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Little Oaks Pre School


Little Oaks Pre-School is based within the grounds of Stella Maris Primary School, with access gained from the pathway in Radnor (Lower) Park. We cater for  children and families from the local community and beyond. Little Oaks Pre-School benefits from an established staff and management team. The setting is one of seven Little Oaks settings across Kent, each setting offering unique and individual aspects. 

Little Oaks Pre-School offers sessional care for children from 2 to 5 years, across 2 rooms, as well as free early education spaces for our 2, 3 and 4-year olds. We operate from 8.00am - 4.00pm Monday to Friday except bank holidays, term time only. We have close links with the local community and offer exciting and  extensive activities based on your child's interest, a homely atmosphere and trips out within the locality.

Our Team look forward to meeting you. 

Who to contact

Contact Name
Leanne & Gemma
Contact Position
Manager and Deputy Manager
Telephone
01303 850205
Website
www.littleoaks.org.uk

Where to go

Address
Grounds of Stella Maris Catholic Primary School
Parkfield Road
Folkestone
Kent
Postcode
CT19 5BY

When is it on?

When is childcare available
Term Time Only
Carescheme Age Range:
2 year(s), month(s) to 5 year(s), month(s)
Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 8.00am 4.00pm
Tuesday 8.00am 4.00pm
Wednesday 8.00am 4.00pm
Thursday 8.00am 4.00pm
Friday 8.00am 4.00pm
Other Availability
Offering various sessions within our day to cater for those who require both longer and shorter sessions.

Other Details

ECD Type
Day Nursery
Offers pickups
No
Cost details
Contact Little Oaks Pre-School for details
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes
2 Year Old Funding?
Yes
Vacancies Details
Please contact us
Immediate vacancies?
Yes
Contact Provider for Vacancy Details?
Yes
Vacancy Information Last updated Date
23/09/2022
Facilities
Sandpit, Scooter, Music, Reading, Woodwork, Literacy and Numeracy, Messy Play Area, Outdoor Adventure Play Area, Books, Toys/dolls, Dressing Up, Sign Language / Makaton, Nursery, Outdoor Activities, Bike, Songs, Parks/playgrounds, Slide, Stories, Water Play, Games / Puzzles, Visits and Outings, Garden, Walks
Notes

Little Oaks offers sessional care between 8.00am - 4.00pm and provides a limited amount of totally free funded sessions.

Funded sessions can also be accessed with a wraparound charge

Unfunded sessions also available

Wheelchair Access
Yes

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
EY364356
Link to latest ofsted inspection report 

30 Hours Extended Entitlement

Registered to provide up to 30 hours entitlement
Yes
30 Hours Partner Details (These are details of any other childcare provider(s) that this provider will work with to offer the 30 hours entitlement)

30 hour sessions delivered across 5 days per week, term time only. Please contact us for more information.

Service status

Status
Open

Local Offer

Description

Please see details below

Special Needs Support

How does the setting identify children with additional needs or SEND? 

Upon admission to the setting each child is allocated a keyperson straight away. This person is the point of contact for parents/carers and is responsible for working with families, carrying out the needs of each key child and promoting their individual development. During induction to the setting parents/carers are asked to complete, with the key person, a “Getting to know me” form to enable the keyperson to build a picture of the child as an individual, parents/carers are asked to discuss what strengths their child has and what area they feel needs some support. From this the key person will inform the setting Special Education needs co-ordinator, or SENCO, of any additional support needs to be in place when the child starts. 

The keyperson will carry out baseline assessments during the first term of the child attending the setting. These then form an overall view of where the child is believed to be developing at the time of admission. These observations are then used to explore the child’s interests.

We carry out statutory assessments for our 2-year olds in the form of a 2-year check. This check is used to highlight any possible areas of need and are incorporated into the child’s health visitor check at 2years old also.

As a team we regularly discuss children’s development during our termly staff meetings. Any children who practitioners feel may benefit from support are discussed in a confidential team meeting to ensure the best outcomes are arranged for the child at an appropriate time, this is when the SENCO is often made aware of a need developing and earliest interventions are planned ready to discuss with parents before commencement.

The SENCO will support practitioners to set developmentally appropriate targets for children, as well as attend meetings and training opportunities with outside professionals, such as the local equality and inclusion advisor, the Local inclusion forum team or members of the specialist teaching and learning service. All of which help to provide the right support based on the individual child’s needs.

