SEN2gether
Join free

Choosing a nursery for a child with SEND

Every nursery has to support SEND, but some do it far better than others. These questions help you tell which will really look after your child.

Who is your SENCO?

Every setting must have a special educational needs coordinator. Ask to meet them, and how much of their time goes on SEND.

What have you done for a child like mine?

Real examples tell you more than policies: adjustments they’ve made, specialists they work with, how they planned transitions.

How will you tell me how it’s going?

Ask how they’ll share progress, write and review support plans, and work with you and any therapists.

Browse nurseries by area

Every council area in England, with the number of Ofsted-registered nurseries and pre-schools in each.

Questions parents ask

How do I find a nursery near me?

Enter your postcode or town and we list the nearest Ofsted-registered nurseries and pre-schools, with each one’s Ofsted rating, number of places and distance.

Are these SEN nurseries?

These are all Ofsted-registered early years settings, not a separate list of “SEN nurseries” (there isn’t one). Every nursery has a legal duty to support children with special educational needs and disabilities, and must have a SENCO. When you visit, ask how they support SEND, who their SENCO is, and what experience they have with needs like your child’s.

What do the Ofsted ratings mean?

Ofsted has rated early years settings Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. “Not yet inspected” means the setting is registered but hasn’t had a full inspection yet, often because it is new.

Does my child need a diagnosis to get support at nursery?

No. Nurseries support children based on need, not diagnosis. If your child has emerging or additional needs, talk to the nursery’s SENCO, and ask your council about early years SEND support and funding such as the Disability Access Fund.

Ask parents which nurseries got it right

Join SEN2gether free to hear from local families about the settings that really welcomed their child, and how they found the early years.

Join free

Nursery data: Ofsted childcare providers and inspections, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Always check details and admissions with the nursery.