Professional Letter - Microsoft
CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND/OR DISABILITIES (send) – WHAT WE OFFER
Address George and Ann Tweed Rooms, Langstone Way, Westlea Swindon SN5 7BT
Website westleapreschool.btck.co.uk
Opening hours
8.50am to 11.50am, 12.25pm to 3.25pm Monday and Thursday
9.00am to 12.00am and/or 12.00am to 3.00pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.
Up to a maximum of 15 hours for children starting school during the next academic year.
Point of contact
Administrator: Tracy Weaver 07584 015031
Supervisor: Helen Kenyon 07876 485516
Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO): Rachel Butler 07876 485516
Type of provision
• Care and Education
• We cater for 3 and 4 year olds
• Registration form can be completed from age 1
• We accept referrals from other professionals e.g. Koalas, Portage, Health Visitors, Family Support Workers
• Children are funded from the term following their 3rd birthday so therefore are free. If a child starts during the term in which they turn 3 the charge is £9 per session
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the Pre-school?
• Our SENCO has a current level 3 qualification in Early Years Care and Education and regularly attends training provided by Swindon Early Years and is further supported by the Swindon Area SENCO. The SENCO, supervisor and key-person access specialist training if appropriate for working with a child with a specific need. In addition, we regard the parents of a child with SEND as our key source of information in recognition that they know their child and child’s needs best.
• As a Pre-school we work closely with any external agencies that we feel are relevant to individual children’s needs within our setting including: Speech and Language Therapists, Early Years Consultants, Health Visitors, Family Support Workers, Educational Psychologists, Portage Workers, Educational Support Services, Paediatricians, Occupational Therapists, Social Workers and Advisory Teacher for Physical Disabilities.
How does the Pre-school know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child has special educational needs?
At Westlea Pre-school children are identified as having SEN through a variety of ways including the following:
• Liaison with previous setting
• Child performing below age expected levels - children’s progress is assessed using the Early Years Outcomes, with particular consideration given to the three prime areas (Communication and Language, Physical development and Personal, Social and Emotional development).
• Concerns raised by parent
• Concerns raised by key person for example behaviour or self-esteem is affecting progress
• Liaison with external agencies
• Health diagnosis through a paediatrician
How will I raise concerns if I need to?
• Talk to us – firstly contact your child’s key person, the SENCO or supervisor.
• We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents. We are open and honest with parents and hope that they are able to do the same with us.
How will Pre-school support my child?
• The supervisor and SENCO jointly oversee all support and progress of any child requiring additional support.
• The key person will plan and work with the child with SEND to ensure that progress in every area is made with particular regard to the three prime areas and the child’s specific needs. We place great value on the key person relationship in supporting children - being in tune with a child’s needs, supporting their Personal, Social and Emotional needs, and understanding what works best for each child to help them fulfil their potential.
• If your child has SEN they will have an Individual Play Plan (IPP) with key aims and targets which are discussed and agreed with the child’s parents and follow the recommendations of external agencies where appropriate. The targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time scaled) with the expectation that the child will achieve the target by the time it is reviewed. The child’s strengths and preferred interests are used as a basis for providing resources and activities to promote the aims and targets.
• The key person will work individually with your child or as part of a group if this is seen as necessary. Where appropriate we work with the parents of a SEN child to apply for funding to ensure additional support to meet the child’s needs which may be in one or more of the four broad areas of-
1) communication and interaction
2) cognition ad learning
3) social, emotional and mental health
4) sensory and/or physical needs
What opportunities will there be for me to discuss my child’s progress?
• We offer an open door policy where you are welcome any time to meet with either your child’s key person or SENCO or supervisor to discuss how your child is getting on. We can offer advice and practical ways that you can help your child at home.
• We believe that your child’s care and education should be partnership between parents and Pre-school, therefore we aim to keep communication channels open and communicate regularly, especially if your child has complex needs.
