Special Educational Needs and Disabilities – Our Offer.
The purpose of our local offer is to inform our parents/carers and prospective parents/carers about the way we can support families with children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
How does the setting know my child needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have Special Educational Needs?
At our pre-school each child has a key person. Their role is to develop trusting sensitive relationships with parents and children to enable respectful sharing of information. If you have any concerns about your child’s development you can ask for a time when you can discuss this in private with them.
Reports from health care professionals, such as health visitors, speech and language therapists, identify your child’s individual needs. We welcome parents and professionals sharing these reports in order to plan appropriately to meet these needs.
On-going observational assessments are made of all the children and are linked
to the Early Learning Outcomes ages and stages of development. This in some cases identifies individual needs.
These observations will be discussed with the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) Lorraine Scott. If your child’s key person has identified a possible individual need, they will discuss this with you in private, and plan together to support your child’s learning and development.
Our SENCO will offer support and advice to your child’s key person and other staff in our setting. She will also liaise with other professionals to seek advice and support in identifying individual needs if necessary. Support and advice can be sought from the Area Senco, and Early Years advisory Teacher with your permission.
How will you support my child?
On starting at our pre-school the child’s key person will carry out an initial assessment form with you, this will help us to, jointly, identify strengths and needs and to help us to, quickly, plan effectively in meeting these needs and to be able to share information about your child.
We can offer a home visit, as this can be helpful for children who may have additional needs, or may just be quiet and shy.
Children are at the heart of all we do, and we will work with you to support your child together, listening to you as well as your child.
Our SENCO will explain how children’s individual needs can be met by planning support using an Individual Learning and Provision Plan (ILPP), and the advice from the Area SENCO. She will also explain who may be involved and their roles.
Observations, assessments and evaluations all contribute towards ILPP’s and your child’s key person would oversee the targets on the ILPP.
Your child’s key person would be in the sessions your child attends, foster a relationship with and understanding of your child, and if this was not possible, the SENCO would be present.
They will identify individual needs and plan next steps, accessing additional support from other professionals where necessary.
The key person will maintain an overview of experiences, and progress, and the SENCO will work with all staff to ensure we are providing the relevant and appropriate support.
We will work in partnership with you, reviewing the ILPP targets, and planning new ones together, and giving you ideas to use at home to support your child.
How will the setting prepare and support my child joining you, transferring to a new setting or to a primary school?
We can offer you the option of a home visit before your child starts preschool. This is usually by your child’s key person and the SENCO. This gives your child the opportunity to become familiar with their key worker, before they start their sessions. We also offer 2 free settling in sessions where you can stay for part or all of the session, and offer a flexible settling in period, if your child is having difficulties settling in.
This also gives us the chance to get to know you and your family, and provides the opportunity for you to share with us details of your child’s needs and the involvement of other agencies, and agree with you a consistent approach to ensure the continuity of care for your child. This can also be done in a meeting before your child starts if you prefer.
We will meet with other professionals e.g. health care professionals to put in place transition planning/health care plan, or to seek relevant training before your child starts.
If your child should attend another setting whilst with us or leave to go to another setting we would invite your child’s new key person/teacher and SENCO to attend sessions with your child to help them become familiar with them and to discuss your child’s strengths and needs.
We will hold a transition meeting at your convenience, to plan transition for your child into their new setting, giving the new setting time to make necessary plans for any changes they may need to make, sharing targets on your child’s ILPP’s, and minutes of review meetings along with any other information that may be relevant to your child.
It may also be possible to arrange for your child’s key person to attend settling in sessions at your child’s new setting with them, to help promote a smooth transition.
Who can I contact for further information?
Your child’s key person is your first point of contact if you would like to discuss your child’s needs, although the Who’s who notice board in the hall displays details of all staff and their roles. We are able to offer advice about other professionals who will be able to support your child, such as the Families Information Service, health visitors, speech and language therapists, children’s centre staff, and can access support from the Area SENCO, and Early Years advisory Teacher with your permission.
If your child’s need has been referred to a specific team, such as the Autism Outreach Service, we will support you in accessing support from them.
Our SENCO is also our practitioner for behaviour management, and can offer advice and strategies to cope with unwanted behaviour.
