Little Owls Pre-School

We will discuss your child's needs through the admission process. The registration form takes into account any areas of needs that have already been identified. We will also establish any needs through our ‘All About Me.’ form. This allows us to get to know you and your child better. Your child will be assessed in line with the Early Years Foundation Framework (EYFS) within the first two weeks and be given starting points. Any areas on need may be identified here. If your child joins us at the age of two, we will also carry out a Two Year Progress check to identify relevant support that your child requires. The support planning will be carried out by the settings SENCO.

On admission, your child will be allocated a key person. They are responsible for all your child's personal needs, observing, assessing and planning for your child. They will record your child's progress and planning on our assessment software, SPARK. You will receive weekly emails from SPARK on your child's achievements and setting news. You will also receive details of your child's next steps at the start of each of the six terms. You are able to speak with your key person each day at drop off or pick up. Your child will also be assessed three times a year and you will be invited to parents consultations shortly after the assessments to discuss and collaborate regarding your child's support and progress. At this time you may review your child's learning journey and take the opportunity to give feedback. We use the buddy key person approach to ensure consistency of care. This means that your child's key person has a buddy and if for some reason your key person is not available, their buddy will care for your child at that time.

Every individual child is unique and the EYFS enables the key person to plan for a child involving the child's own specific interests and needs. There are three prime areas of learning and development, (Communication and Language, Personal, Social & Emotional and Physical) and a further four specific areas of learning. The setting strives to support your child and adapt the EYFS to meet their needs. This may involve,  using language interventions such as I CAN Early Talk Boost programme. Providing a rich environment to suit the needs of your child. Our holistic approach to the EYFS curriculum ensures your child's wellbeing is promoted and opportunities to build on resilience are given. We adapt our environment, considering all sensory needs and the impact of the environment. We have close links with other professional agencies and utilise their knowledge to inform our practice.

All staff have at least a Level 3 early years qualification. The manager holds a Bachelor of Arts Level 6 in Education Studies. All staff have a qualification in Behaviour that Challenges and three team members are gaining qualifications in SEND. Little Owls considers the staff to be the biggest and most valuable resource. We provide quality teaching using nurturing and holistic methods. This includes YOGA and LEGO Education. We offer multi sensory learning experiences to the children. The environment is muted and neutral to promote involvement and engagement in learning and play. The provision is carefully considered to provide opportunities for child initiated play and to be fully accessible to all children. We carefully consider the use of extra funding to support the relevant children, providing further training or resources to help your child reach their full potential. The Best Practice Guidance is used to inform specific teaching strategies to support specific identified needs

If your child requires additional support, this will initially be detailed in a targeted plan. This plan takes your child's, yours and the settings thoughts and we work together to set 3 achievable steps for your child. If your child is not making sufficient progress, we will suggest that it is appropriate to make a referral to other agencies for support. Your child would then have a personalised plan. The setting SENCO will work closely with you to ensure we request support swiftly. This support may come from a specialist teacher, a speech and language therapist or an early help advisor. If a child has a condition that we have not supported at the setting. We will research and ensure that the appropriate support is in place. If further training is required, we will endeavour to attend.

Your child's key person will observe and assess your child 3 times a year. Children with SEND or additional needs will also have targeted and personalized plans regularly reviewed. The setting manager also tracks and monitors progress regularly. Yours and childs views are so valuable to meeting your child's needs and you will liaise with us on a regular basis to discuss. The manager and key person are always available to speak with, either face to face or through our convenient parent communication app, Classdojo. The settings planning and parent partnership folders provide many opportunities to link up learning with home.

Our approach to inclusive practice ensures that all children are involved and will benefit from all activities, the environment and our local community visits. Our day to day practice is adapted to promote inclusivity. This could involve the use of visual aids, Makaton or teaching strategies using repetition or behaviour strategies. Regular and consistent risk assessment ensures the safety of all at all times.

The setting has adequate road side parking. We have wheelchair accessibility and disabled toilet facilities. The large playroom is fully accessible to all.

If your child moves to another early years setting, we liaise with the new setting to pass on any relevant information to help ease your child into their new setting. We will also pass on relevant documentation and your child's EYFS assessments. We will remain available for the new setting to contact us if they need to whilst settling your child in.

We assist you right from the time you need to start considering applying for a primary school. We adapt our planning to help support your child to be emotionally prepared for the change and also to support their independent skills, such as getting their coats and shoes on, getting their own snack and drinks. We also have visits from the local school reception teachers and SENCO’s when needed to meet with your child before they start

Little Owls is a fully reflective setting. This means,we are always looking back at practice and building on what works best. As previously mentioned, you are always part of your children's planning and your opinions are valued. The team have regular meetings and the SENCO works closely with external agencies to ensure your child is getting the support needed. The team all continue develop their professional skills with continuous training and qualifications to keep practice current and relevant.

Please contact the manager on 07840977238 or email littleowlspreschool@hotmail.co.uk

The setting has an annual feedback questionnaire to ask your opinion of what is working well and to identify if something has not gone well. We also have a parent partnership folder that allows for testimonials. We have a easy to follow complaints procedure, the main points are permanently on our notice board.