Slough Centre Nursery School

Schools extended Local Offer response

Special Educational Needs policy

Local Offer

Introduction

Our school is located in central Slough and is a purpose built, open plan learning space. The school has places for 163 children in total, for 2, 3 and 4 yr olds. These places consist of a combination of morning, afternoon and 30hr places. Each child is attached to a ‘homebase’ group with a team of supportive staff. Our staff include teaches, early years practitioners and teaching assistants. In the mainstream nursery we support children with a range of additional needs. To enhance our provision, the school has a 6 place resource unit for children with autistic spectrum disorders attached to the mainstream nursery.

Special Educational Needs Policy

‘Sharing, Caring & Learning Together’ is what we believe for all of our school community.

We are proud of our nursery school, with its family atmosphere, it gives children and their parents/carers a sense of belonging and a feeling of security. Children are allowed to grow at their own pace in an environment where they can experience spontaneity, joy, wonder, enthusiasm, curiosity, challenge, success and failure, and friendship.

The school has additional staffing and expertise to meet specific needs and to support all children in a responsive manner to suit their individual requirements. Our staff across the whole school work closely together to maximise learning opportunities for every child utilising all our resources flexibly to be most effective.

• We aim to provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum to all children, regardless of their ability or additional needs, within the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• We aim to identify needs as early as possible and work closely with parents to ensure appropriate assessment and support arrangements are in place and the child's needs are properly addressed.
• We aim to foster a climate that supports flexible and creative responses to individual needs and train our staff to support inclusive practice. 

Teaching and learning

Teaching and Learning

At our nursery we closely follow the guiding principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage. We believe that each child is unique and is a capable learner. We understand that children will learn in different ways and develop at different times. A key component in providing successful support is working in partnership, fostering positive relationships with children and parents so knowledge is acquired and shared appropriately. Staff are adaptable and responsive to the individual needs of a child and use their knowledge and experience to assist them in delivering the best support possible. They work hard to ensure the environment is enabling for every child, appropriately resourced with engaging and challenging activities to suit different learning styles, ability levels and interests. We operate a key person system for monitoring development of individual children and working with their parents.

Information is gathered, shared and used in a variety of ways to support children and may include:

• Children and parents participating pre-nursery visits.
• Meeting parents and children on a home visit.
• Baseline assessments during a child’s first half term show what they know, understand and can do.
• Making observations about children’s characteristics of learning, development and interests from interactions in nursery.
• Regular discussions with parents.
• Sharing the child’s ‘All About Me’ book with them and their parents on a regular basis.
• Using assessment information to monitor progress, attainment and identify next steps in learning for groups of children and individuals.
• Planning tailored to groups and individuals based on the needs and interests of the children, which is carefully evaluated.

Identifying and assessing Special Educational Needs

Identifying and Assessing Special Educational Needs

We are committed to the early identification of special educational needs and we adopt a graduated approach, in line with the SEN Code of Practice.

Concerns about a child’s needs, progress or attainment may be raised in different ways. The child’s key person meets with parents on a regular basis and develops a close relationship. Often concerns are raised and explored during these discussions together. Sometimes concerns may be raised by other agencies supporting a child or by staff working in the school. Staff use assessment data to identify children who are at risk of under achieving and any specific aspects of learning that are causing concern. Once a concern is raised it is shared so the parents, staff working with the child and the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) are all aware and can work in partnership to plan how to most effectively support the child, monitor and review their progress. This may include discussions, consultations and meetings with the key worker, class teacher and SENCo.   Following this, the concerns and subsequent plans to address them are disseminated with all concerned verbally and with a written record (e.g. parent consultation, personalised support plan or IEP).

Involving parents and children/young people in planning and reviewing progress

Involving Parents and CYP in Planning and Reviewing Progress

The SENCo will maintain an overview of progress, work with practitioners to check provision is relevant and appropriate and will organise and assist with regular reviews.  When progress is re-evaluated and a concern still remains then a joint decision may be made to utilise other support available within the school or to seek advice and/or support from other agencies within the local authority (e.g. educational psychologist, speech and language therapist, specialist teacher of the visually or hearing impaired, autism outreach service, physiotherapist or occupational therapist).  The needs, targets, support strategies and provision are always carefully planned and tailored to each child (e.g. through the use of Individual Education Plans or IEPs). We recognise that parents and children themselves hold key information and have a critical role to play in making plans, deciding targets and reviewing progress.  The key worker will always liaise closely with parents to ensure we are working in partnership.  

We also aim to give children the opportunity to follow their interests, make their own choices and to express their views as far as they are able.  Children are assisted with and encouraged to express their views by adding comments or pictures to their ‘All About Me’ record books.  Staff supplement this by observing and interacting with the children, identifying their current motivators and triggers and using this information to inform planning.

The planning and reviewing process may include:   

• Discussions and consultations with parents concerning progress and next steps.
• Key worker seeking child’s views as their contribution.
• Assessment data monitored by class teacher and SENCo to help ensure appropriate planning and provision.
• An open door policy allowing parents to discuss issues as and when the need arises in order to support the child fully.
• Regular reviews of plans and targets made (usually termly).
• Meeting with the SENCo to jointly agree targets, strategies and future provision.
• Children with an Education & Health Care Plan (EHCP) will have a formal review (6 monthly) in addition to the above.  Parents contribute and take part in the review and receive copies of all relevant paperwork.
• SENCo sharing knowledge and signposting parents to other information and support services as appropriate.

