St. Edith's Preschool

We liaise with the child’s family as well as any outside agencies and other or previous settings the child has attended from the beginning to build strong connections and better our understanding of the child as an individual. We pay attention to the information provided by parents/carers on the child’s registration form, as well as their ‘All About Me’ page on Tapestry (the online learning journal we use). We take into account each member of staff’s experiences of interacting with the child in question as well as making written observations on them.

We will then continue to work with the child’s family and any outside agencies that are already involved. If there are no outside agencies in communication with the family and we as a setting feel there should be, we will use our extensive contacts to find the right specialist to help the child and their family and complete the Best Practise Guidance for the area of concern.

Our SENCO (Special Education Needs Coordination Officer) will attend the relevant training to learn more ways in which to help your child, then they will cascade that training to the rest of the staff so that everyone is able to work together to support your child.

Targeted Plan (TP) meetings are arranged between our SENCO and the parents/carers in order to discuss the best methods in which to be supportive. This will include practical support as well as setting educational goals and targets which we will all work as a team to achieve. Targets will be set at a reasonable and attainable level for the child as an individual, not as part of a general age bracket.

Through these meetings, our Home Contact Book system and Tapestry (our online learning journal), parents/carers will be regularly informed about the support their child is receiving, as well as their progress and the effectiveness of the methods put into practise as a result of their TP meetings. This allows staff and parents/carers to reflect on targets and strategies put in place and to make adjustments where necessary.

As a setting, we believe in ‘in the moment’ planning. We may have a rough ides of topics we’d like to cover but we like to plan our activities on a child-lead basis.

We differentiate activities to suit different age groups and abilities so that every child has an enriching and educationally beneficial experience. This is the exact same practise we employ with our additional needs or SEND children. We plan in the moment and alter activities to suit the child, whether that be the location of the activity, the skill level or the contents, nothing is set in stone when it comes to our activities, we are highly flexible.

We use a variety of teaching strategies for children with additional needs or learning difficulties. Very frequently, we use visual aids and promos such as a picture exchange system, a visual timetable, a now and then board and sand timers.

We also use Makaton, mostly during circle time activities such as singing. However staff are trained in basic Makaton for when it is required for communication. In these cases, staff will further their Makaton training to get the best out of communicating with the child.

We have labels around the classroom in different languages to provide comfort for our children who are less confident with English, it tends to be reassuring for them to see things written in their first language. We also use resources such as Talking Pens and books, to read stories in other languages and to help the children to communicate with staff and their friends.

All of our toys, equipment and activities are accessible for all levels of mobility. We have a large floor space for children who are less comfortable or less able to stand or sit at a table. We have large plastic trays that we use for resources and activities in the garden so that everything can be at ground level.

In the corner of our garden, we have a secluded, quiet, sensory garden. This space is accessible to all children and all are welcome to venture in as they please. However, we encourage children with more sensory needs to use this space in a beneficial way, most likely with a member of staff steering the encounter.

We believe communication with the family to be absolutely priceless. We work hard to build and maintain good relationships with our families, to work as a team in supporting the child. This helps to keep the same strategies and targets consistent throughout the child’s different environments, making them feel more stable and avoiding any mixed messages.

We liaise well with any outside agencies already involved with the family and, if there are none involved and we feel there should be, we will work to find the right specialist to help the child and their family. Some examples of people we may contact are: Specialist Teaching Service, Early Years Inclusion Team, Portage Workers, Health Visitors, Occupational Therapists. These teams will not only support the family directly, but guide us as a setting on how to make our provision fully inclusive.

Our SENCO’s training is of utmost important to us and it is regularly updated to ensure we are fully aware of how to be the best possible team for the child and their family. Our SENCO will apply for DAF (Disability Access Fund) and/or SENIF (Special Educational Needs Inclusion Fund) where applicable, to help us provide all required equipment and resources to help the child.

We offer to attend medical appointments or assessments with the child and their family, to offer support, put forward an educational perspective and to learn how to help the child directly from the relevant professional. These appointments can be Doctor’s appointments, Speech and Language Therapy (assessments or appointments) etc.

We use Tapestry at our setting, an online Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) journal to track every child’s progress confidentially, to share only between us and the child’s parents/carers. Tapestry allows us to complete observation in line with the EYFS Framework, marking off goals and targets being met as evidenced by the observation.

Parents and carers are involved in this process via their own personal account. The setting creates an account for each child and one relative of each child (depending on circumstances), the relative is then sent an activation like via email. This leads them to a page on which they can set up their own log in details, thus allowing them to log in and use the service as frequently as they wish to edit their child’s ‘About Me’ page or read, like and comment on observations on their child.

As a setting, we are always aware if accessibility and inclusivity for all children and staff. We have low level tables and chairs for the children, as well as a large floor space for those children less comfortable or able to sit or stand at a table.

We store toys and resources at a low level, some in drawers and some in baskets, to make everything visible and accessible to everyone.

Activities may be set up at a table but there is nothing that cannot be relocated to the floor. We have large plastic trays to contain any activities we choose to do, meaning that everything is easily transportable, inside or outside. We use these trays to do a lot of activities at floor level so that every single child can be included, if they choose to be.

Our school trips are always carefully selected by the business owner/manager and the administrator. We only visit places that are fully accessible to people of all abilities. We use transport that is suitable for all levels of mobility and we plan our trips far in advance to give people the chance to confirm for themselves that the location is suitable. We have never gone on a trip that was not suitable accessible for every single person in attendance.

Our setting is completely one-level except for our front door step, which has been made accessible with a concrete ramp painted with a non-slip coating to ensure stability and grip.

Our classroom is open plan, this leaves plenty of room for each and every child to manoeuvre safely and independently.

We make a conscious effort to make all activities and resources available at ground level. They may not necessarily be set up on the floor, but we have large plastic trays which enable us to have all activities and resources at an accessible and inclusive location for everyone, even when in the garden.

It is important to us that our children experience a smooth and comfortable transition to a new setting or school. In order to ensure this, we hold meetings with the relevant staff from the new setting or school to communicate about the child, we perform home visits where necessary to liaise with Portage / key workers. Where applicable we hold Team Around the Child meetings to secure a well informed hand-over, helping the child’s new setting or school to sufficiently prepare to support and nurture your child’s individuality.

We hold regular meetings with families and external professionals in order to review our SEN provision and identify any needs not yet being met. We communicate with families frequently in order to build a relationship between them and ourselves, we find that this is the most effective way of continually assessing our provision.

If you are considering registering for a place with us, either send an email to arrange a visit and be shown around our setting, or call us. This way, you can get a feel for the setting, your child can experience the setting with you and we can address any questions or queries you may have.

We have a small mailbox on the wall outside our setting for anonymous correspondence from parents/carers. We also welcome face-to-face communication, letters, emails, text messages to our setting mobile or direct calls to our landline.