 

How will I be informed / consulted about the ways in which my child is being supported? 

At Little Oaks we are firm believers in the key person approach, each child is allocated a Key person upon enrolment. The keyperson and parents/carers relationship are one of trust, honesty and open communication building upon a mutual partnership.

The keyperson will provide daily feedback through our care boards or verbal handovers at collection times. The keyperson will also perform weekly observations on the children and will review progress made by completing a termly developmental report known as a summative assessment. We also offer parents evenings on a termly basis to provide parents/carers with the opportunity to speak about development progress with the keyperson on a face to face platform, which we find benefits most parents/carers.

We will also provide parents with a communication book, if preferred, to ensure parents are aware of their child’s targets and how your child’s keyperson and the SENCO are working to achieve these.

How will the setting adapt the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum for my child's needs? 

 

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the education framework which is used by your child’s key person to plan provide and review development based on activities provided. The EYFS frame work is split into 7 areas. 3 Prime and 4 Specific areas.

The 3 prime areas are the foundation blocks to learning and children benefit from being secure in these in areas before enhancing development into the specific areas.

Often if a child needs additional support to become secure in one or all these areas, we will plan only in the three prime areas to give them the opportunity to focus their learning on developing these skills first. Activities often overlap in incorporating aspects of the EYFS and the child’s learning is catered to their individual needs when each child is planned for.

To cater for Communication and language needs we will consider supporting the child with visual aids and Makaton signing as well as key words from the home language if the family uses English as an additional language. Strategies used within the Pre-School include, speaking face to face, practitioners getting down to a child’s level and giving an appropriate length of time for a child to respond following a command or question. We may also consider limiting our language level to the child’s name and the activity, such as “Joe, coat” or “Joe, coat on” depending on the child’s individual word level of understanding. Our key persons will work closely with speech and language therapy advice and will also support learning using now and next boards, a visual time line and visual key cards.

In supporting Personal, Social and emotional development, the SENCO may attend Workshop Sessions supported by other SEN professionals and agencies, to strengthen knowledge of support the setting may be able to offer. We will ensure we provide opportunities which encourage children to express their feelings and emotions in a safe way, this will occur during circle time emotional coaching sessions and the use of persona dolls, will also be available for the key person to encourage the concept of empathy. Well-being monitoring is part of our daily routines.

The setting operates a positive behaviour policy, reinforcing positive behaviour and appropriately managing challenging behaviour through carefully considered activities. We also provide support for the children, particularly with SEN, when we consider transitions to the next room. It often occurs where a keyperson may transition with the child to provide a stable, familiar presence in the new room, to enable their development to continue with as little disruption as possible due to a transition. However, if this is not possible due to extenuating circumstances, we will endeavour to support the child to get to know a new key person through a longer transition period and more settle session in the new room both with their present and new keyperson.

To promote physical development, we offer an accessible environment with a considered layout to support family’s needs, such as space between available resources, and wheelchair friendly access. We consider the environmental factors having a sensory impact upon children. We also ensure children have regular access to the garden, children are able to access the garden as often as they like as we are able to free-flow to the garden during our sessions.

If your child has a specific dietary requirement, we can support this.

 

 

What teaching strategies does the setting use for children with additional needs or learning difficulties? 

Specific strategies will be discussed between parents/carers with keyperson and SENCO in order to achieve the best outcomes for your child. Universal strategies we have considered include pale walls with neutral colours within our environment, so a child is less likely to experience sensory overload from colour.

We have ramp access to the front and back of the setting for entering and evacuation purposes and are based all on one level throughout, with no steps in the setting at all. The building is divided into 2 rooms which are all open plan and accessible, with moveable furniture, including adjustable height tables and resources.. All resources are labelled and easily accessible to all the children.

Little Oaks aims to provide appropriate resources to support a child’s needs, including support chairs, adjustable tables etc. The Setting SENCO will aim to ensure appropriate specialist equipment is obtained to support a child if necessary. Additional funding may be available through the disability access fund (DAF) if your child is in receipt of disability living allowance, this may enable to setting to procure additional resources or training to enhance your child’s learning. 

The setting also refers to the Best Practise Guidance to support teaching on a universal, targeted or personalised level based on the areas of need from; Communication and interaction, cognition and Learning, Social, Emotional and Mental Health, and physical or sensory difficulties.

What additional support does the setting provide for children with additional needs or SEND? 

