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Great Chart and Singleton Pre-School

Who to contact

Contact Name
Tracy Gorham-Brown
Contact Position
Administrator
Telephone
01233 640551
E-mail
ma.beerensson@btinternet.com
Website
greatchartandsingletonpreschool.co.uk

Where to go

Address
Singleton Village Hall
Hoxton Close
Ashford
Kent
Postcode
TN23 5LB

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Term Time Only
Carescheme Age Range:
2 year(s), 3 month(s) to 4 year(s), 0 month(s)
Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 09.00 15.00
Tuesday 09.00 15.00
Wednesday 09.00 15.00
Thursday 09:00 15.00
Friday 09:00 12.00
Monday

Other Details

Table of costs
Table of costs
AmountCost Type
£23 per 3 hour session until July 2024. From September 2024, a 3 hour session will be £24 Per session
ECD Type
Preschool
Offers pickups
No
Cost(s)
Cost details
Contact provider for more details
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes
2 Year Old Funding?
Yes
Contact Provider for Vacancy Details?
Yes
Wheelchair Access
Yes

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
127208
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

Registered to provide up to 30 hours entitlement
Yes

Service status

Status
Open

Local Offer

Special Needs Support

On admission, we ask parents to complete and “All about Me” form which gives us a chance to get to know your child and their strengths or areas where additional support may be required. During the first 2 weeks at the setting, all children will be assessed for “Starting Points” according to a document called Development Matters, which is the reference points for the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children who start at the setting whilst still 2 years of age will also have a “Progress Check at 2” completed. All children are also screened for speech and understanding on entry.

 

Observations are recorded and progress is monitored. Any delay in development found will be discussed and appropriate measures taken by the implementation of “Next Steps”, where a specific developmental area may be targeted and opportunities for the child to gain experience are planned.

 

Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) works in partnership with the parents to ensure that all families have the best support in the development of the child, including liaising with relevant agencies, referrals and attending Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) meetings.

Each child is allocated a keyperson when starting at our preschool so a strong and positive relationship is formed with the child and their family. The keyperson is the first point of contact and will be responsible for completing the child’s learning journal and plotting the progress through observations. This journal is always available on request and families are invited to take it home before every holiday in order to read and comment in as much detail as they choose. Families are free to chat informally to keyworkers at drop off and pick up times and can also make an appointment to have a private discussion if required.

The keyperson and SENCO will liaise with families if any additional support is considered necessary and will feedback how any targeted plans are being implemented.

The EYFS is a framework our keyworkers use to observe, assess and plan for each unique child and comprises of 3 prime areas and 4 specific areas.

 

Prime areas:

 

Communication and Language – We provide a language rich environment tailored to children’s individual needs, model good language within the setting, regularly screen children for language skills and liaise with speech and language specialist where support is needed.

 

Personal, social and emotional development – We regularly assess each child using Leuven scales of well being and involvement and implement action plans where necessary. Planned activities promote participation and resilience with targeted activities and  if additional support is required, we liaise with specialist provision and advisors for advice and support.

 

Physical development – We offer an accessible environment and provide frequent and regular access to outside spaces. We work in line with occupational therapists and provide a range of activities which are mindful of sensory impact.

 

Specific areas:

 

Literacy – We actively promote literacy within the setting and collaborate with local books schemes. All children have access to a range of stories and rhymes in differing formats and languages and are encouraged to explore literacy on many levels, including write dancing and mark making.

 

Mathematics – Children can explore a huge range of numeracy and shape-based activities throughout the setting and are encouraged to participate in more targeted activities where additional support may be required.

 

Understanding the World – We encourage all children to discuss their cultures, community and beliefs and use a range of activities planned to strengthen positive impressions of diverse culture by sharing and celebrating special events.

 

Expressive Arts and Design – Children are encouraged to experiment with textures, colour and music within all areas of the setting and appropriate support will be given to those who require it in this area.

