Laura Blake
Lead SENDCO
Meet Laura – Our Lead SENCO
At our nursery, we are incredibly proud to have Laura as our Lead SENCO. Laura brings a calm, nurturing presence to our setting and has a remarkable ability to connect with children in a way that makes them feel understood, valued, and supported.
Her passion for inclusion shines through in everything she does. Laura is deeply committed to ensuring that every child receives the right support at the right time, and she works tirelessly to create positive, meaningful outcomes for children with additional needs. She approaches each child as an individual, taking the time to understand their strengths, their challenges, and what helps them thrive.
Laura shows warmth, patience, and dedication. She advocates strongly for the children in her care, works closely with parents and professionals, and leads our team with compassion and expertise. Her commitment to giving every child the best possible start is at the heart of our nursery values.
We are incredibly fortunate to have Laura guiding our SEND provision, and the children are even luckier to have her in their corner.
"Since completing my Level 3 Early Years SENCO qualification, stepping into the role has been very rewarding, working collaboratively with colleagues and in genuine partnership with parents, ensuring that every child’s individual needs are recognised, understood, and supported.
Championing inclusion has quickly become one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role. Creating an environment where every child feels valued, celebrated, and able to thrive is at the heart of what I do.
Every small step forward, every moment of progress, reminds me why this work matters. It’s a privilege to help shape an inclusive setting where all children can flourish in their own way."
Here at St Agnes Day Nursery, we advocate for the rights and needs of children with SEND ensuring they have access to a quality early education and a supportive learning environment. We have robust systems in place for the early identification of children with potential SEND, using observations, progress monitoring, and input from parents/carers. Our assessment processes are thorough, holistic and child-centred, taking into account the child's strengths, needs and the views of the child. We liaise effectively with external agencies such as health professionals, educational psychologists, speech and language therapists to seek specialist advice and support when needed.
SEND-Thresholds-Final-version-March-2024.pdf
What our parents say about how we support children with send
Mrs G
We couldn't be happier with the care and support our child has received at St Agnes Nursery. The staff are warm, nurturing and always go the extra mile to make each day special. Our little one has grown in confidence, made lovely friends, and is .always excited to go in on a morning. It is a wonderful environment that truly feels like a second home.
What made our child's experience of the nursery special was that the staff gave the extra my child needs. My son has since been diagnosed with ASD, it was with the help we received from St Agnes Day Nursery that made my child's diagnosis so smooth and in turn his transition to school. I genuinely can't recommend this nursery enough as a parent. To have the support we had made us feel confident that my child would succeed and gave us a more positive outlook that everything was going to be OK.
Mrs B
Linzi was the SENCO at St Agnes for our son, who made his journey during his time at the nursery so special. Linzi’s patience, vast experience and all-round caring nature made him feel so comfortable and he really thrived because of her and the nursery. She went over and beyond what we could of asked for, and we felt he was thoroughly cared for throughout his time at St Agnes Day Nursery. Not only did she (and the team) help us with preparing him for mainstream school, they always helped and guided us in ways we could help him outside of nursery too. We can’t thank Linzi enough for how she helped our son.