Additional support

Additional Support

The categories of SEN set out in the Draft SEN Code of Practice (2014) are:

• Communication and interaction
• Cognition and learning
• Social, mental and emotional health
• Sensory and/or physical.

Our SENCo and Deputy SENCo, who are both experienced teachers, assist with planning and delivering specifically tailored small group or individual work supported by other staff in the school. They also monitor and provide guidance to staff working with pupils within the classroom to ensure provision is well tuned and suited to the individual needs of the children. Support offered to children will vary and be dependent on the needs of the current cohort and individuals within the nursery and may include as appropriate:

• Teachers have high expectations for all children.
• Teaching is based on building on what children already know, can do and can understand.
• Planning by staff experienced and skilled at adapting and modifying activities and provision to suit the needs of different children ensuring progress and success for all.
• Learning opportunities delivered by staff who are sensitive and responsive to the changing needs and interests of children and to a range of learning styles.
• Access to and guidance on introducing a wide range of supportive strategies (e.g. visual timetables, PECS, ABC behaviour chart, total communication, ‘I talk’) in the classroom.
• Learning support staff effectively deployed to support children’s learning.
• Additional adult support during continuous provision and during group times.
• Individual targets that are specific, measureable and achievable.
• Adapted resources.
• Specific small group support work (e.g. speech and language programme delivery, PALS (Playing and Learning to Socialise).
• Specific one-to-one support work (e.g. See and Learn programme).
• Use of a wide range of sensory equipment and sensory room (e.g. sensory circuits).
• Use of ICT (e.g. interactive whiteboard).

In addition to the support and provision made in the mainstream nursery, the nursery is resourced to take up to 6 children in the Resource Unit (RU). All of these children have a diagnosis of autism & may have complex needs which might include language, social interaction, physical, sensory or medical needs. Children from the RU receive a high level of small group & individual support in their own classroom base. They also join their mainstream peers in free-flow play every day, with adult support, and they join adult-led learning groups with the mainstream children, as appropriate.

Extra activities

Extra Activities

To enhance our curriculum we sometimes make trips in small groups to places in the local community (e.g. Thames Valley Adventure Playground, Burnham Beeches or local shops). We also encourage visits into the nursery and these have included Zoolab, and a mobile farm. All activities are planned around the children’s individual needs and abilities and will vary accordingly. Risk assessments are carried out beforehand to ensure it is accessible for all to access and additional supportive measures are put in place prior to and during a visit as and when needed.

Meeting social and emotional needs of children/young people

Meeting the Social and Emotional Needs of CYP with SEN

Personal, social and emotional development is a prime area in the Early Years Foundation Stage. We fully recognise its importance as a fundamental building block to engagement and well-being at nursery and to future learning success. All children in the nursery are encouraged to respect others, and there is a particular emphasis on independence, sharing and turn-taking activities throughout the nursery and particularly in the resource unit.

Meeting these needs may include:

• Key person developing close, secure relationships with children and parents.
• Class teacher who monitors progress, attainment and next steps in learning. Then plans tailored provision to meet those needs and carefully evaluates it’s impact.
• Staff with experience and particular understanding of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.
• Whole school circle time programme
• Additional targeted small group (e.g. PALS)
• Access to family support worker
• Access to local outside agencies (e.g. behaviour support service, educational psychology service)
• Special transition planning arrangements for vulnerable children
• Positive Handling techniques (We use positive behaviour strategies throughout the nursery and have individual positive handling plans in place for any SEN children who have challenging behaviour).

Keeping up to date with knowledge and skills

Keeping up to Date with Knowledge and Skills

Staff have a wide range of experience and have undertaken training in many different areas. This monitored by the SENCo and headteacher who organises staff to utilise expertise, support other colleagues and to best meet the needs of the children in the school. Areas of particular knowledge or experience are:

• SENCo who is an experienced teacher and holds the national qualification for SENCo’s.
• Deputy SENCo who is an experienced teacher and has a wealth of up to date training and knowledge on how best to support children with a variety of needs.
• Sensory and physical difficulties (including visual and hearing impairment)
• Learning difficulties (including ‘see and learn’ programme)
• Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties
• Total Communication approaches (e.g. Makaton)
• Speech, language and communication difficulties
• Medical conditions
• Autistic spectrum disorders (including visual aids, Attention Autism, Work stations and PECs)
• Team Teach Strategies 

Transitions

Transitions

We recognise the importance of making a smooth transition to nursery & from nursery to primary school and actively work with children, parents and other schools to do this. We ensure that concerns are listened to and addressed, appropriate support is given and that information is shared so that supportive strategies can be continued and appropriate provision and planning made when the child begins at their new school. This may include:

• Pre nursery visits
• Discussions with parents
• Discussions with children
• Using key worker and parental observations of the child
• Supportive strategies and tangible aids for the child (e.g. photo book)
• Sharing information with the receiving school
• Transition planning meeting with all involved
• Seeking advice from other supportive agencies
• School staff visiting the child in the nursery
• Additional visits to the receiving school
• Supportive advice for parents 

Helpful contacts

Helpful Contacts

Interim Headteacher & SENCo - Mrs. Z. Keating

Deputy SENCo and Senior Teacher – Miss. K. Hotson

Governor with responsibility for SEN - Mr. Mahesh Yanambakkam

 

Slough Centre Nursery

Buckingham Avenue East

Slough

Berkshire

SL1 3EA

(01753) 521975

website: www.sloughcentrenursery.co.uk

e-mail: admin@slough-nursery.slough.sch.uk