The setting offers a graduated approach to supporting children with SEN as highlighted in our SEND policy and procedure (available on request). The approach involves a observe-plan-provide-review format of target setting. Key persons will observe children, sometimes alongside the senco if an area of need is yet to be identified.

Initially together the SENCO the Key person will set targets using a targeted plan. If limited progress is achieved during the course of the plan, usually 6-12 weeks, then outside agencies such as speech and language therapists or the specialist teaching and learning service may be contacted to provide personalised targets, under a personalised plan, once consent has been sought from parents/carers for other agencies to be involved with the child. Personalised plans, much like targeted plans are viewed termly and a new plan is set if the child requires continual support. Interventions are reviewed to access the impact on the child’s development and progress made.

Practitioners are regularly encouraged to undertake training opportunities when they arise, recently the setting took part in Makaton training.

In the past we have had children with very rare conditions and to best understand the needs of the child the SENCO and manager, alongside the keyperson sought to gain as much information about the condition as possible, including research and back ground information from medical professionals involved with the care of the child.

How will the setting monitor my child's progress and how will I be involved in this? 

The Pre-School believes a strongly embedded keyperson approach supports children and families in producing the best outcomes for the child. The key person and parent/carer will carry out baseline assessments upon enrolment, this gives the parents/carers the opportunity to share where they feel their child’s development lies. The keyperson will then carry out further assessments over the following weeks as the child begins to settle in to the setting before short targeted observations commence.

The Keyperson is responsible for catering individualised planning to each child through activities based on the child’s own capabilities and interests, providing the activity to the child during their session and reviewing the impact of this. The observation is uploaded to the EYLOG where parents can then view the observation and can comment on the observation, providing feedback to the keyperson, giving a two-way line of communication.

The keyperson may offer activities in areas which haven’t yet been observed to ensure a full view of the child’s development is encompassed and if an area becomes apparent where limited progress is being made the keyperson may discuss with the setting SENCO and parents about implementing a targeted plan to support the child’s development in an area, for example, speech and language. Up to three targets will be set and implemented for a period of six weeks before a review of the impact takes place.

The keyperson will also send out summative assessments via eylog. This is a written report of the progress your child has made over the previous term. Summative assessments for children under two years of age  focus on the Prime areas of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), these are physical development, personal, social and emotional development and communication. Children over the age of two have a full report focussing on all seven areas of the EYFS with levels of wellbeing and involvement being monitored also.

We offer parents evenings to ensure our parents/carers can speak with their keyperson on a one to one basis outside of normal hours, this allows everyone to be involved in their child’s progress reviews. This is also where summative reports are first shared and explained before being sent via EYLOG to the parent for feedback.

The setting provides families with a two-year old check which is a statutory assessment of your child at the age of just over two years. The check is carried out by the keyperson and recorded, before parents are encouraged to share the document with the health visiting team at the two-year check appointment. This provides a three-way picture of the child’s development, gathering accurate feedback from the parents/carers, the setting and the health visiting team. This can be where intervention may be recommended if needed.

As a setting we feel our partnership working with parents/carers has strengthened since the introduction of our EYLOG system as it has enabled us to communicate with parents and carers more effectively.

How do you ensure children with additional needs or SEND can be included in the same activities as other children, including trips? 

The setting is proud of it's inclusive ethos, meaning we consider all children as individuals, regardless of ethnicity, cultural differences and abilities. We offer activities for each child based on their current interest and carefully consider the size of groups when allocating a keyperson. Our room layouts are generally suited to all children, with free access to the materials and resources on offer within a large space to move around. The practitioners are able to plan their activities allowing them to consider which achievable and diverse opportunities to offer, from messy play to role play. The practitioners use visual supports within their daily routines, through now and next boards and visual time lines to communicate and assist children to anticipate and manage changes appropriately.

Careful consideration is made to outings when involving children with SEN. All children are invited to take part with appropriate planning and support. We carry out thorough risk assessments, ensuring appropriate ratios, of adults to children and we will often rely on the support of our parents to ensure their child feels comfortable and relaxed in new environments, such as the park or zoo, dependent upon the child’s individual needs.

If appropriate, we have the availability of our nursery mini bus if needed. We have also used coaches in the past for larger events. Children are also encouraged to walk to areas in the local community such as the shop or park.

Supervising practitioners always ensure children wear hi-visibility vests and practitioners carry a mini first aid kit, phone and any additional items required, such as children’s medications if needed.

