Our Policies

Special Educational Needs (S.E.N)

Spring Willows Pre-School Playgroup is committed to making our setting inclusive and accessible to all children and to making sure that children are able to reach their full potential. All children have the right to the Early Years Foundation Stage and all staff have a duty to meet the needs of all the children attending the setting.

We have regard for the Special Educational Needs and Disability 0 – 25 years (SEND) Code of Practice (DfES 2014) on the early identification and assessment of children with special educational needs and section 69(2) of the Children and Families Act 2014. We have adopted the practice as outlined in the SEND Code of Practice.

Definition of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN):

“A child has special educational needs if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her”

Disabled Children and Young People  

We aim to foster an environment where all children are:

• Seen as children first

• Able to access and are fully accepted and involved in all activities

• Encouraged and enabled to be as independent as possible

• Respected when care is of a private nature

In order to meet the needs of all children, including those with SEN, we consider the following issues

• Access

• Activities (planning and differentiating these)

• Staffing levels - making sure these are adequate to meet a child’s needs

• Training of staff

• Resources and equipment

• Challenging stereotypes and promoting positive attitudes amongst all children and staff

• Individual programmes, monitoring of progress and record keeping- Spring Willows will endeavour to ensure that all children are treated with equal concern and respect and encouraged to take part in the activities that are provided. We will assess the specific needs of every child and take the relevant steps to adapt our facilities and activities to meet the needs of everyone.

We will ensure that:

• The environment is suitable for disabled children and those with SEN;

• Staffing arrangements meet the needs of individual children;

• Our written policy is available to parents and is consistent with current legislation;

• Children with special educational needs and disabilities have equality of access to facilities, activities and opportunities;

• Regular liaison takes place with parents and other professionals about the need for special equipment/services for children.

The role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo)  

• Our named SENCo is Maxine Parker who has completed the relevant mandatory training and has a wide range of experience working with children with special educational needs and disabilities.

• The SENCo is responsible for monitoring the needs and progress of children with SEN. The SENCo will ensure that liaison takes place with parents/carers and with appropriate professionals as well as ensuring that the setting is up to date with current legislation and practice.

• Ensuring that staff are aware of the procedure if they have a concern about a child.

• Attending appropriate training/meetings and sharing this with the staff;

• Coordinating the provision for children with SEN within the setting.

Compliance

• The policy complies with Section 19 of the Children and Families Act 2014. It is written with reference to inclusive education under Articles 7 and 24 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

• Equality Act 2010: advice for schools DfE Feb 2013

• SEND Code of Practice 0 – 25 (June 2014)

• School Admissions Code of Practice

• The Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 (linked to clause 64)

• Schools SEN Information Report Regulations (2014)

• Statutory Guidance on Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions (April 2014)

• EYFS

• Teachers Standards 2012

At Spring Willows Pre-School Playgroup we are proud to provide a safe, stimulating and inclusive learning environment where every member of our community is valued and respected. 

• This policy covers pupils with special educational needs and/or a disability and has taken into consideration the SEND code of practice 0-25 guidance. There are four broad categories of SEN:

• Cognition and learning,

• Social, metal and emotional health,

• Sensory and/or physical needs.  

• Our broad, balanced, creative curriculum and enrichment activities provide opportunities for everyone to achieve and succeed. We celebrate our achievements, gifts and cultural diversity, irrespective of individual differences within the protected categories of the Equality Act of 2010. Every teacher is a teacher of all children irrespective of their needs.

The SEND Local Offer is a resource which is designed to support children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families. It describes the services and provision that are available both to those families in Rochdale that have an Education, Health and Care Plan and those who do not have a plan, but still experience some form of special educational need. The SEND Local Offer includes information about public services across education, health and social care, as well as those provided by the private, voluntary and community sectors. 

Objectives

• To work within the guidance provided in the SEND Code of Practice 2014.

• To identify the needs of children with SEN as early as possible by gathering information from parents, health and care services and previous settings prior to the child’s entry to playgroup.

• Monitor the progress of all children in order to aid the identification of pupils with SEN.

• Make appropriate provision to overcome all barriers to learning and ensure children with SEN have full access to the Early Years Curriculum. This will be coordinated by the SENCo and will be carefully monitored and regularly reviewed in order to ensure that individual targets are being met and all childrens’ needs are catered for.

• Work with parents to gain a better understanding of their child, and involve them in all stages of their child’s education.

• Work with and in support of outside agencies when the childrens’ needs cannot be met by the nursery alone.

• Provide support, advice and training for all staff in order for them to meet the needs of all children.

Our Approach to Best Practice including Parental Partnership

• Children may be referred to the school prior to admission with special needs. Parents are invited to visit with their child to discuss their child’s needs prior to admission. If a child already has a EHC Plan, then the school will ensure that the terms of the Plan are met. Close liaison with any relevant agencies will take place.

• Children and parents will be invited to do a stay and play session prior to admission and special needs may be identified on that visit.

• Close observation in playgroup, team discussion and liaison with parents may identify special needs.

• We hold staff meetings fortnightly, which all staff attend, during which each new pupil is discussed and any special needs issues can be raised.

• Concerns about the progress and needs of an individual child can be raised and discussed informally with the SENCo/Manager/Owner at any time.

• Parents are able to discuss their concerns with staff/SENCo/Manager/Owner at any time

Admissions arrangements:

• All children, including those with identified SEN, are eligible for admission to the setting following discussions with parents/carers.

• For a child with known SEN then systems and procedures may need to be put in place, resources bought, staff employed, modifications made to the environment, risk assessments carried out, etc.

Identifying Special Educational Needs 

• The nursery also recognises that other factors may influence a child’s progress and attainment, but do not necessarily mean that the child has a special educational need. 

