As part of Lancashire County Council the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Reforms will place a statutory requirement on settings from September 2014 to make information available to parents about how the setting supports children with SEND.

Click here to download our SEND Local Offer setting information.

 

Type of Setting

Fence Pre-School is a term time day care setting, situated in the rural village of fence. It is a pack away nursery allowing the environment to be changed for any child’s individual needs. Places are available for children aged between 2-5 years. The Pre school is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am- 4.30pm and is registered to take 30 children at any one time.

 

Age Group

Fence Pre-School caters for children aged between 2-5 years and are situated in one large room/outdoor area, toilets and a fully fitted kitchen. The main room is split into areas which consist of snack area, home corner, music area, Mark making area, jigsaws and fine manipulative table, small world and construction area, library/quiet area, physical area and messy area. There is also an outdoor area which is situated in a secure car park which is attached to the Scout & Guide community centre and consists of pedal bikes, scooters, cars and tractors and this leads onto a purpose built natural area consisting of an allotment, small world rockery, recycled mud kitchen, log piles, recycled music area, sensory tyres, bug hotels, wooden shed with sand pit area and an area which is adapted to holistically enhance the individuals development through their own voice ie den building, fairy finding, recycled building etc and also wooden tables and benches. All children are based within this environment and are able to free flow and choose from which area they would like to with inclusion of the outdoor area also.

 

Key Staff

There are six members of staff at any one time within Fence Pre School which consist of a manager, deputy manager and four practitioners, two qualified with foundation degrees, three level 3’s and one unqualified. The manager and the deputy are responsible for SENCO, behaviour, PICO, ENCO etc All staff are situated to an area within nursery and develop this area accordingly. There is 1 nominated safeguarding officer with another in the process of being a nominated officer also.

 

Accessibility of the Setting

Fence Pre School is fully wheelchair accessible with a large car park to enable easy parking, also with a ramp on entering the Pre School and doors widened to enable wheel chair access at all times. The toilets have also been adapted to enable wheelchair access with handrails and a widened door. The Pre School is all on one level and adjustable to uniquely suit the individual child’s needs and with the inclusion of the nursery being a pack away the environment can be adapted accordingly.

The outdoor environment is easily accessible with a ramp and rail to access it of which the car and trike area is all on one level and the purpose built natural environment as one small curb step on entering the area.

All area in the pre-school are photographed and well labelled, structured and defined into areas.

However these areas are able for adaptation for the individual child to enhance the individual’s development.

Fence Pre School works on a open door policy and if you are a parent/visitor etc you are welcome to visit any time. The Pre-School also as in place a parental rota which allows parents to come into nursery and spend time to see how their children play and also how the Pre-school routine works.

 

Accessible Information

All displays are well labelled and associated to the environment that they are inclusive to. All information for parents is well labelled and also enclosed in the introductory booklet and if anybody would like to view the policies and procedures, Ofsted report etc., they are readily available as and when required for all parents and new visitors etc. Pre School issue continuous newsletters, which share/provide information with the parents inclusive to the environment. This allows the parents to become involved within the environment and know what is happening within the environment. Thus encouraging parental partnership at all times. Notice boards are displayed on entering the Pre-School and also where the children’s coats and bags are stored. There is also a white board that is written on daily with the information of the day.

All information can be provided in a variety of font size to suit all and any additional languages etc can easily be supported through the Beacon centre that the Pre School have strong links with. These links allow the pre school to have readily available support as and when required for all individual children/parental needs at all times. Those whom first language is not English support is at hand through the Beacon centre and we are able as a Pre School to call on them for additional support as and when required. Information within the setting is enabled to be adapted through the support of the Beacon centre if needed.

 

Accessibility of Provision

The pre-School environment is able to be adapted to meet all children’s unique needs and through the enabling environment this can be easily developed to support the individual in whatever needs are required.

 

Identification and Early intervention

As a setting we work closely with parents on induction into Pre-School and pride ourselves in the way all children /parents are welcomed into the environment. This allows for a trust to be formed through parent and child. On induction all concerns are expressed through the parent and also through the introductory booklet in more detail. All children/parent’s have an induction into nursery with the inclusion of child visits while parent’s stay/leave depending on the individual. The visits are not limited due to all children being individual. The Pre-School work closely alongside the parent/child to ensure that they are feeling secure about leaving their child in our care.

Pre-School have a Key worker system in place and the individual child’s key worker will identify any enhancements/additional needs through observations and assessments in accordance to the EYFS. These findings will be monitored working with parents closely and the relevant professionals i.e. inclusion teacher and forming target learning plans.

All children will have a 2-3 year assessment into pre-school/Starting point with accordance to the EYFS and any concerns raised through parent/key worker will be closely monitored and acted on immediately. Tools such as “WellComm’ are used on all children through keyworker observations and assessments.

All children’s learning journeys are readily a available for parents to look at as and when they would like and are able to talk to myself/key worker at anytime with no hesitation. If any other advice or support is needed for myself/parent the link between the local beacon centre is readily available to do so.