• We operate a home/pre-school link book for all children so that comments from key person and parents can be shared. We ask parents to add comments book regularly (preferably at least weekly) and to bring the book in each session their child attends so that the key person can add and respond to comments. The home book is a valuable method of communication that helps us to understand your child’s needs, experiences and interests. However, it is regarded as additional and not for urgent or pressing matters or indeed to replace important ongoing face to face communication as part of building up close working relationships.
• If your child has SEN they will have an Individual Play Plan (IPP) with key aims and targets which are discussed and agreed with the child’s parents and follow the recommendations of external agencies where appropriate. The targets set are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time scaled) with the expectation that the child will achieve the target by the time it is reviewed.
• We will meet with you to complete an Early Help Record and Plan as part of a graduated response to identify your child’s needs and how these can be met. The record and plan is reviewed regularly – where other professionals are involved this may be done at a Team Around the Child (TAC) meeting.
• If your child has complex SEND we will work with you and other agencies to apply for and set up an educational Health and Care Plan.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
• We use visual prompts e.g. pictures, visual time-table, gestures and sign-a-long, to support children with communication, choosing, following routines – this benefits all children and is particularly helpful for children with SEN.
• We are able to access a range of equipment from other professionals if necessary eg writing slopes, table raisers, chairs with arms for more support, ramps to access the rear outdoor area for wheelchair users.
• All activities and resources are differentiated to meet the individual needs of all children according to their stage and development and interests.
How will I know my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
• We assess and track progress using the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum deciding which age bands the child is working within across the seven areas of learning with particular regard to the prime areas of Communication and Language, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development.
• We identify ‘next steps’ for all children based on their needs, ability and areas of interest (in conjunction with parents during discussions and stay and play sessions). We measure progress weekly and termly talking about targets with the children.
• In addition, a child who has SEN they will have an IPP with key aims and targets. This is reviewed with the child’s parents and comments are made against each target to show what progress the child has made. If the child has not met the target, the reasons for this will be discussed, then the target may be adapted into smaller steps or a different approach may be tried to ensure the child does make progress.
• We liaise with you on a daily and ongoing basis through face to face updates and discussions and home/Pre-school link books.
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How will the Pre-school prepare and support my child when joining the Pre-school and transferring to a different or to School?
• We encourage all new children and their parents to visit the Pre-school prior to starting, including an induction session when they meet with other new starters. For children with SEN we encourage further visits to assist with settling in their new surroundings.
• We work with parents to write social stories for children if trasition is potentially going to be difficult.
• We have a transition process which we follow for all children with our nearest school. Children with SEN will have more regular visits with a key-worker as well as meeting between professionals and parents to discuss strengths, needs and personality likes and dislikes about the child. If a child is transferring to a different school it is possible we can arrange to visit with the child and parents to meet the new teaching staff.
• We liaise closely with school staff ensuring all relevant paperwork is passed on and all needs are discussed and understood.
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are currently having?
• All staff undertake Early Years Foundation Stage training annually according to their training needs, interests and specialism as part of their continuous professional development. Recent training has included Promoting Positive Behaviour and Characteristics of Effective Learning. Training for the coming year includes Supporting Children with Social, Interaction and Communication and Supporting the Child’s Individual Learning Journey difficulties.
• All staff are stage one trained in sign-a-long and have a sound knowledge of how to monitor speech and language development using ‘BRISC’ (Bristol Surveillance of Children’s Communication).
• The supervisor and SENCO attend annual training for Asthma ad febrile convulsion.
How will my child be included in activities outside the setting?
• All children are included in all parts of the pre-school life and we aim for all children to be included in trips e.g. to the fire station, local parks, annual family trip.
• A risk assessment is carried out prior to any off-site activity to ensure everyone’s health and safety will not be compromised. We will work with parents to address any identified issues that may be a concern.
How will you support my child’s emotional and social development?
• The Pre-school recognises the importance of personal, social and emotional development (PSE) as underpinning their overall development and this is reflected through all planning for the provision as a whole as well as targeted topics and sub topics e.g. ‘All about me’, ‘my feelings’. We use large sand timers to help children with sharing and taking turns and with picture prompts as an early warning system for transition times such as tidy up, group circle time and home time. We also provide a range of activities to help with sharing, taking turns and collaborative play e.g. board games, lotto games, joint craft activities including large junk modelling, large floor puzzles and shared ‘tea parties’.
