Local Offer of Support for Children with SEN and Disabilities
All children are entitled to an education that enables them to:
- achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes and
- become confident young children with the ability to communicate their own views and ready to make the transition to compulsory education
Here at Mitton Manor Pre-School we will endeavour to do our best for all children and their families
- Work with families / carers
- Work to get SEND support
- Designate a SEN Co-ordinator to be responsible for co-ordinating SEND provision
- Keep parents / carers informed at all times
- Keep reports on arrangements for the admission of disabled children
- Work with local schools, ready for transition
- Work with all agents across the Education, Health and Care agencies
- All Early Years children with medical conditions will get the support required to meet their needs
1. What systems and strategies do we have in place to identify children who have special educational needs (SEND)?
If you have concerns when your child starts pre-school regarding SEND, for example a language difficulty, we will listen to your concerns and initially observe your child at play, and assess whether we have similar concerns. From here we would discuss with you how we can help your child’s development.
If we feel that your child has a SEND problem we will speak to you and continue to observe your child. We would put into place our own in-house strategies, and we would seek further advice from specialist agencies such as the Speech and Language Therapist and Advisory Teacher Service.
Children attending our group with identified SEND will be supported and we would work with your child, yourselves and other professionals.
We have one SEN Co-ordinator and four members of staff who are well experienced in varying SEND issues. We are a small team and meet regularly to discuss SEND issues. We work with specialist agencies to support children with SEND, including:
- Audiology Department
- Advisory Teacher Service
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Educational Psychologist
- Health Visitors
- Battledown Outreach workers
2. How will our setting support your child? How do we communicate effectively with all parents?
Your child’s key person will work with your child and yourself to support and plan the next steps in your child’s development. Each key person will be supported by the SEND Co-ordinators with advice and suggestions and the SEND Co-ordinators would oversee the progress of your child. You will be given opportunities to meet and discuss the progress of your child as often as necessary with your child’s key person and the SEND Co-ordinator.
3. How will the teaching and learning be matched to your child’s needs?
In the Early Years Foundation Stage learning is through play and each child is unique. Activities are tailored to meet the needs of all children, including any with SEND.
4. How will you know how your child is doing and how will we help you to support your child’s learning?
We will observe and assess your child continually through play and we will discuss your child’s progress as often as is necessary. We do seek further training if required to support SEND children, and we can offer and share training courses that are available. Children may require a “My Plan” or a “My Plan+”, or even an EHC (Educational, Health and Care) Plan to ensure that progression is made in their learning.
5. What support will our setting provide for your child’s overall wellbeing?
Our staff our caring, supportive and experienced in supporting children with SEND. We have clear policies for the use of medicines and each child has a medical plan drawn up with consent forms if medication is needed whilst at pre-school. All medicines are kept in the office unless requiring refrigeration. Other personal care plans will be drawn up with the parents’ advice, with the key person and manager, and the child’s views being taken into account.
6. What training to support children with SEND have we had or are receiving?
All key persons are trained in safeguarding and child protection. Two members of staff are the DSLs (Designated Safeguarding Leads). We actively research training to support children with SEND and disseminate the training and advice given to all staff.
7. How will we include your child in activities outside the setting, including trips?
We aim to be 100% inclusive and any outdoor activities and trips will be undertaken only with due consideration, parental consent and advice to ensure access to all activities. We would carry out a risk assessment prior to the activity with any extra SEND provision being made where applicable.
8. How accessible is our early years setting?
Our setting has wheelchair access and a disabled access toilet and baby changing facilities. We are all on one level and access is available inside and out. We have child-friendly equipment that is accessible regardless of their needs.
9. How will our early years setting prepare and support your child to join the setting or to transfer to school or another setting?
All parents are invited to an introductory new parents meeting to give parents opportunities to find out about the group, meet staff, view the premises and discuss any concerns regarding your child. Further arrangements can be made, for example other meetings with the key person and / or all staff, a home visit to meet your child, and to meet other professionals involved with your child, to prepare your child for being left in our care.
We work with parents to ensure a smooth transition to new settings or schools. We will contact the new setting and SEND Co-ordinator and put a transfer care plan into place, offering advice and support and sharing all records. We would offer opportunities for the new setting to observe your child at our setting prior to the transfer.
10. How is the decision made about what type and how much support your child will receive?
Decisions about your child and their support will be made by the key person, the manager, and yourselves. This support will be reviewed regularly to see if progression has been made and if further support or less support is needed.
11. Who can you contact for further information?
You would contact your child’s key person or the manager regarding any concerns about your child or their care.
To find out more information about our setting and its SEND policies, contact the manager.
12. Where can you find our SEND policy?
Our SEND policy is on our website: http://mittonmanorpreschoolandafterschoolclub.btck.co.uk/Pre-SchoolPolicies
13. What can you do if you are not happy?
If you are not happy, speak to the key person in the first instance, and then the manager, who will both try to resolve any problems. If you are still unhappy, please refer to the complaints procedure in our policies.
14. How can parents / carers arrange to visit our setting? What is involved?
Our contact details are as follows:
Contact name: Angela Walker or Alison Jones
Address: Mitton Manor Pre-School and After School Club
Carrant Road
Tewkesbury
Gloucestershire
GL20 8AR
Telephone 01684 275426
Email mittonmanorpreschool@btconnect.com
15. When was the above information updated?
The information was updated on 10th March 2023. This document will be reviewed annually.
For more information about the Local Offer and the new SEN Code of Practice, please visit: www.glosfamiliesdirectory.org.uk
and http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/earlyyearssen