This might be:

• Disability, where reasonable adjustment under the Disability Equality legislation can enable a child to make normal progress

• Attendance

• Health and welfare

• English as an additional language

• Being in receipt of Early Years Pupil Premium grant

• Being a looked after or adopted child

• Being a child of Service personnel

• We recognise the importance of early identification and aim to identify children’s special needs as early as possible. The skills and levels of attainment of all children are assessed on entry, building on information from their previous setting if applicable. The purpose of identification is to work out what action the nursery may need to take to meet the child’s needs and help them to reach their full potential.

A rigorous system of progress monitoring takes place after baseline on entry and then on a termly basis. This identifies children who are not making expected progress and may include progress in areas other than attainment, such as social skills. Sometimes children present with challenging behaviour. This is not necessarily because they have a special educational need but should be seen as a form of communication that needs to be addressed.

Managing Children on the SEN Register

Where longer term support is required or children have a diagnosis of need from an outside professional, parents will be informed that the child has been placed on the SEN register. The SENCo, in consultation with the keyworker and parents will draw up a Personal Support Plan which ensures effective provision is put in place and to provide next steps in their learning, this will often include any targets set by other professionals eg,Speech and Language Therapist.

The review process for SEN child in nursery will follow the following format:

Assess: Analysis of the child’s needs using the Keyworkers assessment and experience of working with the child, details of previous progress and attainment, comparisons with peers and national data, as well as the views and experiences of the parents. Formative assessment may also be used to identify individual barriers to learning. This may include assessment from external agencies

Plan: Advice and recommendations will then be incorporated into the child’s Support Plan. This will be drawn up by teacher in consultation with parents and SENCo.

Do: The keyworker remains responsible for working with the child on a day-to-day basis. They will work closely with relevant specialist staff to plan and assess the impact of support and interventions.

Review: Reviews will be undertaken in line with agreed dates. The review process will evaluate the effectiveness of support and interventions. The keyworker, in conjunction with the parents and SENCo, will revise the support and outcomes based on the child’s progress and development making any necessary amendments going forwards.

This is an on-going cycle to enable the provision to be refined and revised as the understanding of the needs of the child grows. This cycle enables the identification of those interventions which are the most effective in supporting the child to achieve good progress and outcomes.

The effectiveness of interventions is monitored on a termly basis, or more frequently for certain interventions. Individual childs targets are recorded on Personalised Support Plans. Keyworker and the SENCo work together to assess the needs across the whole nursery and plan the provision accordingly.

While the needs of the majority of children will be met from within the school’s own resources, some children will have a higher level of need. Where this is the case a referral for an Education, Health and Care Plan will be made.

Referral for Education, Health and Care Plan

Where the needs of the child are significant and the school’s own resources are unable to meet them a request for an Education, Health and Care Plan can be made which is usually requested by the Nursery but can be requested by a parent. This will occur with the support and advice from the Area Senco Team.

The application for an EHC Plan will combine information from a variety of sources including:

• Parents

• Keyworkers

• SENCo

• Social Care

• Heath Professionals

Information will be gathered relating to the current provision provided, action points that have been taken and the preliminary outcomes of targets set. A decision will be made by a group of people from education, health and social care about whether the child is eligible for an EHC Plan. Parents have the right to appeal against a decision not to initiate a statutory assessment leading to an EHC Plan. The parents of any child who is referred for Statutory Assessment will be kept fully informed of the progress of the referral. Children with an EHC Plan will be reviewed at least termly in addition to the statutory 6 monthly review. Where this coincides with transfer to a primary school, the SENCo from the school will be invited to attend the review

Criteria for Exiting the SEN Register

Where it is felt that children have made such progress that they are able to access learning at a level that is appropriate for their age and stage of development, they will no longer be on the SEN register. A discussion will take place with parents regarding this decision.

Supporting Pupils and Families

Spring Willows Playgroup is committed to working in partnership with parents, children and other outside agencies to provide for the needs of every child. The nursery recognises that parents have knowledge and experience that will contribute to the shared view of a child’s needs. Parents are kept up to date with their child’s progress through parent’s evenings, review meetings and reports at the end of each year. Parents are invited to review meetings and to contribute to their child’s Support Plan. In cases where more frequent regular contact with parents is necessary, this will be arranged based on the individual children’s needs. The SENCo may also signpost parents of children with SEN to the Local Authority SENDIASS service where specific advice, guidance and support may be required. We can always be contacted for an appointment to discuss other concerns.

Links with Other Agencies and Voluntary Organisations

Spring Willows Playgroup invites and seeks advice and support from external agencies in the identification and assessment of, and provision for, SEN. The SENCO is the designated person responsible for liaising with the following:

• • • Education Psychologists and Specialist Teachers

    • Area Senco

    • Social Services

    • Speech and Language Service

    • Community Paediatric Consultants- Child Development Unit

    • Occupational Therapist

    • Physio Therapist

    • Community paediatric nurses

Transition Arrangements

Transition arrangements to other schools will involve the SENCo discussing the individual needs of the child with the new school SENCo. Where movement is planned the following will happen before the child moves school and an individual transition programme will be devised and implemented.

• In order to support children with SEND move to the next education phase smoothly a transition programme will be devised and implemented. The programme will be devised to meet individual needs with the child (where possible), parents, teachers and SENCo. The programme may include:

• A range of visits at different times to the new environment meeting new Teachers and becoming more familiar with a different setting.

• Additional meetings for the child and parents to meet new members of staff.

• Opportunities to take photographs of the new environment and staff to be built into a transition booklet.

Complaints about Special Educational Needs Provision within the Nursery

Any areas of concern can be addressed to the SENCo/Manager or Owner.

We would be happy to meet with parents to discuss any concerns and will endeavour to resolve them.