Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND): Local Offer

How does the setting know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
At Browns Lane Pre School we would identify children as having SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) through a variety of ways.

• When children start we carry out initial assessments in consultation with parents. If they are attending other settings we will also consult with them. Each child will be given a member of staff to be their key person. They will be responsible for knowing all about your child and build that first attachment at pre-school.

• Ongoing observational assessments are carried out on all the children in our care. These are linked to the EYFS (early years foundation stage) ages and stages of development, which can help us identify individual needs of the children. If your child’s key person feels they are performing below the age expected levels, they will talk to parents and put together an individual play plan for that child to support their development.

• If parents have any concerns about their child’s development they can come and talk to their child’s key person at any time.

• Katharine Cranford our Inco/SENCo (Inclusion coordinator/ Special Educational Needs coordinator) can offer advice and support to the key person and parents. She will liaise with other professionals to seek advice and support in identifying individual needs if necessary, always with parent’s permission.

• Reports from health care professionals such as health visitors, speech and language therapist identify children’s individual needs. The setting welcomes parents and professionals sharing these reports with them in order to plan appropriately to meet individual needs.

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How will pre school support my child? Who will oversee, plan, work with my child and how often? 

• Your child's key person - through observations, listening, assessments and evaluations - will put together an individual education plan ( or play plan). The key person will work with our Inco to oversee the play plan targets for your child. They will identify individual needs and plan next steps, accessing additional support from others where necessary (e.g. Speech and Language Therapist).Parents will be consulted at all aspects of the formation and review of play plans. All staff are willing to take on extra training if it is felt it would support your child’s development

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How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

• We have in place assessment systems for all children such as ongoing observational assessments, two year old progress checks and online progress checks which are completed every term. Each method of observation and assessment is linked to the EYFs ages and stages of development. Each child also has a learning journal file which is accessible to parents on request.

• We will plan an enabling environment to cover all areas of the curriculum. Key persons will request particular activities or toys to support their individual key children.

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How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

• Parents are involved from the initial visits at pre-school when they register their child at the setting. The child’s strengths, needs, likes and dislikes are discussed at this point. Parents are encouraged to share information with members of staff from the on-set and on an ongoing basis about individual needs of their child and any agencies involved with the child/ family.

• Your child’s learning journal will include all the assessments and information their key person has collected. From all this, next steps for children’s progress will be devised. Parents are welcome to view the journals at any time and talk to their child’s key person.

• There are also other times in the year when parents are invited in to the pre-school to discuss their child. These include parents meetings and parent’s evenings.

• Regular newsletters are sent home including information about what topics we are covering. Activity sheets are sent home to children, relevant to topic and age.

• Planning is visibly displayed on the parent’s notice board for parents to view if they wish.

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What support will their be for my child’s overall well being?

• The staff approach is inclusive, positive and welcoming to all. On entry to the setting we provide parents with admissions policy, Safeguarding policy, SEN code of practice. All About Me forms are given to parents to complete to help practitioners meet the individual needs of the children. Policies are shared with all staff and parents.

• We provide a flexible approach to routine and environment which are based around the needs of the children. Open, transparent communication is encouraged from the start. Adults act as good role models for positive behaviour and a continual positive approach to behaviour management is maintained. The key person builds relationships with child and family and they provide personal care respectfully to all children.

• During the daily routine visual time tables are used to support children in understanding routine. Older children are supported to manage their own personal care and manage risks for themselves. Resources are accessible to the children for independent choice.

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What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the pre school?

• With parents permission, we liaise with a number of outside agencies to support the children and staff. These include the West Sussex advisory service who work with the staff to give advice on working with children with SEND.

• We work closely with the speech and language service to follow their guidance when dealing with any speech problems.

• All staff have accessed child development training and have experience of working with children within the Early Years age range. All staff attend training throughout the year in areas that we feel will support the children at pre-school.

• The setting will sign post parents to support available.

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What training are the staff, supporting children with SEND, had or are having?

• Within the setting there is a trained SENCo who attends termly network meetings to keep up to date. The information at these meetings is then cascaded to other staff through staff meetings. Further courses such as positive behaviour training, equality, diversity and inclusion training, communication and language training have been attended by other staff members. Some staff members have attended training linked to specific needs. All staff are happy to attend any relevant training that may help support your child.

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How will my child be included in activities outside the pre school setting including trips?

• All activities will be planned around all children’s individual needs and abilities. Risk assessments are carried out beforehand to ensure it is accessible for all to access.

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How accessible is the pre school environment? (Indoors and out doors)

• Signs, poster and pictures with notes in different languages are used around the setting. Accessible building and toilet/changing facilities are available. All policies and procedures are current and reviewed regularly. We provide multi-sensory experiences as part of our core provision. We provide sensory play equipment and use visual aids. We will work with any family to address all children’s individual needs.

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How will the pre school prepare and support my child to join the pre school and transfer to a new school?

• When joining pre-school we offer all children a number of visits to help them start to familiarise themselves and build relationships with key members of staff and get to know their environment. These sessions can be in the company of their parents or on their own. Each child is assigned a key person and their role will be explained. The Key person will form a relationship of trust and support with the parent and the child during these sessions and will ask for care plans and “all about me” forms to be completed with questions which will help the staff identify the children’s needs, interests and to discuss if any agencies are involved in the child’s development. If required staff will attend training related to a child’s needs before they attend the setting.

• Transition to school: Learning journals and play plans are passed on to the receiving setting. We work closely with the schools, having transition meeting attended by our SENCo and the child’s key person, working together with the parents to aid the start of school.

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How are the pre school resources allocated and matched to children's special needs?

• Inclusion funding and Disability Access funding can be applied for to support the child being included in the setting. Delegated budget will be used to provide additional resources or to adapt existing resources and environment.

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How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

• Decisions made about how much support a child will receive is monitored through observations made by the key person of the child in the setting and then discussed with parents, SENco and Manager. Observational assessment linked to the EYFS and knowledge of child development will be used to identify what support is required. Extra support will be put in place if necessary with the aim of enabling the child to become independent within the environment. On-going partnership working with parents by the setting and other professionals involved with the child/family will support the decision making process. The SENco will advise on the process of applying for extra support. Reports from health care professionals or others working with the child and family will be used to plan support within the setting. The Early Years Advisory Teacher or other professionals working with the setting will support the decision making process linked to planned targets on the child’d play plan. The play plan will be written with parents input and will include how parents can support their child at home. Staff meetings within the setting will ensure all staff working with the child knows the child’s need and how to support them.

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How are parents involved in the pre school. How can I be involved?

• We share information with parents through meetings and parent evenings. We welcome input on the children’s journal, play plans and their progress. There are notes to fill in about any experiences or celebrations that your child may like to share with us. We have a number of events for parents to come in to the pre-school such as our Christmas play, leavers tea and sports day. We pride ourselves on building close bonds with families especially the main carer and make sure we are always available for a chat or to listen to any concerns.

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Who can I contact for further information?

• The first point of contact within the setting is your child’s key person. Our SENco, Manager or supervisors will also be able to offer advice and will be able to signpost parents to other professionals that may be able to help such as the health visitor, children centre staff and Speech and Language Therapists.

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