Our Special Educational Needs Inclusion Co-ordinator and SEN Team

We have a dedicated pre-school SENDCo who works closely with the child, the parents/carer and the key person.  They are responsible for the day-to-day provision for children with SEND.  Together with the key people in our pre-school, our SENDCo maintains and oversees all records for children with SEND.  The SENDCo will liaise with other staff about children’s needs and will liaise with outside agencies such as health, education and social care regarding the needs of children, always after consultation with parents/carers.

 

The role played by the parents of children with SEN

We pride ourselves on having a strong working partnership with parents and recognise that parents/carers know their children best and have a great deal to contribute.

 

We offer parents/carers:

 

• an ‘open door’ policy which means parents can approach staff whenever they have a concern and time will be made for them

• scheduled meetings for parents to meet and discuss their child’s progress;

• opportunities for parents/carers to come and work or observe their child in the group

• social opportunities like termly picnic lunch and play & stay sessions.

• direct family to special support groups for parents of children with SEND or can give information about local and national support groups  

 

The curriculum at our Pre-School

All children have full access to the environment, resources, staff and activities.  Children with SEND engage in the activities on offer in our setting together with children who do not have identified SEND.  The curriculum is planned to meet the known individual needs of all children and careful choice of resources is made to facilitate access to the curriculum for all children.  We adapt our materials and teaching styles to help children with different individual needs to learn.

 

How children with SEN are identified and their needs determined and reviewed

At High Littleton Pre-School we follow the graduated approach to children with special educational needs as recommended in the SEND Code of Practice (2014).  Our staff work in partnership with parents at all times and will always discuss their child’s progress with them and keep them fully informed about how we are meeting their child’s needs.

 

The key worker and/or SENDCo will identify a child with SEND and will devise interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of our usual curriculum and strategies.  Strategies employed to enable the child to progress will be recorded within an Individual Education Plan (IEP). 

 

In consultation with parents/carers, our SENDCo will take the lead in gathering information about the child from other professionals who may already be involved with the child (e.g. Health Visitor, Social Worker, Speech and Language Therapists O.T. etc.).  With parental permission, the SENDCo may arrange a ‘team around the child’ meeting to discuss the child’s needs with our setting’s Area SENDCo.

 

The key person and SENDCo will be supported by external support services or outside specialists (e.g. Pre-School Education Team Teachers, Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists etc.)  Advice by outside specialists will be sought in order to devise a new IEP with more specialist strategies and targets.  A request for help from external services is likely to follow a decision taken by the SENDCo in consultation with parents at a meeting to review the child’s IEP.

 

• Statutory Assessment

A Statutory multi-disciplinary assessment will be requested from the Local Education Authority by either the SENDCo or by the parents.

 

• Education, Health and Care Plan

The early years setting will be responsible for delivering the education programme specified in the child’s EHC of special educational needs.  The SENDCo will be responsible for monitoring and reviewing the progress through IEPs and through the EHC review process.

                 

Transition of children with SEND between early years settings or between early years settings and the next stage of education

We believe that transition is a crucial time for all children – but particularly for children with identified special educational needs.  As far as is possible, we will do everything that we can to facilitate a smooth transition for our children moving to other settings. We will invite staff from the receiving setting to transition meetings and will pass information (Individual Education Plans, observations, ideas for successful strategies etc.) as well as the ‘All About Me’ / Learning Journey for individual children to their new setting.