SENCO, with additional specialist training in autism and other areas of SEND.
Laura is passionate about creating an inclusive and supportive environment where every child feels valued, understood and able to thrive. She works closely with children, families and other professionals to understand individual needs and find strategies that help each child make meaningful progress.
Laura believes it’s just as important to recognise a child’s strengths and achievements as the areas where they may need extra support, helping to build confidence, independence and wellbeing.
Laura is committed to continuing to develop her SEND knowledge so she can provide the best possible support for our children and their families.
Debbie is an experienced SENCO, and is passionate about helping every child feel valued, understood and able to reach their individual potential.
She loves celebrating children’s achievements, encouraging independence and creating a safe, inclusive and nurturing environment where they can develop confidence and thrive in their own way.
Building positive relationships with children and their families is incredibly important to her. She also enjoys sharing her experience with colleagues, working together with patience, understanding and dedication to ensure every child receives the support they need to shine
Hi, I’m Dani, the Preschool Manager at Footsteps. I hold a Level 3 qualification and a Certificate of Higher Education in Early Years Studies, with experience progressing from Early Years Practitioner to Room Leader and Interim Deputy Manager.
I’m passionate about providing a warm, inclusive and nurturing environment where every child feels valued and supported. I have a particular interest in SEND, outdoor learning and creating engaging experiences that help children learn and grow. I’m looking forward to working closely with our children, families and team to make Footsteps a happy place to learn and thrive.
Abbie is a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner and the dedicated SENCO at our Farnborough setting. She has recently completed her additional SENCO training and has a real passion for creating an inclusive environment where every child feels valued and feels confident to express themselves.
She has a passion for developing knowledge, exploring new strategies and bringing what she learns into everyday practice. She is also passionate about sharing ideas with colleagues and helping our whole team feel confident in supporting children with additional needs.
Away from Footsteps she is a very proud mum to two young boys who she absolutely adores! Being a mum brings another layer of understanding, care and compassion to the way she works with children and their families.
We love her enthusiasm to continue learning, growing and making a positive difference to the children in our care.
Kirsty is a Level 3 qualified SENCO who is passionate about helping every child feel happy, understood and included at Footsteps.
She supports children who may find daily routines and transitions challenging, providing the consistency and reassurance they need to feel secure and understand what to expect. Kirsty also works closely with parents, practitioners and outside agencies, helping to create support plans, reports and referrals where needed. Her focus is always on understanding each individual child and providing the caring, consistent support they need to flourish.
Kathy is a highly experienced leader and has been a SENCO since 2009. She has supported children and families at Footsteps since joining the team in 2012.
Over the years she has gained experience supporting children with a wide range of additional needs, including Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and ADHD.
Communication and language is a particular focus for Kathy. She introduced Makaton into our setting to support children’s language development, including children with English as an additional language (EAL).
Kathy is instrumental in trialling the WellComm Speech and Language Programme, helping us identify potential speech and language needs early and put supportive strategies in place before Speech and Language Therapy where appropriate.
Kathy is highly qualified and her continuous training is designed to build on the experience and knowledge she has developed throughout her SENCO career.
Hannah is a Level 3 qualified SENCO, and has worked in childcare since 2013. She also holds a Level 3 CACHE Diploma in Childhood and Education and is Makaton Level 2 and DSL trained.
Her passion for SEND is very personal. Growing up with an autistic brother and being a young carer gave her an early understanding of the importance of patience, acceptance and seeing the individual child behind any diagnosis or additional need.
As a mum of three, she knows every child and family is wonderfully different. Her passion is discovering what makes each child light up, helping them build confidence and celebrating everything that makes them unique.
And finally… She absolutely loves messy play! Give her paint, glitter or gloop and she is in her element!
Emma has a real passion for SEND and inclusive early years practice, making sure every child feels valued, understood and has the opportunity to shine.
She enjoys building strong relationships with children and their families, getting to know each child as an individual and understanding how to best support their needs, interests and development.
Creating a happy, caring and inclusive environment is really important to Emma, and her mission is to help children feel confident to explore, learn and be themselves.
She loves getting creative with the children! Arts and crafts are a particular favourite, and she is always happy to get stuck into sensory and messy play too!
We understand that choosing childcare can feel like an especially important decision when your child has additional needs.
We welcome conversations with families before they join us. Tell us about your child, their personality, what they enjoy, what they find difficult and any support they currently receive. It gives us the opportunity to understand their needs and talk openly about how we can support them within the setting.
We understand that choosing childcare can feel like an especially important decision when your child has additional needs.
We welcome conversations with families before they join us. Tell us about your child, their personality, what they enjoy, what they find difficult and any support they currently receive. It gives us the opportunity to understand their needs and talk openly about how we can support them within the setting.
If your child has an identified special educational need or disability, is currently receiving additional support, or you simply have concerns about an aspect of their development, please get in touch with your local Footsteps setting.
We’re here to listen, answer your questions and help you decide whether Footsteps is the right environment for your child.