Absolute Angels Pre-school

Absolute Angels Pre-school 

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Local Offer 

Each child will be assigned their own key person who will through observations and assessment plan for each child’s individual development. Through the use of the 2 year Progress Check, which can be shared with the child’s Health Visitor at their 2 year check, any concerns can be dealt with early and efficiently. Liz is the Special educational needs coordinator’s (SENCO) and  will make sure all children are treated equally and included within the Pre-school. They are happy to speak to parents/carers about any concerns that they might have. A separate room can be made available for privacy. 

Parents/carers are asked to fill in an ‘All about me’ form before your child starts at the setting, which will provide us with information on your child’s interests, family and any other relevant special needs/requirements we may need to know. Using this form allows us to treat all children as individuals and they will be allocated their own Key person who will create each child’s Learning Journal. Through observation, assessments and evaluation we will then record your child’s next steps plans based on their interests and needs in order to aid their progression in all 7 areas of learning. 

If any further support is required, this information, as well as meetings between yourself, the child’s key person and the SENCO will be used to create an individual learning provision plan (ILPP) which will be regularly reviewed and any necessary support provided. We will then suggest strategies that can be used both in the setting and in the home environment to help ensure consistency and an effective delivery of the plan. 

Using your child’s ‘All about me’ form and through information gathered from observations and assessments, we will be able to link this information to the required targets on the Early years Foundation stage (EYFS) and provide suitable activities to match your child’s interests and needs. Your child’s key person and any outside agencies involved with your child will be able to help develop next steps for your child in all 7 areas of learning to suit them and help further their development. 

We will keep you both informed and involved at all times. You are invited to always make an appointment to meet with us, allowing an opportunity for continuous communication and sharing of information. We aim to hold parent/carer consultations once a term to provide you with information on your child’s progress and also their proposed next steps. This will enable you to make any suggestions or comments related to your child’s next steps, in which we will be able to add to our planning for the following term. 

You are however always welcome to discuss your child’s development with us, and we look forward to seeing your updates on the tapestry learning journal of all the things your child has been doing at home.  

All of our staff work on a permanent full time basis offering consistency and familiarity, in an inclusive and positive environment. Positive behaviour is encouraged and modelled by staff at all times. If unacceptable behaviour is regularly displayed we will work with you to find a trigger and a then a solution that can be used both at home and in the Pre-school environment. Through a mixture of routine and flexibility children can securely access resources and activities, as well as develop independence to help them reach their full potential. Children are supported throughout the day to make sure their individual needs are met and their achievements praised to install a sense of positive well-being. Visual aids will be used to provide additional support when required to help children understand and follow routines. As per our terms and conditions where appropriate child will be asked to be kept at home during times of illness. We do not administer medication, unless it is for a long-term condition, which will be considered and discussed on an individual basis. 

Although we do not currently offer specialist services, staff have hands on experience of autism, speech and language, English as a second language, and selective mutism .We can access help and support from the early childhood services after obtaining written consent from the child’s parents/carers. We work with outside agencies such as speech and language and the team from the child development centre to support our children with additional needs.

All staff have Early Years qualifications, which include special educational needs as part of their course work. All staff attend regular training and have recently worked closely with the speech and language team to learn how to support our children who are struggling in this area. We work closely with outside agencies who are supporting the children and use suggested strategies to help that child reach their full potential. All staff at the setting hold certificates in Paediatric First Aid and have access to a wide range of additional training provided by West Sussex County Council. We would endeavour to find a course that was relevant to a particular child’s needs if and when required. The information from these courses is regularly shared between staff members before discussing how it can be implemented to suit both the environment and the children’s individual needs. 

We are based in a lovely setting, within a park with lots of amenities. There are no steps and all areas are accessible by wheelchair. We would liaise with the parent/carer to ensure that any outings outside of the park are suitable for any child with SEN and carry out relevant risk assessments. 

Our building is on one level, with no steps . Our main room opens directly onto a private enclosed garden area, which is accessible by wheelchair. We are based in a park and again this does not have steps and so every area is accessible by all.   

We would liaise with the parent/carer to ensure that the necessary level of support was given. An initial visit is advised so that the child and their parents/carers are familiar with the environment. We do not generally encourage the parent/carer to stay on a child’s first day, but do contact them within the first hour to advise how their child is settling. We treat each case individually and if a child is struggling to settle we will agree a strategy to best suit their needs.  An ‘All about me’ form is filled in and this information will help us ensure that suitable toys and activities are planned to help your child settle quickly into the new environment. A nominated Key person will also be allocated to quickly familiarise themselves with your child and to offer consistency throughout this settling in time. 

We regularly liaise with the local schools and with your permission information about your child will be shared, including access to their learning journal. We try to arrange transition visits for those starting school, which can be a combination of the school visiting us and/or the children visiting their new school. We would ensure that both child and parent/carer were involved in all arrangements between us and their new school or Pre-school. 

All of our resources are available to all children and where possible adapted to meet each child’s needs. We make sure that we have a range of resources to help all of our children develop in all areas of the EYFS. 

We would make all decisions jointly with the parents/carer’s. This would be reached once we have carried out extensive observations and discussions with you and both the key person and SENCO. If we felt that additional support was required, then with your permission we would access this from the Early childhood services who will be able to offer advice, support and funding. This would enable us to provide resources and activities to help your child reach their full potential. The amount of help and support a child is receiving will be regularly reviewed and this will be adjusted accordingly.        

Parents/carers are vital to a child’s development, therefore encouraged to be involved with their child’s next steps and achieving their targets. Members of staff are available at both drop off and collection times to maintain regular contact and any needs, concerns or achievements can be shared. We will provide a private area for any discussions that need to be held in confidence. We will periodically ask if anyone would like to come in and talk about their work, country of birth or any celebrations that maybe appropriate for the children to be involved in. 

All of our Policies and Procedures are available to view. Please either ring or e-mail us to arrange to see them or if you have any questions: 

E-mail – absoluteangelspreschool@hotmail.co.uk 

Telephone – 01342 314998.