Springboard Pre-School

We start to get to know your child before he/she starts with us, firstly through the Additional Information form that we ask you to complete once you have accepted the place, and then at the taster session that we hold for all new children and their parents/carers, where you and your child will meet his/her key person and you will have the opportunity to discuss his/her needs. This form may indicate some areas of strength or areas where you feel that your child may need some extra support. When your child starts, we then use this information alongside a document called Development Matters to assess his/her Starting Points and will discuss these with you on an ongoing basis. Additionally, if your child has had their Two Year Progress Check, has attended another setting or has already been referred for any assessment by any other professionals, we will use this information to establish our starting points too. If it is clear at this stage that we need to provide extra support in any way then we will involve our Special Educational Needs and Disability Co-ordinator (SENDCo) who will advise the best way forward in order for us all to support your child. It may be that once we get to know your child, and from our observations, tracking and assessment that we then identify an area where he/she may need extra support. We would advise you of any concerns and fully involve you at all stages.

Our SENDCo is Anwen Dewell and she ensures that all families have the best support and resources to help with their child’s development, including managing behaviour.                                               

We want you to feel and be completely involved in your child’s learning and development with us. Your child’s key person will be your first point of contact as she will keep records of observations, assessments and tracking. She will compile a Learning Journey including photographs and pieces of work, which will detail your child’s development and learning during his/her time with us. You will be able to chat with her informally at any time. Additionally you will receive two documents called “All About Me” per academic year,   written by your child’s key person. These will describe his/her development over the areas of learning and his/her next steps. You will also receive a developmental grid showing what stage your child has reached across these areas of learning. There will be opportunities for you to add comments and ask questions and to discuss this with his/her key person. If appropriate, and in collaboration with you, we may put in place a targeted plan to support your child in certain areas of learning and you will also be invited to meet with his/her key person and our SENDCo to review this plan. If appropriate you may also be invited to attend meetings with us and also any other professionals that may become involved, e.g. speech and language specialists.  

Every child is unique and we plan individually for every child in our care, taking into account their age and stage of development. Our ongoing provision ensures we provide a balance of activities every day where children can develop and display the Characteristics of Effective Learning. Each child’s key person plans for their key children, taking into account their interests. We also use “In the Moment Planning” when your child’s key person, with the use of well-planned interactions, can extend his/her learning as he/she plays. In order to meet all the needs of all of our children, both physically and emotionally, we ensure that all children have access to outside play each day and we take into account any dietary needs he/she may have. Additionally we work closely with other professionals, attend relevant training, plan our environment and routine in order to take into account any sensory needs e.g. smaller groups in the room at one time to reduce noise.  

Our setting is based in one main room in a cricket pavilion but we do have use of one of the changing rooms which we transform into another useable area and use as additional space for quieter, noisier or more focused activities. Our SEND policy sets out the graduated approach we use to support children. Our resources are clearly labelled using words and pictures and we are able to reconfigure the main room to offer a range of experiences. We use Makaton sign language and Picture Exchange Communication (PECS) cards to support communication. Our SENDCo ensures that any relevant training is undertaken either by herself or your child’s key person. We use personalised plans containing SMART targets (Specific, Measurable, Accessible, Realistic/Relevant, Time-bound) to record progress and Best Practice Guidance to support our teaching.

As mentioned previously our SEND policy sets out our graduated approach for children who do not make the progress expected for their age.  If we identify that a child is not progressing as expected we start by applying a universal approach where we make adaptations to our environment or routine which will benefit all our children but specifically also your child – we offer a differentiated curriculum to meet all needs. If necessary a targeted approach can be used where we can work 1-1 or in small groups with your child. If these strategies do not produce the expected results and the gaps do not narrow then our SENDCo will suggest, with your permission, that we refer your child to Specialist Teaching Service through the Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT). We would keep you updated at all stages of this process.  

Our robust key person approach ensures that you are kept fully involved and up to date with your child’s learning and progress throughout their time with us. Your child’s key person is responsible for guiding, monitoring and supporting both your child and you during your time with us. We work closely with you, and build strong relationships with other carers and other professionals involved in your child’s care and development to ensure that we are all working together to provide the best outcomes for your child. Please see section two for additional information. 

We are extremely committed to providing an inclusive environment where all of our children can participate in all of the activities and learning experiences provided. This is reviewed on a daily basis by your child’s key person, the SENDCo and/or management to ensure that the environment is suitable for everyone. With regard to trips we plan and risk assess each trip in advance to ensure that it is safe and appropriate for everyone. On trips our adult child ratio is 1:2, however if necessary, we increase this to 1:1. We would also ask you if you would like to be involved in the trip. 

We are based on one floor in a cricket pavilion. Where possible we make any necessary adjustments/adaptations to meet the needs of the children and parents/carers using our service, although, if necessary, we may have to seek the permission of our landlords to do so. Please let us know if you or your child have any accessibility issues.

We believe that planning transition is a very important part of your child’s time with us. If your child is moving to another Early Year’s setting we will, with your permission, provide them with all relevant paperwork including their last AAM document, developmental grid and any personalised plans or reports. If they are leaving us to move on to school then we will provide similar paperwork, visit the school with them (this is more applicable to Riverhead) and arrange a visit by a member of the Early Years Foundation Stage team at the receiving school. Where necessary our SENDCo and key person will meet with the receiving school SENDCo and you may be invited by the school to attend a meeting too. Additionally we provide each child with a transition book showing them photographs of their new school and grounds and we discuss this individually with them. We practise changing into school uniforms and P.E. kits to build self help skills and confidence and we provide ‘school dinners’ so that the children can experience the process. 

We have regular staff meetings where we reflect on and evaluate our provision, and additionally we regularly review our policies and procedures. Our SENDCo attends Local Inclusion Forum Meetings (LIFT) and SENDCo Forum Meetings where she is able to access the most up to date information with regard to SEND. We send out an annual survey to the parents – please see below.

Please contact the setting directly during term time on 01732 452039 (please ask for Emma, Julie or Anwen) or when the setting is closed please ring Neale . Additionally     e-mail enquiries are always welcome using our dedicated e-mail address:

We have an open door policy and encourage parents to be part of the life of the setting and fully involved in their child’s learning and development. We encourage them to talk over any concerns they may have with us as soon as they arise. We also have two parent reps who can act as intermediaries if necessary. Additionally we also provide our parents/carers with an annual survey where they can score and comment on the service we provide. We then share the results with all of them, advising them of the perceived strengths of the setting and, where a suggestion has been made, we advise any changes that we are planning to make or why this may not be possible. All parents are made aware of our Policies and Procedures when their child joins our setting and this includes our Complaints Procedure. We also display prominently the relevant Ofsted poster.