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 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?
Our setting’s SENCO has many years of experience supporting children with SEND in various settings. If you have any concerns at all you can book in to meet with her. Alternatively speak to your child’s keyperson. At our preschool each child has a key person. Their role is to develop trusting sensitive relationships with parents and children to enable respectful sharing of information.
Reports from health care professionals, such as health visitors, speech and language therapists and pediatricians help us identify and support your child’s individual needs. We welcome parents and professionals sharing these reports in order to plan appropriately to meet these needs.
Your child will be observed by their keyperson on a regular basis.
Woodham Mortimer Preschool use the Development Matters to guide us of ages and stages that early years children are typically expected be developing at. However this is a guide and not a one size fits all document.
These observations will be discussed with the SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) Liane Johnston. If your child’s key person has identified a possible individual need, they will discuss this with you and plan together to support your child’s learning and development.
Ordinarily Available- Is the standard level of inclusive support early years settings are required to provide to all children.
It forms the baseline of everyday practice. Following this guidance ensures a child will not be left behind and their SEND are priority.
https://secureschools.essex.gov.uk/DisplayDocument.aspx?DocID=604
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 our Inclusion partner, the healthy wellbeing team and other outside professionals. You will be asked to sign a CDF9 permission to share form beforehand.
How will you support my child?
On starting at our preschool 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. Children with SEND are placed on a one plan journey, our SENCO will arrange a meeting with you to explain this process fully.
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. She will also provide training where needed.
We will work in partnership with you, reviewing the one plan outcomes, 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 the Manager & SENCO and the Deputy manager. This gives your child the opportunity to become familiar with us before they start their sessions. We also offer 2 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.
When your child is due to transition to school we would invite your child’s new teacher & 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 outcomes on your child’s one plan along with any other information that may be relevant to your child.
Who can I contact for further information?
There is contact information for various services on our SEND and inclusion board in setting situated in the hallway.
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 and ensure staff are able to attend relevant training, ensure staff meetings take place to explore SEND and inclusion issues. 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. 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.
Our SENCO will meet with you termly for a one plan review meeting. Where possible and if staff ratio permits, your child’s keyperson will also attend.
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.
What support will there be for my child’s physical and emotional wellbeing?
We are a Thrive setting, this method focuses on children’s behaviour, personal, social & emotional development and their mental health & wellbeing. Liane is our Licensed Thrive practitioner and all staff are trained in the introduction to Thrive program.
Our practitioners are warm, welcoming and friendly, providing an inclusive, sensitive and positive approach for your child to feel welcome into our preschool.
They are 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 are fully accessible to ensure your child is able to interact fully within their environment. The use of visual strategies, such as a now and next board or choice board is used to help them to understand our routines. and visual communication booklets are used to help your child to express & communicate how they are feeling about a particular activity/event.
What specialist services and expertise are available at preschool?
All permanent staff hold a child development qualification and have many years experience working with the Early Years age group.
As well as Thrive, our setting has also invested in introducing the Wellcomm speech and language package for early years settings (September 2026) This tool will enable all our staff to help the children with speech, language and communication difficulties.
We have good links with our local health and wellbeing hub and we can sign post you to support which is available through there, for example Parent support officers, inclusion officers, and social care.
As well as having Liane as our SENCO, Sarah Varney has just completed her SEND training and will be assisting Liane with certain SEN duties.
How will you help me to support my child’s learning?
Your child’s key person or SENCO will discuss with you, at your child’s one plan review meetings how best to support your child and give you ideas for activities at home that will mirror what we do at preschool.
We will discuss with you on a daily basis at drop off and collection 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 outcomes to focus on at home and in our setting and reviewing progress toward these outcomes at your child’s one plan review meetings.
Your permission will be sought before involving outside agencies.
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.
During your child’s first half term you will be invited to meet with our SENCO. Here we will discuss the outcomes we would like your child to reach over the coming months.
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 assessments from other professionals so we are fully up to date. Advice from our inclusion partner will be sought with your permission.
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are expected to have?
Liane has many years’ experience of working with children with varying degrees of SEND. She is a fully qualified level 3 SENCO and is also trained in many aspects of SEND that include: Thrive, Wellcomm, Elklan, Child mental health, Behaviour in early years.
Sarah has completed her SEN qualification (2026)
Some staff have attended behaviour management training, autism awareness training and in-house training on communication and language was received.
All staff have basic training in Thrive and Wellcomm.
The SENCO ensures that the training needs of the team are identified and that training is sourced to ensure an effective balance of skills
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. We have an accessible disable toilet in the main bathroom area.
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 use visual supports all around the setting for children.
The outdoor garden is easily accessible for all and safe.
We have a brand new sensory den situated in our small play room.
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
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.
The SENCO may apply for special educational needs inclusion funding (senif) to provide 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.
Our inclusion partner and other professionals working with our SENCO will support the decision making process to planned targets on your child’s one plan. The one plan 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 Liane Johnston.