At Greenfields we strive for 'excellence by everybody in everything' and we believe our 5 core values underpin all we do. Our core Values are Wellbeing, aspiration, Teamwork, Resilience and Uniqueness. We believe all members of our whole school community should commit to ensuring we have children that are able to learn through developing knowledge and skills underpinned by our 5 core values.
We are a community school based in Shepway, Maidstone, taking children aged 2- 11.
| Day | Opening Time | Closing Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:30 | 5.00 |
| Tuesday | 7.30 | 5.00 |
| Wednesday | 7.30 | 5.00 |
| Thursday | 7:30 | 5.00 |
| Friday | 7.30 | 5.00 |
| Amount | Cost Type |
|---|---|
| £5 | After School |
| £5 | Per lunch |
| £15 | Per session am |
| £15 | Per session pm |
We take children from 2- 4 years of age in our Nursery, providing flexible child care for funded or paid provision. We are able to cater for additional needs and have an onsite SENCO and Speech and Language therapist. We include breakfast and after school club provision for Nursery children. Children can be in Nursery from 7.30am until 5.00pm. Additional child care is booked separately to a parents main Nursery provision, allowing parents to only pay for what they need to use. We do not limit ourselves to certain locations. If we are full then distance is a criteria on our waiting list, but it does not stop children attending if we have availability.
We offer 30 hour Free Early childhood education. Parents can use this Monday to Friday, term time only. Children attend from 8.30-3.15. Parents pay £5 daily for a cooked lunch and 45 minutes child care between the two funded sessions.
We are fully involved in LIFT and we work with the local authority to provide spaces for all children. https://www.kelsi.org.uk/special-education-needs/special-educational-needs
Children with additional needs or SEND are identified in a range of ways. If in our 2-3 year old unit, Kent's integrated review at two is completed once a child has settled into Nursery, with a parent meeting happening to discuss the assessment, if the child has had a two year old health check and whether there are any concerns arisen from that assessment. If concerns are raised then this is shared with the parents and discussed with the school SENCO, developing a plan moving forward.
If a practitioner/member of staff has concerns, then they are brought to Miss Mack (head of Early years) if in Nursery or year R and Miss Marshall (Head of Year 1-6) if they are in year 1-6. Miss Mack/Miss Marshall will complete a triage system. The triage system allows for additional support, advise and suggestions to be given to the practitioners in the room to support the child in question. It will then be reviewed, if they aren’t working then a child will be referred to the school SENCO, again putting a plan in place.
If a parent has concerns, then we have an open-door policy, whereby parents are encouraged to share their concerns. We will meet with them and discuss their concerns. We will help support difficulties at home and discuss if we see similar behaviour at school. We will then direct them to the best next route for them and their child and support all the way through the process.
We cater for all needs, providing relevant support to all of our families. We have an onsite SENCO, who works closely with families to support them. We have an onsite play therapist and Speech and language therapist whom works closely with our children.
Parents are always informed of any concerns we may have before any additional support is given.
Parents have to give consent for their child to work with a specific adult whom are not part of their immediate classroom staff. This includes the speech and language therapist, as well as the play therapist. Parents are involved and included throughout the whole process. It is a team approach whereby we support each other, for the best of the child.
The best member of staff for the role will be picked to support the child and their role will be dependent on the support needed. This will all be explained to parents, before support begins.
Support plans and assessments are taken throughout to ensure we can assess how effective the provision is for children.
Children all learn at their own pace. Learning will be tailored to support any child with additional needs or SEND. If a child is unable to access a specific activity, area of learning or area in the classroom, then this will be adapted to ensure they can.
Specific support is done within the classroom, as long as it is appropriate to do so. This ensures children are not spending long periods of time outside of the classroom.
In most cases, we do not have a 1:1 member of staff for children with additional needs or SEND. We ensure there are enough members of staff to support all children. Children with additional needs and SEND are then supported by a range of adults, ensuring they are still a member of the class and not isolated to just one adult.
All children, regardless of their needs are supported with high quality teaching, well trained staff members and activities/areas of learning which encourage a love for learning for all children.
High quality teaching and learning daily is supported by the following:
Visual learning supports
Pre teaching vocabulary
Social communication interventions
Access to referrals for Play therapy
Speech and language therapist on site.
School dog- wellbeing and emotional support
Beam sessions
Family worker approach in Early Years settings.
Open door policy for all parents.
Parent workshops
Parent meetings with Family liaison officer
Communication platforms to have regular contact with parents.
Termly reviews for children on support plans.
