SEND Local Offer
 

What is the local offer and how does this affect my child? 

Local Offer for Children with Special Education Needs and / or Disabilities (SEND) 

The purpose of the local offer is to inform parents of the local services available for children with special educational needs and how to access them. 

How does Falconwood Preschool know if a child needs extra help? 

We operate a key person system in the nursery where each child has a key person. The key person observes their key child regularly and completes assessments, which helps to identify any support that the child may need. According to SEND Code of Practice and EYFS, staff follow the guidelines of the Graduated Approach. We try to identify children with SEN as early as possible. We know when children need help if: 

 

• Concerns are raised by parents 

• Concerns are raised by the key person 

• Limited progress is being made 

• There is a change in the child’s behaviour or progress 

 

Parents are asked to complete an Information pack. The information will include the child’s specific routines, likes and interest and any support they may need. 

 

Key workers are assigned once the child has settled for a period, based on the relationship built between the child and particular adults.  

 

The key person is responsible for observing, assessing and planning the child’s learning to meet his/her individual needs. They will also make a judgment about whether a child is showing a typical progress for their age, may be at risk of delay or is ahead for their age. 

 

Where a child appears to be behind expected levels or where a child’s progress gives cause for concern, the key person will discuss this with the SENCO who then discusses concerns with parents and together they can plan how best to support the child. The child’s views are acknowledged as part of this process. The nursery SENCO will provide advice and strategies for key worker and parents to support the needs of the child.  

 

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) is Sarah Belsham.  

 

She works closely with all staff to make sure there are systems in place to assess, plan, do, review the special educational needs practice and policy of the preschool, always making sure plans and records are shared with parents. 

How will the staff support the child? 

At Falconwood Preschool we treat every child as an individual. We have high expectations of children regardless of special needs or disability. We have a highly qualified and experienced staff team who are confident in monitoring and assessing the ability of all children. We will adapt practice where we feel it is necessary and where we feel it will benefit the child, for example working in smaller groups. We have policies and procedures in place which are reviewed regularly to ensure that our resources and environment are suitable and accessible for all. Our SENCO will work closely with the key person to provide personal plans for each child based on their ability and interest and ensure that child has access to adequate resources and activities. 

Our SENCO liaise with other professionals, with parent’s permission, such as the Inclusion Officers, Speech and Language Therapists and Health Visitors to gain further advice in supporting children with SEND. This advice might involve meetings and reports to enable the key person to plan for the individual needs of the child. Our SENCO and key persons work collaboratively to ensure that targets and strategies are implemented. 

 

Stage 1 -  

Where a practitioner or SENCO identifies a child with special educational needs, the preschool will assess and record those needs and provide several key actions to help the child. As part of this process the preschool will consult with parents and seek any additional information from external professionals. The targets for the child, any teaching strategies or changes to provision are set out in an Individual Support Plan (ISP). The plan will be continually under review in consultation with the child and his/her parent(s). This stage will involve a cycle of assessment, planning and review in increasing detail, with increasing frequency, to identify the best ways of securing and maintaining progress. 

 

Stage 2 -  

This is where a practitioner or SENCO, in consultation with the child’s parents, decide external support services are required usually following a review of the ISP. The preschool will share its records on the child with those services so that they can advise on any ISP targets and appropriate strategies to help the child. 

 

Statutory Assessment 

If the help given through an ISP is not sufficient to enable the child to progress satisfactorily, it may be necessary for the SENCO, in consultation with the parents and any external agencies already involved, to request a statutory assessment by the local authority. This may lead to the child receiving an education, health and care plan. 

 

How are parents/carers involved in our setting? 

Parental involvement is highly valued at our setting. The key persons work together with the parents to ensure that every child’s learning is supported. Parents are given access to the child's individual learning online journal (Tapestry)   

 

We make sure our parents are involved with every aspect of our setting. All of our policies and procedures are available for parents at any time. We ensure that the key person and SENCO can talk to parents on a regular basis and our management team are always available if needed. We have an ‘Open door’ policy, and we encourage parents to discuss any concerns.  

 

Children are given a diary for weekly exchange of information between preschool and home and feedback. We usually obtain feedback from parents several times during the year. We ask them to comment on our service and improvements they would like to see. Their responses are evaluated and used to improve our service. 

 

What training is offered to staff supporting children with SEND? 

Most our Staff are NVQ level 2 qualified or above. All staff have received Paediatric first aid training and all staff have at least level 1 Safeguarding certificates. Our SENCO has attended relevant training and attend the SENCO network hosted by the Local Authority. 

Some of our staff has received training in Makaton and Inclusion and equality during our staff inset day. Other staff members have completed training in Early Talk Boost and Wellcomm Screening Programme.  

 

How accessible is the preschool environment? 

Our preschool is a one level, one room building, there is a ramp outside the front door to allow parents with push chairs and wheelchair easy access into the building. 

We have appropriate measures in place for children to access the toilet and sinks independently.  Pictures and signs are used to support communication to meet the needs of all the children in our care. 

 

We communicate effectively with all families including those who need extra support. 

We support children with English as an additional language (EAL) by asking parents to write down different words in the child’s home language with their meaning in English so we can communicate with the child while they are learning English. This also helps with settling the child into the preschool. 

 

Helping with transitions 

We recognise that transitions can be difficult for a child with SEND and take steps to ensure that any transition is as smooth as possible. 

Staff are trained to observe their key children and as such will be sensitive to any changes in their behaviour and personality. We respectfully ask that parents inform us of any changes in the home environment that may impact on their child so staff can be aware of the reasons behind any potential changes in the child’s character. 

 

Starting school 

Starting school is a huge transition and the preschool will do all it can to facilitate a smooth move. We have a variety of methods that support this: 

 

-The preschool will provide a variety of resources that relate to the school, e.g. role-play; photographs of all the schools the children may attend. This will help the children to become familiar with this new concept and will aid the transition. 

 

-The staff will initiate conversations with the children, who are due to move to school, about the school and discuss what they think may be different and what may be the same. They will talk through any concerns the child may have and initiate activities or group discussions relating to any issues enabling these to be overcome 

 

-The preschool will ensure a comprehensive report is produced on each child starting school to enable teachers to have a good understanding of each child received. This will include their interests, strengths and level of understanding and development in key areas. This will support continuity of care and early learning. 

 

For further information please contact Chelsea (Manager) Sarah (SENCO)