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The purpose of the local offer is to provide information to parents/carers about the resources, skills and expertise we use to support children with SEND (Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities)

 

How do we at St. John’s Sunshine Pre School know if children need extra help and what our parents /carers should do if they think their child may have SEND?

 

When starting with us every child is allocated a keyworker who builds trusting relationships with each of their children and families, helping with the transition into the Pre School. Every key person is trained in observing children and planning for their next steps and it is through these observations any areas of concern can be identified. These concerns are discussed with parents, the keyworker and the SENCO Coordinator. They will put strategies in place for the child to thrive.

 

If parents/carers have any concerns about their child, they should speak to their child’s keyworker or SENCO who will be able to advise where to access further support.

 

How does St. John’s Sunshine Pre School support young children with SEND?

 

Through continual observations the keyworker can plan individual children’s next steps and, if required, work with other agencies to implement strategies. Meetings with the SENCO and the key person are held every term to talk about a particular child’s progress and plan for their next steps, considering the views of the child

 

How does St. John’s Sunshine Pre School create learning and development opportunities for individual children with SEND?

 

Through consistent observations of each child the keyworker, working closely with the setting SENCO, will plan for the child’s next steps. We will change the layout of the hall and make adaptations to the environment to support each child to give them the independence required to participate with their peers.

 

How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School works in partnership with parents and carers

 

We believe that having a close working relationship with parents/carers is vital as they know their child better than anyone. Termly progress meetings will be arranged by keyworkers, which will give parents the opportunity to view their child’s learning journals and scrapbook. We will share and discuss the child’s next steps and how we can all support each other for the best interests of the child. We operate an open-door policy so that parents are welcome to speak to us at any time about their child’s development, or they have access to their child’s learning journals via the Tapestry website, outside of these meetings. We will also provide parent information leaflets on different aspects of the Early Years Curriculum, the EYFS and how children learn through play, and transitions. We appreciate that it is not always possible for a parent to regularly attend the preschool and different methods of communication, such as communication books, email and telephone can also be used.

 

How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School supports the wellbeing of young children with SEND

 

Our staff are friendly and welcoming, providing a safe and stimulating environment for your child. They are good role models for promoting positive behaviour, with a named co-coordinator offering support if needed. Risk assessments are completed on all areas of the setting and these will be reviewed regularly. Staff will carry out safety checks daily, making sure that the environment is safe for the children to use without taking away their independence.

 

Children’s dietary and medical needs are recorded, updated every term, and checked every time the child is at the snack table. All staff hold a current paediatric first aid certificate, which is updated every three years, and they are confident to deal with any accident that should happen. If additional medical needs are required staff will be trained, by a professional in that area, prior to the child starting the setting. We administer prescribed medication to individual children, with parents filling out the consent form at the beginning of the session.

 

The safety of our children is paramount so we will have a member of staff signing the children in and out of the building. If the child’s parents are unable to collect their child we will ask for a name of the person collecting and a password. The person will also need to bring with them photo identification. If a person comes to collect a child who is not known to us, and without prior permission, we will not release the child.

 

Staff training and experience in supporting young children with SEND.  Training is very important to the setting, and staff continually refresh their training in areas such as positive behaviour, speech and language, safeguarding, food hygiene and paediatric first aid. Staff attend courses on a regular basis feeding back to the rest of the team at staff meetings.

The Manager and Deputy are the Special Educational Needs Coordinators, they will regularly attend training in this area.

 

We work with all agencies connected with individual children including speech and language therapists, specialist teachers, educational psychologist and area SENCO.

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How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School includes young children with SEND in community based activities and outings

 

Every child is welcome to attend trips and we will work with parents/carers prior to the trip to discuss any additional requirements for their child. Additional staff will work allowing a child to have one to one support if necessary; parents are invited to join us on longer trips. A first aid bag is taken, this contains all essential first aid equipment, The Pre School Mobile Phone and contact details will also be taken with us. If a child needs individual medication this is taken and placed in a plastic container with their name and photo and a copy of their health care plan.

 

How we ensure St. John’s Sunshine Pre School is an accessible environment

 

The layout of the Pre School allows easy wheelchair access both inside and out, and the hall has accessible toilet facilities. We display visual timetables on the walls showing the children the sequence of events during the session. If children require specialist equipment we work closely with other agencies making sure this is in place, and that the staff are trained on the use of the equipment before the child starts with us.

 

For our parents/carers photographs are displayed of the children taking part in activities, which are changed regularly. To help us communicate with our parents/carers whose first language is not English we will phone a relative or will attempt to access an interpreter. If we have parents who speak the same language we will ask them to translate the Policy and Procedures to the parents. However, we are happy to translate written documents into other languages for these parents upon request.

 

How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School prepares and supports young children with SEND when joining the setting and when transferring to another setting or school

 

Our parents/carers are given an opportunity to attend a stay and play session with their child. We provide them with the name and picture of their keyworker. The parents will be given a welcome pack which will contain an All About Me questionnaire for the keyworker and other staff to get to know their likes and dislikes. The Manager or Deputy are also available to talk to at any time before and after your child starts with us. We also display some of the activities and give information about what we offer in relation to SEND snack, and activities. When the children start we are flexible with our settling arrangements, tailoring them to the individual child and family.

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How at St. John’s Sunshine Pre School we organise our resources to meet the needs of young children with SEND

 

When children require extra support, this is accommodated usually by the child’s keyworker working on a one to one with them for short periods of time within the session. For example, if a child must complete an activity set by a speech and language therapist, the keyworker will use the resources sent by them with the child, and they will record the outcome of the activity. Any outside agencies who work with a child will be welcome to visit the child in the setting.

 

To ensure that the resources we provide are accessible to all children we will consider any additional needs. For example, we can change the hall layout, provide large sized Lego bricks alongside smaller Lego, provide larger handled paint brushes, so that a child can play alongside his peers without attention being brought to any additional needs they may have.

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How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School decides upon appropriate support for young children with SEND

 

The manager, and keyworker will work closely with parents and other professionals to discuss the child’s needs throughout their time at the setting. The keyworker will complete observations and will be able to identify any addition support needed. Once we have this information we will organise a meeting with the parent/carer to discuss the next steps for their child, a provision map will be made building on the child’s strengths, the views of the child are also included this could be done using pictures of equipment they like to use or areas they like to play in. We hold team meetings to discuss the strategies making sure the level of support is consistent.

 

At the end of every week the keyworker and Manager will discuss the progress made and any changes that need to be incorporated for the next week, these are recorded. At the end of every term a meeting is held with the parent/carer and any outside agencies that are involved if possible to discuss the progress made. We use the child’s development profile, observations and records of completed activities to gain the level of progress made by the child.

 

How St. John’s Sunshine Pre School involves all parents/carers

 

Building close working relationships with our parents/carers is important to us. We have newsletters every term talking about what we have done and dates for the next term such as parent meetings and any events.

 

We will run small parent workshops a few times a year.

 

We have a Committee which helps support the running of the Pre School and helps to raise funds for the equipment within the Pre School, all parents are welcome to join the committee or to help with fundraising. Working closely with parent/carers allows us to provide the appropriate support for individual children giving them positive experiences to build on.

 

Who to contact for further information

 

Please contact the Manager

                 

Mobile          07963 501 762

E-mail           stjohnssunshine@hotmail.co.uk

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