Boughton Monchelsea Playgroup Association

Our setting is all inclusive which identifies and recognises children with additional need or SEN through different approaches:

• By carrying out observations to determine a child’s starting points in relation to the Development Matters framework and completion of the Progress Check at 2
• Keyperson will then meet with the parents to discuss the child’s level of development and any areas of concern that have been identified
• We provide activities focusing on the areas of concern to ascertain what level of intervention is required, this will be conducted for a term and the outcomes will be discussed with parents
• The progress tracker highlights children who are not achieving to the expected levels in each of the 7 areas of development within the EYFS
• Through discussion with parents if they have any concerns

Each child is allocated a keyperson who works closely with both the child and their families to build a strong relationship. Information can be shared in the following ways:

• Through our open door policy encouraging daily contact between keyperson and parents/carers
• A contact book is used to pass information to parents who have limited contact with the setting
• A formal meeting can be arranged between parents, keyperson and SENCO
• Learning journeys are regularly updated with observations and photos showing the child’s development and progress
• A My Unique Story is completed by the keyperson to monitor development and is shared with the parents three times a year
• Targeted or Personalised Plans are discussed with parents before they are implemented and when they are reviewed, which is on a termly basis

The EYFS will be adapted in the following ways to ensure it meets the individual needs of each child:

• For children with SEN a Targeted or Personalised Plan will be used to set achievable targets in relation to their stage of development
• Adaptions, that are within our capabilities, will be made within the environment to ensure inclusivity for all children both indoors and outdoors
• We ensure our environment is ‘language rich’ and designed to meet the needs of all the children
• The ‘Every Child a Talker’ (ECAT) programme is used to support children who have communication and language difficulties through strategies such as small group activities
• Liaise with outside agencies such as Specialist Teachers, Speech and Language Therapists and Health Visitors and implement individual targets

All staff are highly trained in Early Years Practice and offer a wide range of knowledge and experience in all aspects of child development.

We use many different teaching strategies within our setting including:

• Best Practice Guidance
• SEND Code of Practice
• Visual Aids including time lines, now and next boards, PECS, emotion cushions, sand timers, cue cards, task boards and choice boards
• Strategies to support Speech and language development
• Makaton sign language
• ECAT techniques
• PECS
• Intensive interaction
• Backward Chaining
• Social stories
• Attention Autism
• TEACCH approach (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children)
• Small group work
• Positive reinforcement
• A choosing book is available with photographs of all the resources to allow children to make choices
• Provide a quiet area for the children to access
• Resource drawers are labelled with both text and pictures

The range of resources available is developmentally appropriate for all children attending the setting

Our SEND policy sets out the graduated approach we follow to support children (see question 4)

If a child’s progress is below expected levels after a Targeted Plan has been implemented then a meeting will be arranged between parents/carers, keyperson and SENCO to discuss the potential involvement of outside agencies such as Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Physio or Paediatrician. Parental consent is required for these referrals. Once outside agencies are involved the Targeted Plan would change to a Personalised Plan.

If further support is required from the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service (STLS) then consent would be required from parent/carer.  The SENCO would then attend a Local Inclusion Team Forum (LIFT) meeting to discuss the child’s development and if the referral is accepted a Specialist Teacher will visit the child in the setting to observe them and offer advice and strategies.  Any advice received is shared with the parent/carer.

Following on from STLS involvement if a child is still making progress below their expected levels then the SENCO can apply for funding from the Special Education Need Inclusion Fund (SENIF) to enable us to provide augmented support and purchase resources to support specific development. STLS visits take place termly to review the child’s progress and discuss new strategies and interventions to be implanted which are then reviewed at the next visit.

All staff regularly attend training courses to extend their knowledge and understanding in all areas of early years development as well as specific training to meet individual children’s needs.

Each child is allocated a keyperson who will initially work to settle the child into the setting. 

Once the child has settled into the setting the keyperson will begin making observations to track them against the EYFS Development matters framework to ensure they are developing as expected.  After approximately 3 weeks the child’s starting points are tracked and we then request that parents have a meeting with the keyperson to discuss how the child has settled in and how they are developing and any other information they wish to share.

Their progress is then tracked and assessed regularly throughout the year using a My Unique Story form and this is shared with the parents.

Our experienced staff have received training in lots of different areas of SEND and are able to recognise signs that a child might need extra support in their development.  This would then be discussed with the parent and SENCO how best to support the child which could be through additional support in the setting or by involving outside agencies if this is deemed appropriate.

Our setting is fully inclusive and we ensure that every child can access all activities that are available.  We achieve this by considering all aspects of SEND and AEN and making sure that we adapt our activities including any outings or social activities outside the setting to enable all children to access them and enjoy the experience.  To enable this to happen we liaise with parents and carry out our own observations of the child which enables us to build up a picture of any support we may need to offer to a child to make the activity an enjoyable experience these could be in the form of adaptations to the activity or by providing extra adult support to the child.

Risk assessments are carried out when planning outings or changes to the environment.

The building has ramp access and has a car park to allow easy parking.  We are situated in a large hall all on one level with ramp access and have disabled toilet facilities available.

Within the hall activities are available both on low tables and on carpets and adaptions can be made dependant on individual children’s needs to ensure they can access all facilities and resources available.

We complete a transition grid for all children leaving our setting to move to a school or a new setting.

We offer visits to our local primary school during the summer term for all children who are leaving us to attend big school.  This helps them to get used to a classroom environment and seeing older children around.

We offer swimming sessions in our local primary school to all leavers again to help them experience a school environment.

Teachers from the relevant schools the children are transitioning to are invited to visit the children in the setting and speak to the keyperson and view their My Unique Story folders (parental consent is agreed prior to sharing this information).

For children with SEN a meeting is arranged between the school, our SENCO and the parents to discuss the child’s needs, to share any relevant information, this meeting usually takes place at the school they are transitioning to.

Social stories are used to help with transition if deemed necessary to support the child’s emotional needs.

We have sample school uniforms and book bags for the children to play with in the setting and information books with photos of the local school.

We will talk to the children about ‘big school’ and read relevant books to them.

The SENCO regularly attends forum and LIFT meetings to ensure all information we have regarding SEN is current and relevant.

Training needs are monitored and checked to ensure all staff working with children have accessed any relevant training courses.

Targeted and Personalised plans are put in place by the SENCO if deemed necessary following discussions with parents/carers and the keyperson.

A questionnaire is sent out annually to parents to evaluate if we are meeting the needs of the current cohort of children in the setting.

If deemed necessary the Manager and SENCO will carry out home visits to ensure we can meet the needs of a child and to allow us to put in place any changes necessary before the child starts with us.

Policies and procedures are evaluated annually to ensure they are current and relevant.

We offer an open door policy to parents so they can speak to the Manager, SENCO and/or keyperson at any time if they have any concerns or just want an update on how their child is doing.

To register for a place you can contact the setting manager, Sara Skinner, either by phone/text or through our facebook page or by visiting us at the Village hall.

We have an open door policy which offers parents the opportunity to speak to the setting manager about any compliments or concerns they may have. If the parents do not feel comfortable speaking to the manager they email us instead.

We offer a suggestion box in the foyer at different times throughout the year.

We send out questionnaires annually to parents to gain their feedback.

We are a committee run setting and all parents are invited to join the committee and have an input on how the setting is run.

Our complaints procedure is available in the foyer for the parents to read.