Schools Extended Local Offer Response

How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

At Pier Lodge, we ensure that when every child starts here, their keyperson will sit with the parents to gather information based on what they think their child can do relating to the EYFS. This is then our ‘baseline’ assessment. We then review this approximately 2-3 weeks once the child is settled, this is then our ‘Initial Observation’. Every 12 weeks, the child’s progress is reviewed and the progress matters document would then highlight whether a child was struggling in an area of the EYFS. A conversation would be had between the keyperson and the nursery SENCo, observations would be kept, and the child would be monitored over a short period. Should it be deemed necessary, the SENCo would invite the parents into nursery for a discussion on their child’s development, progress and putting an SEN Support Plan into place. The 3 Step Checklist would be adhered to as an Assess, Plan, Do and Review cycle.

SEND Code of Practice 0-25

• 6.16 Schools should assess each pupil’s current skills and levels of attainment on entry, building on information from previous settings and key stages where appropriate. At the same time, schools should consider evidence that a pupil may have a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and, if so, what reasonable adjustments may need to be made.

If you have concerns, there are always opportunities throughout the day to come in and speak to the nursery Manager or the SENCo. You can always call us or book in an appointment to speak about your child.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

The nursery SENCo will work closely alongside the keyperson and yourselves as parents to determine what area of development your child needs support with. If an SEN Support Plan has been put into place, this will be implemented by the keyperson, overseen by the SENCo and Manager. The nursery has very good connections with many outside professionals who they would request support from if necessary, and if agreed with the parents. The 3-step checklist is adhered to and other interventions are put into place, for example an Education, Health and Care Plan may be necessary.

SEND Code of Practice 0-25

• 6.44 Where a pupil is identified as having SEN, schools should take action to remove barriers to learning and put effective special educational provision in place. This SEN support should take the form of a four-part cycle through which earlier decisions and actions are revisited, refined and revised with a growing understanding of the pupil’s needs and of what supports the pupil in making good progress and securing good outcomes. This is known as the graduated approach. It draws on more detailed approaches, more frequent review and more specialist expertise in successive cycles in order to match interventions to the SEN of children and young people.

 

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

Your child’s individual needs would be reflected onto their SEN Support Plan, which would target specific next steps (this may include input from Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologists or Occupational Therapists etc). Each activity, whether it is child inspired or adult led, has the potential to be modified or extended, based on each child as an individual. Your child’s keyperson would work with them closely through the daily activities and the EYFS to ensure that they are accessing the curriculum suitable for their age and stage of development.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

Your child’s individual needs would be reflected onto their SEN Support Plan, which would target specific next steps (this may include input from Speech and Language Therapist, Educational Psychologists or Occupational Therapists etc). Each activity, whether it is child inspired or adult led, has the potential to be modified or extended, based on each child as an individual. Your child’s keyperson would work with them closely through the daily activities and the EYFS to ensure that they are accessing the curriculum suitable for their age and stage of development.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

Each child is allocated a keyperson and to the best of our ability, we ensure that the keypersons are available in the rooms when the children are dropped off and collected to ensure that the parents can communicate with them. A handover between keyperson and parents will be given at the end of the session regarding your child’s day with a contact sheet or a contact book. If you ever require a more in depth discussion with your child’s keyperson or the SENCo, you can arrange a meeting at the office. Every term we hold a parent’s evening in which you can come and speak to your child’s keyperson and look through their trackers and next steps. This would provide you with the learning which we are promoting that you can support at home.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

The nursery has contact with many outside professionals which they can contact for support and advice. These include Early Support, Speech and Language Therapists, Educational Psychologists, Treetops Outreach etc. The nursery SENCo has Signalong and Elklan Language training. Keypersons in the rooms are regularly kept up to date with advice and strategies from the SENCo and other professionals to continue their learning and development.

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

The nursery would ensure that provision is put into place to facilitate every child on an outing. Their one to one keyperson would support them as well. We access various outings such as going to town, the local park and visiting schools.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

Pier Lodge is fully wheelchair accessible and we have disabled changing and toilet facilities. We have recently created a sensory corner in our ICT room which is available to use throughout the day and it includes lights, materials, mirrors and bubbles. We support and communicate with parents who have English as an Additional Language through our language book and also members of staff who are bilingual.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

When a child changes rooms within the setting we would arrange ‘settling’ for them before they move. This would involve their keyperson going with them to the new room for short periods of time. This would be to become familiar with the new faces within the room. The SENCo would do a detailed handover to the new room and keyperson, should it be changing when they move rooms. Parents would also be involved in meeting the new staff and being introduced to the new room. In-house transition forms are filled out by the child’s current keyperson, to notify the new keyperson of the child’s current level of ages and stages.

When transitioning to school, detailed meetings are held between the school and nursery SENCo. The nursery SENCo would make a visit to the school with your child and their one to one keyperson. In the weeks before leaving, we will spend time looking at photographs of the new school and staff, looking at uniforms and the school teachers / SENCo will be invited to come into nursery to visit the child.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

Resources that are required upon request from the keyperson/SENCo/outside professional are provided by the proprietor of Pier Lodge and allocated accordingly.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

The nursery SENCo would arrange a discussion with the parents regarding additional support required; whether that is to involve outside professionals or apply for interim funding. Once a referral has been made to Early Support, a meeting would be held involving the nursery, parents and any other professionals already involved. We would ensure that we gain parental consent for reports to be shared along the way.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

As a nursery and with reference to our policy; ‘Parents as Partners’, we work hard to maintain a relationship with parents/carers and ensure that views, opinions and thoughts are always important and have an input into the child’s education. We take the parents views into consideration on our All About Me baseline paperwork and also welcome ideas that the parents wish to have for next steps. Parents Evenings are held every term to discuss the child’s development and progress. You will often be invited to meetings and be kept fully up to date with any new observations and support in place.

• What should I do if the school and I disagree?

We are confident that as a setting we will be able to work with you to address any concerns you may have. We will always endeavour to find a solution which suits both the setting and parent/carer and above all, meets the needs of your child. If you are still dissatisfied, we would refer you to our Complaints Policy, where as a parent, you are entitled to arrange a meeting with the nursery manager to discuss your concerns. If you are still feeling unsatisfied with the outcome, other steps that you can take are to contact the Independent Advice Services by visiting the Thurrock’s Local Offer website – www.askthurrock.org.uk/localoffer, contact the Family Information Service on 01375 652801 or contact Ofsted Early Years Team on 0300 123 1231. The nursery takes complaints very seriously and will ensure all the correct procedures are followed.