We plan our environment carefully by the use of movable equipment to generate areas which facilitate small groups and quieter areas, using soft furnishings to create a calm and cosy atmosphere. We can use a separate room away from the main areas for screening and small group work if necessary. Resources are used on a rotating basis but children can self select resources as well as taking part in adult led activities.

 

We have fully trained staff with appropriate Level 3 qualifications and have a wealth of experience of Early Years within our team. We identify areas of support needed as detailed in the SEND code of practice and our dedicated SENCOs cascades relevant training, involves keyworkers on individual cases and oversees the planning and implementation of targeted action plans. Wherever required, keyworkers are sent on relevant training courses to increase awareness of any additional needs and methods of support. This is then cascaded down to the rest of the staff.

Our SEND policy available on www.greatchartandsingletonpreschool.co.uk  states the approach used to support children. If we feel a targeted plan is making insufficient progress, the SENCO or Keyperson will discuss the need for referral to outside agencies with the parents. Once receiving support from other services, the targeted plan becomes a personalised plan. Consent will be asked to refer the child to the Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) and if accepted, the child will be supported by a specialist teacher who will provide further support and may refer to other specialist organisations.

Our preschool uses a Keyworker system where one dedicated member of staff becomes the first point of contact for the family, builds a bond with the child and is responsible for the observation, plotting and evaluation of the child’s progress according to the EYFS. These observations are recorded in a journal which is given to the family a minimum of 6 times per year but is also available at any time on request. In our setting, all staff work with all children and will pass observations to the keyworker. We have regular team briefings so that all staff are aware of any child’s needs so everyone can provide support.  The progress of all the children is tracked regularly and activities are planned to provide opportunities for children with highlighted needs to explore or revisit targeted areas.

If an area of support is highlighted, the keyworker will discuss with the parents and we will frequently discuss the child’s progress with the family. We encourage families to communicate regularly with the keyworkers and invite parents to book a meeting or phone call if they would like to speak to the staff in more depth.

We have a structure to the day and plan activities as part of this. Each keyworker will ensure that all activities are suitable, may be adapted to the child’s needs, or extra support will be provided to enable each child to participate. Outings to local areas are risk assessed in advance and individual needs would be taken into account before leaving the building.

Our preschool is held in a Village Hall so is accessible by wheelchair, is on one floor with wide door frames and a disabled toilet. There are several designated disabled parking spaces next to the main entrance. We have a garden with a hard standing area and wherever possible we will make reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of children, parents or staff.

We enjoy close working relationships with local primary schools and frequently visit our nearest primary school for school dinners, sports day, nativities etc. In the summer months before children start primary school, we are delighted to have the Foundation Stage teachers visit our setting to meet the children read stories to them and we visit the foundation stage playground where children have the opportunity to integrate with older children.  As part of our afternoon sessions, we plan activities to encourage independence such as taking school jumpers and shoes on and off or balancing dinner trays. As the children are about to leave our preschool to join school, we complete a transition form which describes each child’s strengths and abilities and highlights where support may be needed and this is discussed with the parents before being given to the primary school.

We hold regular staff meetings and have a 5-10 minute debrief every morning before the session starts. All policies and procedures are reviewed yearly and amended throughout the year as the need arises. The Senco attends LIFT meetings regularly to extend knowledge/strategies. Parents are invited to fill in a questionnaire mid-way through the school year – this aids us in reviewing our practice and service.

All initial enrolment queries should be directed to Tracy Gorham-Brown by telephone or email.  Our preschool has an inclusive policy and should additional requirements be needed to support a child, these would be discussed with the family and the manager and SENCO.

The preschool would make arrangements for the application of funding such as SEN Inclusion Fund or Disability Access Fund.

We ask parents to complete a survey annually but welcome feedback at all times as we value the opinions of the families we work with. We pride ourselves on the good level of communication we have with our parents and adapt to be as accommodating as possible. Regular staff meetings focus on issues parents may have raised and are acted on accordingly.

We have a complaints policy which can be found on our website www.greatchartandsingletonpreschool.co.uk.

Hard copies of all our policies are available on request.

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