Universal - At Greenfields our talented and hardworking teachers put into practice a wide range of strategies and resources that are available to all children. These include the way language is used, how visual resources are presented, how examples of work or ideas are provided and how the learning process is structured through the Learning Journey and Learning Experience. All of these actions mean that the vast majority of Special Educational needs are met through Quality First teaching in the classroom, allowing most children with SEN to be successful in their learning. Please discuss with your children what resources they find useful in their classrooms to find out more.
Targeted Provision - There may additional support provided to a child, individually or within a small group intervention, that identifies and targets specific areas of development. This is often related to Speech or Language difficulties that can be overcome with regular, high quality interaction with one of our teaching team. However, they may also include a Sensory Circuits programme, a block of Therapy or the use of a particular shared social activity, depending on the targeted outcomes for the child.
These interventions are designed to be intensive and effective over a short period of 6-8 weeks and are reviewed regularly by the Inclusion team and Teachers to ensure they are having the required impact. After review, these interventions may no longer be necessary or will be adapted in some way. Please discuss with your children what resources they find useful in their classrooms to find out more. Learning conferences are also a great opportunity to find out more about this with your child and their teacher.
Personalised Provision - If a child's needs have been identified by school and other professionals as having a significant impact on their learning and wellbeing, then a Personalised Plan for their provision is created. These plans consist of outcomes, within the 4 Mainstream Core Standards, which are regularly reviewed with the children, families and teachers and specific interventions that are dedicated to helping the child meet their outcomes.
Initially these plans may be written and reviewed by Teachers and the school SENCo. However, if a child is being supported by other professionals or agencies, they will also be asked to input into the production and review of outcomes. If, after significant support within school and a Statutory assessment process, a child is provided with an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), then a new Personalised Plan is created to meet their aims and needs.
Peronalised plans provide details about strategies and resources that will best support the child, as well as any specific interventions that will be needed. They also contain the short term targets for the interventions and evaluations of these. Plans are shared and reviewed with Parents at least 3 times during the academic year.
Termly reviews for children on support plans
Termly provision map and provision plan reviews
Six monthly speech and language therapy assessments
Use of language link for base line assessments- regular assessment after that.
A speech and language therapist and play therapist are brought in services to school- all children can access these if needed.
A emotional wellbeing practitioner from the NHS- working with families.
All children with additional needs and/or SEND are included in the same activities as other children. We always ensure that children can access the classroom and activities. If needed differentiation and adaption of activities can be made to ensure children can access everything. Children are always included in trips and external activities from school. We have our own school mini buses, which allows flexibility with travel. We work with staff and parents to ensure children are fully included in all activities.
The building is fully accessible for children with mobility difficulties/wheelchair users. The majority of the building is flat. There is one section of stairs but there is another route to use if needed. The classrooms are large with appropriate furniture for the room. We have flexible seating in our classrooms, whereby children can sit/use spaces they choose to. We have our own school mini-buses and these have wheelchair access. If we need to use coaches that do not have access then we ensure a different way of travel, funded by the school. Parents/careers are always involved in the planning of specific activities or trips to ensure they are comfortable with provision. A parent/career chaperone is also something we have considered in the past if we need specific support for a trip or activity.
All transition paper work will be sent to the new school including any additional support paperwork.
Conversations will be had between us and the new score. Transition sessions can also be organised.
SEN provision is regularly assessed. Any additional support given to a child is recorded with a support plan, notes are written on this plan. Notes are reviewed regularly. End of support assessments are taken to ensure the provision has had a positive impact. Professionals working with children communicate with teachers and teachers communicate with professionals to ensure everyone has regularly and current information. Parents are always given a copy of any records kept/assessments taken. All details are shared at parents’ evenings. Mr. Minton, the school SENCO has regular meetings with children undertaking SEN provision.
If a child were to move to a new school or setting then all relevant paperwork will be shared with the new school/setting. Any additional support documents, reports, assessments, books, notes from professionals, school staff and SENCO will be shared.
If you are considering registering for a place in our Nursery or school then you need to contact the school office. The school office will give you all the relevant information you need and provide any documents you need to complete. All information needed is on our school website.
Schools SLT and staff are always visible at drop off and pick times in school, allowing parents to give feedback at any time. The school office is always available to discuss compliments or complaints. Class teachers are always on classroom doors to chat to parents at the beginning and end of the school day. Our school comms messaging system is a way for parents to share their opinions. Parents can book meetings with SLT or teachers to discuss anything. There are parents evenings twice a year, allowing parents to communicate with their child's teacher. If a parent wishes to make a formal complaint then all the information they need is on the school website or details can be obtained from the school office.
We also have parent open events, whereby meets with Mr Andrews (Headteacher) parents to discuss current news and the parents can ask any questions they may have.