We are very pleased to share with you some exciting news. Briary Pre-School has been awarded ‘Centre of Excellence’ for our commitment to improving speech, language and communication (SLC) for all children.

For the past two years, Briary Pre-School have worked with mentors from the Balanced System Scheme for Schools and Early Years Settings, which is also supported by Better Communication, Afasic – which supports and provides information for families with children and young adults who have Speech Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) and NAPLIC - an established national organisation of teachers, speech and language therapists and other professionals.

Manager Carol and Deputy Manager Nicola have been leading the pre-school team with this whole system approach to improving outcomes for children and young people across the range of speech, language and communication needs.

The scheme has helped us to support parents, young people and families; enhancing and adapting the environment; developing our workforce; identifying need; and providing appropriate intervention for children in a timely fashion. 

Good speech, language and communication skills underpin development in the early years and attainment across the curriculum through the child’s school journey.

We are thrilled to be recognised for our commitment for improving outcomes for children. We are one of only three early settings in the whole of Kent to be awarded this achievement and we are so proud of our team for all of their hard work in reaching this level of accreditation.

Some of the lovely feedback we have received from our mentors -

• “It is great that Briary has consistently sought ways to engage the whole staff in this process. This active participation has meant that all members of staff have been part of this journey, all know and understand why SLC/SLCN is a core priority and what their role is in improving SLC/SLCN outcomes for children.”

• “Throughout this year you have worked hard to implement the action plans. You have been extremely reflective in identifying the priorities to maximise impact.”

• “Time is allocated in weekly meetings for staff to share concerns related to SLCN. This has not only helped to develop confidence and competence within the staff but also increased capacity by sharing expertise.”

• “Engagement with parents/carers starts before the children start in the nursery. This has meant that parents/carers are actively engaged from the start. Parents/carers have fed back that they have appreciated the wide range of support available including the increased resources on the website. It is apparent that these are being used as parents/carers have provided feedback in terms of what difference it has made.”

• “Your use of visual support throughout the setting is extremely strong. All staff are consistent in their use at a universal, targeted and specialist levels”.

• “You have been extremely creative and imaginative in the way you have developed your communication friendly environments/spaces throughout the setting (both inside and outside). This was evident on the visit made by the local mentor. It was fantastic to see how all the areas in the setting invites communication and interaction”.

• “It is clear that you consider your practice and provision from the perspective of all your children”.

• “Your work with wider partners including specialist workforces is extensive. You have undertaken a breadth of training (both formal and on the job) and it is clear from our discussions that you are confident and able to apply this learning to new contexts and new children as appropriate, particularly in the area of autism. It has been a pleasure working with you on this journey. Keep up the good work!”