• We provide a range of PSE targeted resources and activities in recognition that children have different interests and fascinations. Typical resources include our emotions board and emotion puppets and small world toys, puzzles, books and pictures depicting people with different backgrounds, cultures and abilities. Craft activities include emotions stickers, happy/sad/cross stick puppets, paper chain friends and self-portraits.
• Mandy Cook, a senior practitioner and Lead for Personal, Social and emotional Development, regularly leads PSE mini circle activities exploring feelings and emotions and how to manage and express those feelings. This includes using fiction and non-fiction books, props, pictures and craft activities.
• Home books and discussions with parents provide further insight and information to help us work together, recognising and responding to situations that may be affecting a child’s emotional well being.
• The Pre-school has a strong ethos of valuing each child as unique and individual, reflected in our mission statement and our ongoing practice – home/pre-school link books form part of this, along with family photo boards and celebrating and exploring different cultures, and flexible planning that responds to the children’s needs and interests.
What support is there for behaviour concerns?
• As a pre-school we have a very positive approach to all types of behaviour – we have rewards systems including stickers, certificates and our Caring Heart award. All rewards are timely and specific with an accompanying written explanation so that parents can add their own praise. ‘Golden Rules’ are drawn up each year with the children and these are then displayed and referred to on a daily basis. All staff are good role models who demonstrate positive, caring and considerate behaviour.
• Where a child exhibits behaviour concerns we will carry out observations to understand possible ‘triggers’ whilst talking with the child’s parents to consider whether there are any underlying reasons and to discuss what approach works best at home.
• If a child continues to display behavioural difficulties a Behaviour Support Plan and IPP will be drawn up in discussion with the child’s parents, identifying the specific issues and agreeing strategies to promote positive behaviour.
• Where appropriate, and with the parent’s agreement, a referral may be made to a Behaviour Support Teacher or Educational Psychologist for further advice and support.
• Please also see our policy ‘Achieving Positive Behaviour’.
How will my child be able to contribute their views?
As a pre-school providing for young children we recognise the importance of hearing the child’s ‘voice’ and responding to their views. The key person relationship is particularly important in understanding and responding to the child’s needs – however, as a small setting all staff play an important role in ‘listening’ to each child’s views. The word ‘listen’ is used to mean not just hearing verbal communication but in the broader sense of observation covering progress and development and the child’s well-being.
We encourage each child to express their views by using different strategies that take into account each child’s needs, interests and communication abilities:
• Small group and one to one discussions linked to interests, topics and PSE.
• Observing and knowing the child, recognising interests and fascinations as well as changes in behaviour.
• Picture cards to make choice e.g. for activities, resources, stories and songs. Where appropriate, and in liaison with a Speech and Language Therapist, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) may also be used.
• Picture questionnaires for children to show preferences for resources, activities and experiences.
• We also ask parents’ help in expressing their child’s ‘voice’ – through welcome profiles, home/pre-school link books,ongoing face to face communication and parent/child questionnaires.
• A Progress Summary sheet is completed each term – the key person will talk with the child to add their views, using pictures, photos and looking back through their Learning Journey. Parents are also asked to add their own comments and observations of their child’s interest, preferences and views.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
• The key person alongside the SENCO and supervisor will discuss the child’s needs and what support is appropriate.
• Different children will require different levels of support in order to bridge the gap to achieve age expected levels.
• This will be through on-going discussions with parents.
How do we know if it has had an impact?
• By reviewing children’s targets on IPPS and ensuring they are being met.
• The child is making progress against age expected levels and the gap is narrowing – they are catching up to their peers or age expected levels.
• Verbal feedback from Pre-school and parents.
• Children may no longer be regarded as having SEN when they have ‘caught up’ or made sufficient progress.
Who should I contact if I am considering whether my child should join the Pre-school?
Please contact Helen Kenyon or Rachel Butler on 07876 485516 or contact us through our web-site westleapreschool.btck.co.uk
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