The Cleveland Unit Assessment Nursery Parent/Carer Support Page

23/10/2026

Need a helping hand? The School Nursing Service is here for you!

From Reception to Year 6, the School Nursing Service can support children and families with a range of health and wellbeing concerns, including:

✅ Toileting and continence
✅ Sleep difficulties
✅ Emotional wellbeing
✅ Behaviour concerns
✅ Healthy lifestyles
✅ Health needs affecting school attendance

If you are worried about your child's health or wellbeing, don't wait until things become more challenging. Our Duty School Nurse can offer advice, support, and guidance.

📞 Call the Duty School Nurse on 0300 303 1603

Not comfortable making phone calls? That's okay. Speak to your child's school and they can help you access support from the School Nursing Service, or use Healthchat on our App.

21/10/2026

FREE SEN training for all early years practitioners

Finding time for CPD can be difficult when you’re balancing the needs of a busy setting!

Designed for anyone supporting children with SEND in the early years, our new fully-funded early years SEND CPD courses are designed with flexibility and practicality in mind. Suitable for all early years providers working with the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, the courses feature short, interactive sections of content, that can be picked up at any time.

Find out more: https://buff.ly/L1Qf0be

21/10/2026

The Cleveland Unit is an assessment nursery that sits within the local authorities “SEN & VULNERABLE LEARNERS” service.
Children are referred to the service by health visitors and early years settings. These referrals are discussed in a panel - panel dates are sent out to every setting before the school year with the cut off dates so settings are aware of which dates referrals will be discussed.

The outcome of these panels for children attending nurseries:
**Outreach visits for individual children.

After the initial outreach visit the practitioners complete an outreach report which is shared with a setting and parents.
Settings then implement the strategies suggested on the report and can speak to the outreach or inclusion practitioners for further support.
Reviews of these reports are due 6-8 weeks after the plan to allow the setting to feedback how it is working and changes agreed and implemented.

If a child continues to present with struggles after this visit and it is felt the child would benefit from further support they are identified as appropriate for “The Cleveland Unit”. Parents are contacted and this is discussed with them as an option. Our nursery runs two days per week and this assessment consists of two 5 hours days and 3 sessions within their current setting over a 6 week period.
The Cleveland Unit operates on a 1 adult: 2 children ratio. As no setting offers a 1:1.
We take 7 children per block to allow us the flexibility of unpicking the child’s needs and spending time with them to implement strategies and interventions to support their needs and to support the settings with advice and guidance. The children are assessed across the four broad areas of learning and a report is completed at the end of the assessment and shared with settings and parents with appropriate targets and strategies moving forward.
During the assessment there is a stay & play where parents and carers can come into the nursery, speak to staff about progress and concerns, and we invite professionals from the health visiting team and the parent and carer forum, allowing us to support parents in all avenues of their concerns.
Settings are advised to work with us and visit,
The Cleveland Unit to discuss practice and develop positive working relationships to support the children and their families. We do not have to have a child from your setting to enable a visit. These visits can be arranged by contacting Natalie Lewis.
Modelling sessions and training sessions can also be arranged through Natalie. Offering out of hours support to day nurseries where necessary.

If anybody would like to discuss how the assessment nursery works, or anyone has any queries that have not been answered here please do not hesitate to contact.
[email protected]

16/10/2026

IT'S NOT JUST A PUSHCHAIR… IT'S A LITTLE GIRL'S WORLD MADE BIGGER! ❤️

Sometimes, the biggest difference we can make comes from something many of us take for granted.

We recently funded a specialist disability pushchair for a beautiful little girl here on Teesside, and we've received the most wonderful message from her family. ❤️

💬 "She loves it! She actually climbs into the seat herself! Thank you so much for what you do and your continued generosity. We cannot express our overwhelming gratitude."

To some, it's just a pushchair. To this little girl and her family, it's comfort, independence, freedom and happiness.

❤️ THIS IS WHAT YOUR GENEROSITY MAKES POSSIBLE!

Every donation, every fundraiser and every business supporting The Teesside Family Foundation helps us change lives across our community.

Sometimes changing the world means changing the world for just one little girl.

DO YOU KNOW A FAMILY WHO NEEDS SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT?

We may be able to help!

👉 Apply here:
https://www.theteessidefamily.com/specialist-equipment/

❤️ PLEASE SHARE — YOUR SHARE COULD CHANGE ANOTHER CHILD'S LIFE!

The Teesside Family Foundation
Together for Teesside

16/10/2026

👋🏽 Hello everyone.

Our content looks a little different recently, however the team is still working hard beyond the scenes supporting the children and settings in Middlesbrough. I just wanted to share some feedback we have received this week, for future families to see who’s children are invited into the assessment nursery - to provide comfort in other people’s experiences. I am beyond proud 🙌🏽

“We can’t thank you all enough. I am still in disbelief my child attended five hours each day in there and we never had to come back for her. That alone shows how amazing and friendly and supportive that environment was for her. Kudos once more to the entire staff in the Cleveland unit. So much experience. God bless you all”

“I’m really pleased with how she has came on with you and your team. I feel she’s came along so much in such a short period of time… if only she could stay full time”

“My husband and I are very grateful for the support our child has received at the Cleveland unit”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

15/10/2026

FREE treetops training. It doesn’t get much better than that. Dawn & the team are brilliant at what they do 🙌🏽

We are delighted to announce a free online training and information session on Tuesday 17 November 2026, 12.00pm - 1.00pm for Early Years Workers and Teams.

This valuable opportunity is not to be missed. If you know of any other Early Years professionals that would benefit from this, please do not hesitate to share. 👍

Check out all the relevant information on the flyer.

15/10/2026

12/10/2026

💙 SPECIALIST EQUIPMENT FUNDING 💙
The right equipment can be life-changing.

Through our Specialist Equipment Fund, The Teesside Family Foundation helps children and adults across Teesside access vital equipment that improves independence, mobility, comfort, and quality of life.

From specialist buggies, car seats and wheelchairs to adaptive trikes and essential support equipment — we’re here to help when it matters most.

👉 Find out more or apply here:
🔗 https://www.theteessidefamily.com/specialist-equipment/

Together, we’re funding specialist equipment that truly changes lives across Teesside.

💙