How accessible is the building for children with mobility difficulties / wheelchair users? 

The setting is laid out over one floor, with ramp access to the entrance and exit of the building, both of which also act as our emergency exits. The door frames are an ideal width for wheel chair access as they are used daily to enter and exit the building by all.

We have changing facilities in our Explorers room and a disabled toilet which will support in providing considered privacy and dignity for users.

We also have available adjustable height tables and easy open access to the outdoor space. We have hard flooring throughout which is suitable for wheelchair uses and those who rely on frames.

Our rooms are laid out with children in mind with regards to accessibility and labelling of resources. Children who require the support of a chair to take part in activities would be joined by peers at the same height as all children could sit on chairs rather than the floor where appropriate

We will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments where possible.

 

How will you support my child's transition to a new setting or school? 

Transitions are greatly supported at the setting in many ways. If a child is moving to a new setting, the parents/carers will be asked for contact details of the new setting to allow present keypersons to handover information, such as the two-year check, or summative reports, to the new setting.

When transitioning to school we support children by speaking about going to school positively. Children are encouraged to take part in school themed role play with uniforms and resources from the local schools and stories and displays reflect the excitement of moving onto ‘big school’ 

The children also share “about my school” leaflets with their peers and key person if they are sent to the setting.

We also encourage children to become prepared for their transition to school through independence boosting activities such as self-care toileting routines, putting on their own coats and shoes for garden time as well as introducing early writing skills such as phonics and write dance into the daily routine at the setting.

We introduce PE sessions to our pre-schoolers, during term 6, focusing on the actual dressing and undressing tasks over the physical play. This helps prepare the children as they were encouraged to find their PE kits, and change into shorts, t-shirts and plimsolls with encouragement from practitioners, before taking part in a fun physical activity. These sessions are very successful.

 

How does the setting assess the overall effectiveness of its SEN provision and how can parents / carers take part in this evaluation? 

The effectiveness of our SEN provision is a priority aspect within the setting. We hold regular staff meetings and SEN is discussed at every meeting. This gives the whole team chance to discuss opportunities to observe, acknowledge changes, discuss new children, and decide upon appropriate actions to take with the SENCO for individual key children. It also gives our SENCO the opportunity to cascade any training she feels will benefit the children and the practitioners.

Plans are reviewed at termly intervals and parents are always made aware of new targets, as they are set. Parents/carers are also made aware of progress made and any additional intervention which may be sought, as well as provide their comments or any concerns they may have.

We have SENIF involvement with our children if necessary with contact and support of a SENIF advisor to ensure we were meeting the needs of the child with the funding which may be available for some individuals children who require support whilst at Pre-School.

We audit our provision against the best practise guidance and the SEN code of practice on a regular basis, when the SEN policy is reviewed.

 

Who should I contact if I am considering registering for a place at the setting? 

If you are considering registering for a place at Little Oaks Pre-School we recommend you contact Leanne, Pre-School Manager and Gemma, Deputy Manager, who will be happy to show you and your child around the setting. This will involve a visit of the setting and collection of admission paperwork. Visits can be arranged for any day to suit you at a time which is convenient for you, however we try to avoid booking sessions during the lunch hour as this is often our busiest period and we want to be able to devote our attention to our children during this time.

Upon receipt of your child’s enrolment forms we will discuss the need for childcare and any additional requirements your child may have before starting. This may include a home visit and will include one or more play sessions with the child at the setting. If your child has considerable needs or rare conditions this may involve an addition settling visits with the family and the SENCO to discuss the start dates to ensure appropriate adaptations and support are in place. Parents will be kept informed of the measures being put in place and the timescale at which these can take.

 

What arrangements does the setting have for feedback from parents / carers, including compliments and complaints? 

Little Oaks value any form of constructive feedback, from verbal comments informally to completed anonymous questionnaires. Parents are invited to share compliments or concerns with the setting. We have a very approachable management team who are happy to alleviate any concerns and value compliments and positive feedback regarding the staff and the settings practice.

If parents/families have a comment, they are welcome to leave a note in our comments box based in the foyer, or positive feedback on our nursery Facebook page.

If concerns and complaints arise, we encourage parents to discuss these with the manager in line with our compliments and complaints policy. We also have Ofsted’s contact details displayed.

We regularly receive messages and tokens of thanks from families who value the partnership we share. Parents/carers opinions form the basis of a positive working partnership and we appreciate the participation in this evolving collaboration.

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