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At Kiddywinks Nursery we welcome children with special educational needs as part of our community. We recognise that we will need to consider the individual needs of children when setting up activities for the day. We aim to provide a setting which is accessible to the individual needs of all our children.

 

We recognise the importance of early identification and assessment of children with special educational needs. This is particularly important in the area of early years education. We will develop practices and procedures, which aim to ensure that all children’s special educational needs are identified and assessed.

 

We recognise the vital role of parents and careers in the identification, assessment and response to their children’s special educational needs. We will work in true partnership with parents/carers, valuing their views and contributions and keeping them fully involved in their child’s education and developments.

 

We believe in the involvement of the child and the importance of taking their views into account. We will make every effort to involve the child in decision-making about their special educational provision and continue to encourage and follow our free flow ethos.

 

We are committed to effective collaboration between all agencies working with a child and a multi-disciplinary approach to meeting children’s special educational needs.

 

At Kiddywinks Nursery we have a special educational needs coordinator in each setting. They are responsible for the day-to-day provision for children with SEND. (Special educational needs/disabilities) together with the Kiddylinks in our setting, our Sendco maintains and oversees all records for children with SEND. The Sendco will liaise with staff about children’s needs and will liaise with outside agencies such as health, education and social services regarding the needs of children, always after consultation with parents/carers.

 

Children with special educational needs are welcomed into our setting, as are all children. We may ask parents to give us further details of professionals involved with their child. When we know that a child may have a special educational need or disability before they start at our setting, we will endeavour to set up a good transition for that child into our setting involving the child, parents/carers and any outside professionals known to the child. This may involve the child visiting the setting on a number of occasions and having a home visit by either Sarah or the setting manager.

 

At Kiddywinks we work in partnership with parents/carers. We recognise that parents/carers know their children best and have a great deal to contribute. Parents/carers views and contributions are valued. In addition, we can offer parents/carers:

• An ‘open door’ policy which means parents can approach staff whenever they have 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 observe their child in the group.

• Social opportunities such as art sessions and stay and play sessions.

 

We always seek views of all children with regard to their education and inclusion. We involve all children in their learning by offering choices using objects, photographs, verbal means etc. all children are encouraged to express preferences using a variety of methods including augmented methods of communication. We seek all children’s views in decision making about the learning environment.

 

Children with SEND are regarded as full members of our community and we offer an inclusive provision to all our children. 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.

 

In our early years setting we have the following facilities and resources for children with special educational needs and disabilities;

Flash cards, changing facilities, particular toys and resources, wide doors and slopes.

 

We follow the graduated approach to children with special educational needs as recommended in the SEND Code of Practice (2014). Setting 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 the setting is seeking to meet their child’s needs.

 

The Kiddylink and Sendco will identify a child with SEN 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). The child will be added to the SEND profile. In consultation with parents/carers, the Sendco will take the lead in gathering information about the child from other professional who may already be involved with the child. With parental permission, the Sendco may arrange a ‘team around the family’ meeting to discuss the child’s needs with our setting’s Sendco.

The family and the Setting’s Sendco will be supported by external support services or outside specialists. Advise 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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Kiddywinks we are committed to providing and facilitating attendance at in-service training of SEND for all staff. We An annual needs analysis will be undertaken to identify the training needs of the setting staff. We also provide our staff with Sendco forums, meetings, conversations and discussions with other professionals and working alongside a qualified teacher and our Early Years Consultant.

 

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 do 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, ideas for successful strategies, transition documents and development folders).

 

We review our SEND/Inclusion Policy annually and evaluate the effectiveness of:

• Systems for identifying and assessing children with special educational needs

• The provision made to meet children’s special educational needs

• The record-keeping for children with special educational needs

• The allocation of resources for children with special educational needs

 

Any concerns or complaints about SEND provision by parents should be addressed the Kiddylink, initially. If the parents are still unhappy, they should approach the Sendco who will look into the problem and report back within a week. If the parent/carers continue to be dissatisfied the Sendco will refer the matter to the Manager to take further action as appropriate.