If at any time you are unhappy with an aspect of our provision or practice, we would ask that you come to us to discuss the matter to see if it can be resolved. If you are still unhappy, our Complaints procedure is displayed in the hall and is also in your copy of our Prospectus and Policies. Ofsted’s contact details are also displayed in the hall.
What are the responsibilities of your committee in enabling and supporting inclusive practice?
Our committee is responsible for enabling the SENCO to create inclusive policies, ensure policies are in place and up to date, ensure staff are able to attend relevant training, ensure staff meetings take place to explore SEND and inclusion issues, ensure the environment is inclusive, and to provide information packs for parents. They also promote our open door policy, to ensure that we are welcoming and respectful for all.
How will I know how my child is doing?
Assessment systems are in place such as the 2 year old check, on going observational assessment, and the progress wheel tracker, which are all linked to the EYFS ages and stages of development. We will always try to make time to talk and arrangements can be made to discuss with your child’s key person the progress they are making, along with review meetings of your child’s ILPP carried out in partnership with you.
Social events throughout the year help you to build relationships with practitioners in the setting.
Our open door policy means that you are always welcome to tell us how your child is doing on a daily basis, and provide ongoing two way communication between us. Telephone calls can be used if parents work and are unable to bring/collect your child from preschool.
We also send out newsletters termly, to keep you up to date with what is happening in preschool and our weekly e-mail is very informative.
Our website is kept up to date with new information added frequently, along with photos of the children engaged in activities and events.
What support will there be for my child’s physical and emotional wellbeing?
Our practitioners are warm, welcoming and friendly, providing an inclusive, sensitive and positive approach for your child to feel welcome into our preschool.
They provide good role models for positive behaviour, and we are consistent in our day to day care of all our children, and our happy children at preschool are testament to this.
We are flexible in our routines to provide a positive environment for your child’s needs, and provide personal care, such as changing nappies, respectfully.
Personal health care plans can be adopted if necessary, and staff will be trained in giving the appropriate medication for your child if required.
Activities will be adapted to ensure your child is able to interact fully with their environment, and visual strategies, such as a what’s now and next board to help them to understand our routines. Flash cards can be available for your child to express how they are feeling about a particular activity/event, and the book corer provides a safe, quiet area to retreat to if your child is tired, or needs some time to themselves. Your child’s key person will be present for these times.
What specialist services and expertise are available at preschool?
All staff have accessed child development training, and have experience working with the Early Years age group.
Staff have accessed specific training on Makaton, using visual strategies, behaviour management and speech and language courses. As well as training on Early Support, managing severe allergies and Autism.
We have good links with our local Children’s Centre and we can sign post you to support which is available through there, for example Parent support officers, inclusion officers, and social care. We can offer support through our Early Year Advisory Teacher, with your permission, and if your child’s needs are identified
as a specific need then the team with the expertise in this area will take up the support for the child and the setting in meeting your child’s needs.
Our SENCO attends termly network meetings to keep up to date with the latest information and news.
How will you help me to support my child’s learning?
We have a folder explaining how we implement the early years foundation stage and a copy of the Early Learning Outcomes, these are always available on the parents ‘windowsill’. We provide you with a leaflet explaining the EYFS, which is your child’s learning journey, and there is also information on our website explaining the EYFS.
Your child’s key person or SENCO will discuss with you, at your child’s ILPP review meetings, how best to support your child and give you ideas for activities at home that will mirror what we do at preschool.
If your child has specific identified needs, we will work with the team, supporting your child and explain to you how we are acting on advice given by them to support your child.
We will discuss with you on a daily basis at drop off and collections times, how your child is doing on that particular day, which enables you to let us know about any new information we may need to have.
How will I be involved in discussions about planning for my child’s education?
We encourage you to be involved from the first visits to preschool, to register your child at our setting. The child’s strengths, needs, likes and dislikes are discussed at this time to help us make the settling in process go smoothly.
You are involved in identifying needs, information sharing identifying targets and next steps to focus on at home and in our setting and reviewing progress toward these targets at ILPP review meetings.
Your permission will be sought before involving outside agencies, and you are able to volunteer to help in sessions if you like.
How will the learning and development provision be matched to my child’s needs?
