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Rose Hill School - Nursery Unit

Who to contact

Telephone
01892 525591
E-mail
office@rosehillschool.co.uk

Where to go

Address
Rose Hill School
TUNBRIDGE WELLS
Kent
Postcode
TN4 9SY

Other Details

ECD Type
Nursery Unit of Independent School
Cost details
Contact provider for details
3-4 Year Old Funding?
Yes

Local Offer

Special Needs Support

On admission, we ask you to complete an ‘All About Me’ form which gives us a chance to get to know your child and their particular strengths or areas where they may need extra support. We ask about your child’s interests at home so that this can inform our planning. When your child first starts school, we assess their starting points in line with a document called Development Matters.

 

The completion of the Progress Check at 2 is a statutory assessment and a copy of this information is requested prior to admission. This may be a time when any delay in development is identified and this can be monitored and appropriate next steps identified.  If necessary, your child’s key person may target a specific area of development, such as social skills, to plan in additional opportunities for your child to gain further experience in this area.  Ongoing areas of specific concern would be shared with you through a meeting and followed up with a written plan of action should this be deemed appropriate.

 

Our Learning Skills Team at Rose Hill include Mrs Carol Whatman (EYFS), Mrs Charlie Barnes (Years 1 and 2) and Mrs Jane Morgan (Years 3 – 8 and lead SENCO). They ensure that families have the best support and resources to help with the development of your child and this includes managing behaviour.

The key persons’ approach is a cornerstone of the Early Years Foundation Stage and of our practice.

 

Your child’s key person will be your child’s teacher. They will be involved right from the start so that strong and positive relationships are built with your child and with you.  There are lots of ways that you can feel involved in how your child is being supported:

 

  • Daily informal contact
  • Opportunities for meetings at your request throughout the year
  • Detailed learning journeys which set out photos and observations of how your child is developing throughout the year
  • An invitation to a parent meeting three times a year when we let you know about your child’s progress and any additional support they might need
  • Collaboration with you on any extra planning we put in place e.g. a targeted plan or support activities
  • 2 written reports a year are provided: one settling in report in October and a full, written report in July.
  • Observations recorded on the Tapestry Online Learning journal are made available during the end of term holidays and during the February half term.

The EYFS is an educational framework which allows key persons to plan for your ‘unique child’.  We observe, assess and plan for your child in three prime areas and four specific areas, these are:

 

Communication and Language

  • Providing a ‘language rich’ environment tailored to the needs of current children
  • Using targeted small group activities
  • Using a language intervention such as the Speech Link programme
  • Approached via BEAM
  • Providing ideas and resources for parents to use at home
  • Working in line with speech and language therapy advice

 

Personal, social and emotional development

  • Targeted small group or individual activities to promote well-being and resilience
  • Providing adult active listeners, talking time and individual Draw and Talk sessions to support children with identified needs
  • Linking with local specialist provision advisers and health and voluntary sector providers for advice and support

 

Physical Development

  • Offering an accessible environment and layout to meet families’ current needs
  • Demonstrating awareness of environmental factors that have sensory impact on children such as noise, colour, lighting etcetera
  • Frequent and regular access to outdoor spaces
  • Providing for a range of dietary requirements
  • Providing access to weekly sensory circuits sessions as appropriate
  • Using BEAM physical assessment programme to help to identify specific areas of support.
  • The Learning Skills team give advice on specific activities which could be introduced to support different needs within the classroom or the timetable
  • Building links with specialist therapists, like occupational therapists

Environment

Our teaching starts with planning for the environment to improve the conditions that will enable children to listen and attend and give full involvement to their learning. The rooms benefit from natural light and the walls are painted in neutral colours to promote a sense of calm Each Early Years classroom has access to outside space. The rooms are laid out to provide specific areas for particular needs including copy carpet areas which encourage quiet time or conversation, larger carpet areas, areas for messy, exploratory play. We also have some moveable furniture to facilitate small group activities and quiet areas. Storage containers are clearly labelled with text and/or pictures.

 

Resources

Effective teaching and learning require a wide range of resources appropriate to support children’s development at all levels; our Learning Skills team will work with key persons to make sure specialist equipment is obtained if necessary. Where a child’s recommendations include a referral to outside agencies for specialised interventions, this may need to be funded by parents as this is an additional resource. However, for some of our pupils this is funded as part of their EHCP.

 

 

Teaching strategies

All our staff are trained in early years practice and some of our more experienced staff have received training in supporting children with particular needs. Further training on specific needs is undertaken if required or guided interventions are supported by members of the Learning Skills team.

We use the Best Practice Guidance document to support our teaching. This document, written by the Specialist Teaching and Learning Service, sets out a range of teaching strategies which can be used to support children such as the use of visual resources and Makaton signing.

The book is divided into universal, targeted and personalised levels to enable us to support children in the four broad areas of need. The areas of need are identified in the SEND code of practice 0 to 25 years as:

  • Communication and interaction
  • Cognition and learning
  • Social emotional and mental health
  • Physical / sensory difficulties

 

 

Our SEND Policy clearly sets out the graduated approach used to support and to monitor a child’s progress once an intervention is in place.

