Held SEN Support Space

12/08/2026

This week’s free guide is all about Starting School.

Starting school is a huge milestone — and while we often focus on uniforms, lunchboxes and learning, there is so much happening emotionally too.

New people. New routines. New expectations. Separation from familiar adults. Busy classrooms. Tired bodies. And lots of feelings that may not appear until a child gets safely home.

I’ve created this guide to help families think beyond simply being ready for school and focus on helping children feel safe, prepared and emotionally supported as they take this enormous step.

Inside, I look at preparing emotionally, building familiarity, practising routines, managing drop-off, supporting those first weeks and helping children decompress after the school day.

The free guide launches today and is available until 24 August 2026.
See visual for instructions on how to receive your copy. Tag someone for whom this could be useful.

10/08/2026

💛 HELD COMMUNITY — HAS ANYONE BEEN THROUGH THIS? 💛

I wanted to share the story of a little boy we’ll call Jack.

Jack is 4 years old and eating has become a real concern.

His list of foods is incredibly small. At the moment, he will eat:

• Chocolate spread sandwiches
• Crisps
• Grapes
• Apple
• Pasta

And that is pretty much it.

This isn’t a case of simply saying, “He’ll eat when he’s hungry.” He won’t.

Jack has now been seen by his doctor and we’ve been told that he is underweight. He also struggles with constipation and needs prescribed laxatives, which brings another challenge — actually getting them into him when he accepts so few foods and drinks.

He is currently waiting to see a dietitian and is also going to be tested for coeliac disease.

For now, we’re trying to take the pressure away from eating. His safe foods remain safe. We’re looking at ways of increasing the calories in foods he already accepts rather than suddenly expecting him to cope with a plate full of unfamiliar foods.

And perhaps most importantly, we’re trying not to turn every mealtime into a battle.

💛 This is where I’d love the Held community’s experience.

If you have a child with an extremely restricted diet:

What helped you?

Did your child have a very small number of safe foods?

How did you increase calories without changing the taste or texture too much?

And if your child needed regular medication such as laxatives, how did you manage to get them to take it?

Please remember that what works for one child may not be appropriate for another, so medical and dietary advice should always come from the professionals involved with the child.

But sometimes hearing “we’ve been there too” from another parent can make an enormous difference.

No judgement. No “they’ll eat when they’re hungry.”

Just parents supporting parents.

💛 Held — because sometimes families need to feel held too.

08/08/2026

💫 26th & 27th August - 10:00am – 2:00pm 💫

⭐️ A welcoming term-time Nursery for Babies (from 3months+), Toddlers, and Preschool children, with Full time & Part time spaces available ⭐️

Come and:
- Meet our team
- Explore our nurturing environment
- Ask questions

We accept all childcare funding options.

Doyle Avenue, Portsmouth, PO2 9NE (located next to the family hub)

Autumn 2026 places are filling fast – apply now by sending your enquiry directly to our website at www.toptotsdaynursery.uk

05/08/2026

School avoidance isn't a school problem. It's a nervous system problem.

I know that sounds strange at first, doesn't it?

Because when a child stops attending school, all of the attention naturally goes to attendance. Meetings become about attendance. Targets become about attendance. Conversations become about attendance.

But attendance is often the symptom, not the cause.

When a child's nervous system starts perceiving school as unsafe, overwhelming or simply too much, their brain does exactly what it was designed to do.

It protects them.

That's why so many children desperately want friends, want to learn, want to achieve and want a normal school life... whilst simultaneously being unable to walk through the school gates.

It's not laziness.

It's not manipulation.

It's not poor parenting.

It's a stress response.

And until we understand what's happening underneath the attendance difficulties, we risk focusing on the number whilst completely missing the child.

The question isn't always:

"How do we get them into school?"

Sometimes the question needs to be:

"What is their nervous system trying to tell us?"

We'll be talking much more about the science behind school avoidance, emotional safety, school climate and practical solutions during School Avoidance Awareness Week this September.

Find out more:
www.schoolavoidance.co.uk

05/08/2026

Is bedtime feeling like a nightly battle in your house? When the lights go down, daytime distractions disappear, and quiet worries suddenly get loud. If your child finds endless excuses to stay up or calls for you every five minutes, this is one of the most common patterns families bring to us. The secret is helping them feel emotionally safe before redirecting their focus. Try creating a designated worry slot earlier in the evening to talk through fears well before lights-out. Paired with a consistent, calming wind-down routine, this small shift can help everyone get a better night's rest.

05/08/2026

03/08/2026

🌟 Exciting News from Top Tots ! 🌟

From September, we’ll be welcoming babies, toddlers and preschoolers to our lovely setting! 💛 Term Time

If you’ve been happy with the care your child has received at Top Tots, we’d be so grateful if you could help us spread the word.

👉 Please like, share and tag any friends or family who may be looking for childcare this September. Your recommendation means the world to us and could help another family find the perfect place for their little one.

Thank you so much for your continued support – we couldn’t do it without our wonderful families! 💕