We will get to know your child before they start with us through meetings with you and other professionals who are involved. We offer a flexible settling in routine that enables you to stay with your child until we are all comfortable that they are happy.
Ongoing observational assessments will be used as a starting point within the first weeks of starting linked to the EYFS ages and stages of development. Targets
will be set on ILPP’s if necessary to support the learning and development of your child. This enables planning for individual needs and learning goals.
Your child’s key person and our SENCO will work together to make sure that the environment, routines and activities support your child’s needs, and they will communicate with the rest of the staff to provide consistency and understanding within our team.
We will ask for copies of assessment from other professionals before your child starts, and advice from the Area SENCO will be sought with your permission and if necessary.
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are expected to have?
Our SENCO has many years’ experience of working with children with SEND and their families and will complete the New SENCO training.
Our SENCO is experienced in working within the Early Support Framework and in working in partnership with numerous professionals and all relevant outside agencies.
The SENCO has had Makaton training, visual strategies training, working in partnership with parents training, anaphylaxis training and Autism training.
The Deputy SENCO is due to attend Makaton training.
Some staff have attended behaviour management training, autism awareness training and in-house training on communication and language was received.
The SENCO ensures that the training needs of the team are identified and that training is sourced to ensure an effective balance of skills
Staff training records are held on file, and relevant training can be viewed on request to the play leader
How will my child be included in experiences away from the setting?
We will endeavor to include parents in the planning of any visit off site to identify the strengths and needs of your child. We can prepare a photo book for your child so they know what to expect on the visit, and invite all parents to join us on our trip.
We would carry out a risk assessment linked to the visit and the needs of all the children, including parent and supporter prior to our trip. We would also take along any aides or medication your child may need. All visits or trips would be planned in order to include all of our children
How accessible is the setting environment?
The setting is fully accessible to all; there is a ramped entrance, wide doorways and spacious entrance lobby.
If you are a parent who does not have English as your first language, we can involve another family member who speaks English, or if possible arrange for an external interpreter.
We send out weekly e-mails of our planned activities for the following week, which if necessary can be translated into another language. All letters and notices to parents can also be translated. We ensure the setting is as visual as possible with clear signs and posters.
We use visual supports around the setting for children
We carry out routine access audits
The outdoor garden is easily accessible for all and safe
Accessible toilets and changing facilities are available, and we will explain the limitations of the building we use to you on your visit.
We provide multi sensory activities as part of our planning.
We carry out risk assessments to ensure individual needs are being met and that the setting is safe for all, for example removing any barriers that impact negatively on a child learning
Policies are updated regularly and are available for parents in the hall, and a copy is sent to you in your welcome pack.
How are the settings resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
The setting has a training budget and is used to ensure a balance of skills, for example the deputy has booked Makaton training, and Inclusion funding can be applied for to support your child in our setting if required.
The setting ensures a high staff ratio on all sessions
Activities and core areas are adapted as necessary, but we ensure a broad and balanced range of floor and table top activities are available all the time
We also budget to provide for resources to meet specific needs, such as sensory equipment.
We aim to provide a safe, stimulating and fun environment for all children to learn and develop at their own rate and we provide activities and resources that are based on individual interests and needs
We have high expectations of all our children and set out motivational and inspirational activities based on our observations of individual children
How is the decision made about how much support my child will receive?
Through the observation process linked to the EYFS ages and stages of development, and in discussion with you we will identify what support is required.
Extra support will be put in place if necessary with the aim of enabling your child to become independent within their environment.
Ongoing partnerships with both you, other professionals and ourselves, will support the discussion making process.
Our SENCO will give advice on meeting your child’s needs within our preschool in consultation with you, and other professionals where necessary with your permission.
Our SENCO will advise you on the process of applying for extra support, and the Inclusion funding process will identify the level of need based on the evidence submitted by the setting and other professionals who are working with you and your family to support your child.
Reports from health care professionals and other professionals, who are working with your child, will be used to plan support within the setting.
The Area SENCO or the Early Year Advisory Teacher or other professionals working with our SENCO will support the decision making process to planned targets on the ILPP. The ILPP will be written with you and will include how you can support your child at home.
Staff meetings within the setting will ensure all staff working with your child knows your child’s strengths and needs, and how to support them.
For any more information please contact us and speak to our SENCO Lorraine Scott.