Skip to content

    • The Nest

    Specialist Provision for Communication and Interaction Needs

    Developing communication, engagement, independence and confidence through a relational, communication-first curriculum.

    The Nest is our specialist provision for children in Reception to Year 2 with high-level communication and interaction needs (High COIN), including children with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC).

    Opened in Autumn 2024, The Nest provides a highly specialist, nurturing and aspirational environment where children can thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

    Our approach is centred on each individual child. We recognise that every child arrives with their own strengths, needs and developmental starting point, and we tailor our curriculum and support accordingly.

    Our vision

    Every child in The Nest should:

    • Feel safe, understood and valued
    • Develop meaningful communication
    • Build positive relationships
    • Experience success as a learner
    • Access an ambitious curriculum matched to their developmental profile
    • Develop independence and self-advocacy

    We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, understood and ready to engage. Our approach combines nurture with ambition, ensuring that every child is supported to make meaningful progress from their individual starting point.

    Understanding our children

    Children in The Nest may have a range of needs, including:

    • Autism
    • Significant communication and language needs
    • Sensory processing differences
    • Differences in social interaction
    • A range of cognitive profiles
    • Varying levels of emotional regulation and independence

    Children enter The Nest at very different developmental starting points. Some Reception children may be accessing Reception-level learning with additional support, while some older children may be working at an earlier developmental stage.

    We therefore focus on where each child is now and what their next steps should be, rather than expecting all children of the same age to follow the same learning pathway.

    Two pathways, one shared ambition

    To ensure that every child experiences both nurture and ambition, our curriculum is structured around two interconnected pathways.

    Foundational and Nurture Pathway

    This pathway is for children who require more intensive support to develop the foundations for learning.

    Key priorities include:

    • Regulation and emotional safety
    • Engagement and joint attention
    • Communication foundations
    • Sensory exploration and processing
    • Early play skills
    • Cause and effect
    • Early cognition
    • Functional communication

    Progress might include learning to tolerate shared attention, using symbols to make a request, developing turn-taking skills, participating in sensory play or successfully managing transitions.

    Aspirational Pathway

    This pathway is for children who are ready to access broader academic learning and develop greater independence.

    Key priorities include:

    • Early literacy
    • Symbolic understanding
    • Vocabulary development
    • Early mathematical concepts
    • Independence
    • Peer interaction
    • Problem-solving
    • More complex social communication

    Progress might include retelling stories, applying phonics, writing with meaning, solving practical maths problems or engaging in cooperative learning.

    Both pathways are communication-first, autism-informed, highly relational and sensory-aware.

    Being ambitious does not mean that every child follows the same pathway. For us, ambition means providing the right support, the right level of challenge and the right developmental next steps for each individual child.

    Communication comes first

    Communication is embedded throughout the entire day and is at the heart of everything we do.

    Children may communicate through:

    • Spoken language
    • Visuals
    • Symbols
    • Makaton
    • Gesture
    • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems

    Adults consistently model and support communication skills including requesting, commenting, making choices, turn-taking and using language to express emotions.

    Our aim is to help every child develop meaningful ways to communicate, express themselves, make choices and connect with others.

    Learning through experience

    Learning in The Nest is sensory, practical, meaningful and repeated, with opportunities for children to apply their learning in real-life contexts.

    Children may learn through:

    • Planting and gardening
    • Cooking
    • Local visits
    • Role play
    • Small-world play
    • Outdoor learning
    • Continuous provision

    Experiential learning helps children to develop language comprehension, build concepts, strengthen memory and recall, and generalise their skills across different situations.

    What makes our curriculum specialist?

    Our curriculum prioritises:

    • Communication and interaction
    • Emotional regulation
    • Engagement
    • Independence
    • Play and exploration
    • Experiential learning
    • Repetition and overlearning

    Our teaching approaches include:

    • Total communication
    • AAC and visual supports
    • Structured routines
    • Sensory integration opportunities
    • Modelling and co-regulation
    • Continuous provision
    • Real-life learning experiences

    We provide the structure, consistency and repetition that children need to feel secure, while creating opportunities for curiosity, exploration and increasing independence.

    Inclusion and access to mainstream

    The Nest curriculum is personalised and flexible. Where appropriate, children may access aspects of mainstream school life alongside their learning within The Nest.

    This may include:

    • Specific mainstream lessons
    • Playtimes and social opportunities
    • Assemblies and wider school events
    • Continuous provision opportunities
    • Targeted curriculum subjects

    Access is carefully considered for each individual child and is based on their developmental and emotional needs.

    Support is thoughtfully scaffolded to help children experience success while maintaining emotional safety and regulation.

    Mainstream access is therefore not a one-size-fits-all expectation. Instead, it forms part of each child's individualised pathway.

    Supporting and celebrating progress

    Assessment in The Nest is developmental, individualised and observational. Progress is linked to each child's EHCP outcomes and recorded and tracked through Connecting Steps.

    We look at progress across a wide range of areas, including:

    • Engagement
    • Communication
    • Emotional regulation
    • Independence
    • Interaction
    • Generalisation of skills

    Progress is not always linear, but it can be transformational.

    We increasingly see children in The Nest:

    • Communicating intentionally
    • Regulating more effectively
    • Engaging for longer periods
    • Developing meaningful relationships
    • Accessing group learning
    • Tolerating challenge
    • Becoming more independent

    Every step forward matters, and we celebrate each child's individual progress.

    Working together with families and professionals

    Strong outcomes are achieved through close partnership work. We work collaboratively with families and a range of professionals, including:

    • Speech and language therapists
    • Occupational therapists
    • The Freemantles ASD Outreach Team
    • Local authority case officers

    Families are central to understanding each child's needs and celebrating their achievements. We use Evisense to share children's progress and successes with families, helping to build a strong connection between home and school.

    Looking to the future

    As The Nest develops its two interconnected pathways, our aim is to:

    • Maintain nurture alongside ambition
    • Provide increasingly personalised learning journeys
    • Ensure appropriate challenge for every child
    • Further strengthen communication outcomes
    • Prepare children for successful next stages of education and life, where possible within mainstream school provision

    At the heart of everything we do is our commitment to providing:

    The right curriculum for each child, at the right developmental stage. 

    Find out more

    If you would like to find out more about The Nest, our specialist provision or our approach to inclusion and SEND, please explore the links below or contact the School Office.

    Admissions
    Find out more about admissions to The Nest.

    Frequently Asked Questions
    Read answers to common questions about The Nest.

    Gallery
    Have a look at our specialist learning environment.

     

    1. The Nest at TDIS - PDF Version

    Cookie Policy