 

Decisions on Supporting Children

On following the SEN policy, all decisions on the individual child will be made by the parent/carer for the next steps to be made. Close partnership with parents is essential to ensure that the best possible decisions can be made to support the child. The inclusion teacher will decide what the next step is and the plan of action. Parents are informed at all times of the happening of the individual child and ensured that they are supported and information is shared at all times. This enables the parent to be involved at all times.

 

Developing Teaching and Learning in Nursery

The pre-School as Continuous provision indoor/outdoor and all toys/equipment are age appropriate and all activities can be differentiated for all age groups within the setting. Through following the EYFS for all children, the enhancements are made in accordance to the individual child through close observations and monitoring through key workers. These observations can be recorded though post it notes, child’s voice, listening and observing.

The role of the key worker is to work closely alongside the child to allow the ability to enhance development and support continuously through close monitoring, observations, planning for the individual child. Ensuring through the EYFS tracker system that they are meeting the development norms and if not early intervention can be made to ensure the best possible start for all children. All Parents are able to talk to their key worker at any time and I ensure that if they have any queries or worries the door is always open for them at any time. Provision mapping is in place and individual adaptations to support their needs are possible though wave 2/3 of mapping to support all.

 

Support of Children

All children will be supported uniquely through the early years setting. The key person will work closely with the child/parents and inclusion teacher to allow for a TLP to support the individual and also support the mapping of wave2/3. The TLP will be developed and put in place through the Parent/Key worker/Inclusion teacher etc to allow the child to be supported. A child with SEND will be supported uniquely like all children within the environment and continuous provision can be adapted/enhanced for the individual accordingly.

 

Parents Supporting Learning

Parents are a partnership within the setting and are part of their child’s learning journey through the Pre-School environment and with close working partnership and following the guidance of the TLP support can be in place to do so whether at the early years setting or home. I myself will talk to the parents alongside the keyworker.

All training and support is available through the Beacon Centre and support is at hand as and when required. All events /support that is available is either up on the notice board or available for all parents to know about through newsletters.

 

Child View

All children’s views are individual and recorded through post it notes, observations, child’s voice, listening etc and the enhancements are adapted according to the individual child through this.

 

Resources used to Support Practitioners to meet Children’s Special Educational Needs

The adaptation of resources to suit the individual child are adapted and differentiated to support and meet the needs of the individual child at all times. If there are any resources that are required to support the individual through the setting and we do not have they can be either brought in through the partnership of the beacon centre or by purchasing through the funding grant.

All practitioners are deployed through a rota and are available as and when required if there are any meetings with other professionals.

 

Inclusion of Children in Activities and Trips

All children are inclusive to activities/trips and are adapted accordingly. The parental rota is advantageous due to the ability in help available and parents being able to be inclusive to the activity /environment. Parents/carers are involved within the environment through their voice and also questionnaires, which allow the setting to evaluate what they would like and the child etc.

 

How Parents know about their Children

Parents are informed about their children on a daily basis with pass over in the morning and also picking up time. They are informed of all the information on their child during the day and also if there is anything else required. This time is crucial to building trust between carer and practitioner and learning more on the individual child/family. Parents/carers are able to speak about their child’s development at any time. The learning journeys are also available on an as and when basis. All parents are aware of the open door policy and can talk about their child anytime.

Parents are informed of the EYFS parent’s guidelines and are aware of what the keyworker is working alongside to observe and assess the individual. The children are tracked and the parents are open to ask questions about this system at any time. The tracker shows what progress the child is making/not making etc and allows for the early intervention to be acted on if required.

There are daily opportunities for children to share their experiences during register, circle time, stories etc which they speak openly about what they have achieved etc or done. In the setting there are also “I did something special” sheets, which allow the parents to take home, and the child and carer fill them in. These sheets are then put in the child’s learning journey.

 

Involvement of Parents for Planning of Education

All parents are actively involved in the education of their child, the more input is crucial for the holistic development to be supported and enhanced. The TLP have a great deal of input from parents and they are heavily involved during this process. Information sharing is crucial during this process then all involved can work together in partnership.

 

Transition

All children that join the pre-school are given an induction into the nursery, on hourly introductions, there is no limitation to these and they are unique to the individual child. The parent/carer are able to leave their child or stay all being dependent on the individual family. If the child is to transfer to another setting, information through the tracker system is forwarded on with parent etc.

The transition to school is essential to be smooth and through our setting the inclusion of lots of different uniforms in the role play area and also pictures of the teachers that they will be in class with are inclusive. Talking about their experiences in the school is essential during register time and circle time, just to build up confidence about the new environment. Teachers visit pre-school before the child’s taster sessions at school. During this time the child becomes familiar of the teacher/teaching assistant and the transition documents for each individual child will be handed over. In some cases the child may have a TACK meeting where all information will be shared.

 

Staff Training and Qualifications

There are 2 practitioners with level 5 , 3 with level 3, 1 unqualified, all are experienced to a high stand. Appropriate training is given for all staff working with additional needs and also for the SENCO’s responsibilities.