Small Steps Day Care Local Offer for
Children with Special Educational needs and/or Disabilities (SEND 2014)
The aim of this document is to ensure families see the
support that they would receive for their child at Small Steps Day Care. It provides clear information about what
Small Steps Day Care have already put in place to ensure your child can achieve
his/her full potential.
We work within the guidance of the Early Years Foundation
Stage Framework and use this to promote each child’s learning and development. We know that each child is unique and
endeavour to meet their individual needs. We work within the setting's policies and procedures and hold an up to date complaints policy.
1.How does Small Steps
Day Care know if your child needs extra help and what should I do if I think my
child may have special educational needs or disabilities ?
Parents and their child visit our nursery on several
occasions before they start at Small Steps.
A home visit is also offered to ensure that the key person knows as much
about the child and family as possible. At this point any concerns raised will
be discussed with the parent/carer and support put in place before the child
starts. A learning journal is also started at home with the child and their
family and then handed to the key person when the child starts at the setting.
At the setting we complete daily observations on each
individual child and these observations then go into their personal learning
journals. At the end of each term we go through each child’s learning journal
to update it and using the observations to update their developmental tracker. We
use the developmental trackers to track each child’s development and what age
range they are at and we use these as a guideline against the EYFS to ensure
each child is meeting their developmental age range. The learning journals are
kept in reach of the children for them to look through and also add anything
throughout the day. These are always available for parent/carers to take home
and add/update. We then plan next steps for each individual child using the
EYFS making sure we feel they are achievable for the individual child. We ask
parents/carers if they have any concerns to make a time to see the child’s key
person to discuss these concerns. If we at nursery have any concerns we would
then arrange a time to discuss these with the parents. Once we have parent’s permission we would
then go on to contact any agencies needed.
We complete a progress report on all two year old children
who attend our setting within the first few weeks of them starting. We then arrange a time to go through this with
the parent/carer asking them to add any information and discuss any concerns
they have. It is also a time we can
raise any concerns we may have.
2. How will staff at
Small Steps Day Care support my child ?
We have an appointed Special Educational Needs Coordinator
(SENCO) in the setting who supports all staff and parents/carers. Other members
of staff have also been on SENCO training. The SENCO and key person would go to
any meetings, home visits and arrange for resources and equipment to be ready
before first visit to nursery. We would make sure all staff went on any
required training or any training we felt appropriate. We have regular meetings
with our area SENCO for updates and training. We would work closely with
parents/carers to work out a plan that could be followed at home and in the
setting for continuity in care. All staff are aware that information on
children can be found in learning journals along with any activities from
speech and language therapists or other health care professionals.
3. How will the
Curriculum be met to my child’s needs?
We follow the EYFS guidelines and curriculum set out by the
Government. We include all children and
plan for each individual child and their needs.
We differentiate to suit the level and learning style of the children and are provided both in and out, for example early writing skills can be promoted just as easily outside in our garden as they can inside at a table.
Our planning is done weekly and evaluated at the end of each week to
ensure we are always improving. The
setting is set out so each child can move freely around the setting accessing
all activities and resources.
4. How will both you
and I know how your child is doing and how will you help me to support my
child’s learning ?
In our setting each child has a home diary which is filled
out by a staff member who has spent time with that child on that day giving the
parents/carers information on how the child has been, what activities and play
they have been interested in and any other relevant information. These are sent home at the end of each day
for parents/carers to also comment in and let us know of any relevant
information. We do regular newsletters to update parents/carers of any changes
in the setting and we also ask in the newsletter for them to do the same. In
our lobby we have a parents/carers board where we advertise any local parenting
courses available and any events going on at the local children’s centres. We
have book bags the children take home each day where we can put leaflets and
information booklets for parents/carers. Before each child starts we offer
transition sessions and can arrange home visits to meet the child at home. We
operate a open door policy so parents/carers can call any time of day and
arrange a time to visit a key person any time not just in nursery hours as we
know this can be hard due to commitments.
5. What support will
there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
On starting nursery we will ask you to complete registration
forms giving us all relevant information on your child to promote their safety
and wellbeing. All staff in our setting have undertaken first aid, child
protection and food hygiene training. Each day we complete daily opening checks
to ensure the setting is safe and maintained. Policies and procedures are in
place to ensure the safety of the children and staff. All staff and
parents/carers are made aware of these and they are available to take home to
look through. All staff are aware of the procedure to follow when administering
medicines and if need be staff will be sent on relevant training where needed
to administer certain medicines/first aid such as auto injector training. We
use lots of different methods to praise the children such as stickers,
friendship tree.
6. What specialist
services and expertise are available at or assessed by Small Steps Day Care ?
All staff undertakes inductions when first starting at the
setting. We have regular staff meetings where information can be cascaded down
if certain staff members may have been on training. We regularly complete
online training based on child protection. All staff attend first aid and safe
guarding training. We have regular appraisals and general one to one meetings
to give updates on how we feel we are doing or of any changes that may be happening
at home.
7. What training are
the staff supporting children with SEND have or having ?
We work with all outside agencies when needed. We work
closely with local schools and children’s centres. We have regular update
meetings with our area SENCO.
8. How will my child
be included in activities outside Small Steps Day Care including trips ?
Consent forms for outings are in with the registration forms
which are to be filled out when a child first starts. We do not have many
outings but have regular events at the setting inviting children and their
parents/carers in the setting to join us.
9. How accessible is
Small Steps Day Care?
Small Steps Day Care is accessible to all with additional
facilities where necessary. For example we have wheelchair access with double
doors into the garden and an accessible toilet. Additional support from outside agencies
will be sourced if required.
10. How will Small Steps Day Care prepare and
support my child to join the setting and transfer to a new setting/school
?
Upon your visit to the nursery we would give you a
prospectus and registration forms inside this will include our settling in
procedure. We would then arrange transition sessions for your child and if
beneficial arrange home visits. We will also give you their learning journals
with the forms ‘all about me’ and ask you to complete this just to give us a
bit of information on what your child does/doesn’t like and a bit about how you
feel they are developing. If the child attends more than one setting we would
write to the setting with your consent to share information and work out a
clear development plan/next steps so we are all working together towards the
same goals.
A term before your child is due to start school our SENCO
will arrange several meetings with the school SENCO and arrange times and dates
for the child to go into the school with Small Steps SENCO/Key Person.
After your child starts school the Key Person will contact
the school to see how your child has settled and to see if they can offer any
further support.
11. How are the resources allocated and matched
to children’s special educational needs and disabilities ?
The setting is set out for each child to be able to move
around freely accessing all resources and activities. We plan based on each
individual child’s interests and developmental needs making sure each child’s
experience is enriched with learning through play and is a positive experience.
12. How is the decision made about what type and
how much support my child will receive ?
The SENCO will work closely building positive relations with
the child, family and outside agencies so a development plan is put in place that
suits everybody and enable everybody to all work together for the best outcomes
and support for the child. They will make sure all additional training,
resources and equipment is accessed.
13. How are parents involved in Small Steps
Day Care? How can I be involved?
We have regular newsletters sent out to all parents giving
them updates on the setting, staff and of any upcoming events. In the lobby we
have a parents/carers board where we will advertise any local events or
training and for the parents/carers to advertise anything. We also have a
comments/suggestion box. We send out questionnaires which we then review and
put into place. We use the home diaries for day-to-day communication.
14. Who can I contact
for further information
If you wish to register your child at the nursery then
please contact the nursery manager who will be happy to assist you and answer any
questions you have.