 

If your child is making insufficient progress through a targeted plan, the SENCO or key person may discuss with you the need for a more personalised intervention. This will be supported by the Learning Skills teacher and monitored carefully. After a period of intervention parents will be invited in to discuss next steps in terms of support and if necessary referral to other external services, such as a Speech and Language Therapist, an Occupational Therapist or a Paediatrician as further assessment may be recommended.

 

The SENCO and teaching staff involved would support your application and an open dialogue would be maintained throughout the process. The recommendations provided by the external specialist would then be reflected in the child’s personalised targets outlined and agreed in the form of an ILP (Individual Learning Plan). This would be reviewed termly by the SENCO, teacher and parents before new targets are set.

An effective key person approach is essential for all children. The key person is responsible for guiding, monitoring and supporting the physical and emotional development of children in our care and this is especially important where children have special or additional educational needs.

 

Your child’s key person will invite you to see your child’s learning journey and hear about his/her progress; this also provides an opportunity to talk about any concerns. Individual appointments can also be made if you cannot make the dates and you can always request a meeting at any reasonable time.

 

We make an overall assessment of your child’s progress three times a year. There is also a set of statutory assessments which conclude at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile.  Most children will have started school before the EYFS profile is required but the Progress Check at Two is very important.  The school request a copy of each child’s Progress Check at Two upon entry to the school and each setting is contacted by a teacher or the Head of Early Years to provide an opportunity for the children’s abilities and progress to be passed on personally. If your child is delayed in any area of development, we will discuss this with you.

 

We pride ourselves in our partnership with parents and this regular communication ensures that each child is fully supported.

A commitment to inclusive practice that enables all children access to the full curriculum and reaching their full potential is at the heart of our work. At staff meetings and planning meetings, your child’s key person will ensure that any planned activities are suitable or adapted to meet your child’s needs – this is called differentiation.  For example, where children need more support to be able to listen to a story, we place children in very small groups and use lots of repetition and pictures to promote understanding and retain attention.

 

We regularly take trips to the woods and take the children on outings annually. Whenever we have new children, we revise our health and safety risk assessment in order to minimalise the risk to children and to take account of any known Specific Learning Difficulties and Disabilities. One member of staff always takes a first-aid box, children’s emergency details and any special equipment or resources we might need. We make a ‘research’ trip whenever we plan to go somewhere new and we ensure that we have a good ratio of experienced adults accompanying us on trips and outings.

The Pre-Prep building was purpose-built on one floor and the Pre-Prep and the Prep School have wheelchair access. The Prep School has lift access to one of the first-floor areas. The outdoor areas are accessible and the surfaces are suitable for children using wheelchairs and frames.

 

Whenever possible, we will make any reasonable adjustments to meet the needs of children, parents and staff. We have some closer spaces for car parking and a disabled parking space. There is an accessible toilet near reception and this includes changing facilities. Please let us know if you have any difficulties with accessibility.

Prior to the children starting at Rose Hill the staff liaise with the previous settings to enable effective communication and transition between settings.

 

 

  • A series of play visits to Rose Hill are arranged to give the children opportunities to familiarise themselves with the staff and the school prior to starting the following term.
  • Relevant paperwork, such as the Progress Check at Two, passed on with consent
  • My Unique Progress, transition reports or any other reports which incorporates information about the Development Matters or characteristics of effective learning are requested.
  • Parents complete an ‘All about me’ form to highlight any skills, difficulties or interests the children have.
  • Information or photographs about the classrooms or teachers are provided to the previous setting if requested
  • Regular opportunities for parent teacher and SENCO meetings
  • Annual parent questionnaire / surveys
  • SENCO team meetings and whole school INSET
  • Weekly staff meetings where specific children are raised
  • Regular review of policies and procedures
  • Following the APDR approach to support.

Anyone interested in registering for a place at Rose Hill should contact our Admin Secretary Ann Green. Full details of the application process are available on the school website.

 

  • Where possible children visit the school prior to starting and there is a process of school visits offered depending on the age of the child.
  • Additional settling-in visits with parents and SENCO / key person can be arranged as needed
  • Arrangements for assessment can be discussed with the Head of Learning Skills (SENCO)

Our SEND policy provides the context for supporting children through recommended graduated approach. Copies of all policies can be seen on our website.  If you would like a translated version of any policy let us know and we will endeavour to provide this.

 

Any complaints are taken seriously and the relevant staff or the Head are happy to discuss any issues you may have. Our procedure is displayed on our website.

 

  • Through questionnaires and surveys we welcome constructive feedback.
  • A parent Advisory Group meets with the Head every term to discuss relevant issues.

 

 

We celebrate effort and achievement and we are always pleased when parents take the time to thank staff for their hard work and recognise the school’s achievements. We received this piece of feedback recently.

 

“A big thank you to Rose Hill School, it has been such a wonderful place for our family. My children are so different and yet you have allowed them both to flourish. They have left Rose Hill happy and confident individuals.”

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