General Safeguarding and Welfare Requirement: Equal opportunities

Providers must have and implement a policy, and procedures, to promote equality of opportunity for children in their care, including support for children with special educational needs or disabilities.

9.2 SEN Inclusion Policy

Policy statement

We provide a high quality environment with high expectations where we monitor outcomes of all children including those with special educational needs, supporting through early identification, transition and outcome to reach their full potential.

  • We have regard for the DfE Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2014).
  • We ensure our provision is inclusive to all children with special educational needs.
  • We support parents and children with special educational needs (SEN).
  • We identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and meet those needs through a range of SEN strategies which are Bucket Time/Intensive Interactions/PALS//Box of Feelings/Speech & Language Tool Kit.
  • We work in partnership with parents and other agencies in meeting individual children's needs such as Occupational Therapist, Health Visitors, Speech & Language, GP, Potage, Specialist Hearing Aiders .
  • We monitor and review our policy, practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.

Procedures

  • We designate a member of staff to be the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and give her name to parents. Our SENCO is-

Eva Apeed

We have a Inclusion Support worker who works with designated children for pacific periods of time. Our inclusion worker is- Eva Apeed

  • We ensure that the provision for children with special educational needs is the responsibility of all members of the setting as agency, carers, staff in line with SEND Code of Practice 2014.
  • We ensure that our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity.
  • We use the graduated response system for identifying, assessing and responding to children's special educational needs.
  • We work closely with parents of children with special educational needs to create and maintain a positive partnership.
  • We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their children's education.
  • We provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support guiding them towards Local Offer via FSD (Family Service Directory).
  • We liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and their families, including transfer arrangements to other settings and schools.
  • We provide a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum for all children with special educational needs.
  • We use a system of planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing individual support plans (ISPs) for children with special educational needs.
  • We ensure that children with special educational needs are appropriately involved at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their levels of ability.
  • We have systems in place for supporting children during the SEN Support.
  • We have systems in place for working with other agencies through SEN Support, Statutory Assessment and the Statementing process (stage 4 on Continuum of Need) as well as Education Health Care Plan (EHCP).
  • We use a system for keeping records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for children with special educational needs when each child posses its own folder.
  • We provide resources (human and financial) to implement our Special Educational Needs Policy.
  • We provide in-service training for parents, practitioners and volunteers.
  • We raise awareness of any specialism Giggles Day Nursery has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff, Bilingual.
  • We ensure the effectiveness of our special educational needs provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. Individual Support Plan reviews, staff and meetings, parental and external agency's views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually.
  • We provide a complaints procedure.
  • We monitor and review our policy annually.

Further guidance

  • Issues in Earlier Intervention: Identifying and Supporting Children with Additional Needs (DCSF 2010)
  • Early Years Foundation Stage and the Disability Discrimination Act (DCSF 2010)
  • The Team Around the Child (TAC) and the Lead Professional: A Guide for Managers (CWDC 2009)
  • The Common Assessment Framework for Children and Young People: A Guide for Managers (CWDC 2010)
  • Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (DfES 2014)
  • Equality Act (2010)
  • Childcare Act (2006)
  • Early Intervention Service (2013)

Supporting children with Special Educational Needs Policy

Giggles Day Nursery Aims

Here at Giggles Day Nursery we believe that all children regardless of their individual needs have the right to a broad, balanced and purposeful early year’s curriculum and full access to all activities in a welcoming and secure learning environment. It is our intention, and we are committed to welcoming all children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years into our inclusive setting. In order to do this we aim to identify any difficulties a child might have and to work closely with the child, their parents/carers and other agencies if necessary.

We aim to provide an environment in which all children, including those with special educational needs are supported to reach their full potential. Our provision is inclusive to all children with Special Educational Needs and /or disabilitiesand all children in our care are respected and valued .We will work together with parents to support children to manage their difficulties and plan programmes to support this. We will encourage positive behaviour in the setting by staff, children and their parents/carers and ensure that inappropriate attitudes and practices will be challenged. We will work together with outside agencies, the children and the parent to produce and implement individual educational plans and regularly review ISP’s to ensure they remain appropriate for each individual child, these will be closely monitored and changes made when necessary.

Our Special Educational needs policy is written with regard to the Department for Education and Skills Council (DCSF) 2014SEN codes of practice, to the guidelines supplied by the Local Education Authority and the DFES.

Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator

EvaApeedis our setting based Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator(SENCO).

Our setting based SENCO

  • Works with other staff to agree and implement the SEN/Inclusion Policy
  • Helps us to identify children’s special educational needs
  • Helps support staff with planning approaches to working with and supporting children with special educational needs
  • Supports parents and updates the parents with their children’s progress
  • Makes sure the children’s progress is regularly reviewed
  • Makes sure the parents are fully involved with the planning for their child
  • Liaises with outside agencies
  • Supports staff development
  • Keeps appropriate records
  • Assists staff in making observations and assessments
  • Contacts our Early Years SEN Advisory Teacher at an early stage for informal advice and support
  • Our Early Years SEN Advisory Teacher is Joy Nuthall

Inclusion arrangements

We ensure that the provision for children with special educational needs is the responsibility of all members of the setting. By sharing this responsibility we ensure that all children are included according to their needs.

Admissions Arrangements

  • We ensure that the existence of Giggles Day Nursery is widely advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.
  • We ensure that information about Giggles Day Nursery is accessible, in written and spoken form and where appropriate in more than one language. Where necessary we will try to provide translated written materials where language needs of families suggest this is required as well as access to an interpreter.
  • We arrange our waiting list on a first come basis. In addition we may take into account the following;
  • the vicinity of the home to the setting; and
  • siblings already attending the setting
  • We keep a place vacant, if this is financially viable, to accommodate an emergency admission.
  • We ensure that our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity.
  • Our admissions form contains a section on’ Has your child any Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities’ so that additional support need is identified as early as possible
  • We work together with Health Care providers in regards to 2yr old checks focusing on children’s strengths and concerns to help us provide strategies.
  • We describe Giggles Day Nursery and its practises in terms of how it treats each child and their family, having regard to their needs arising from their gender, special educational needs, disabilities, social background, religion, and ethnicity or from English being a newly acquired additional language.
  • We describe Giggles Day Nursery and its practices in terms of how it enables children and /or parents with disabilities to take part in the life of the setting.
  • We make our Valuing Diversity and Promoting equality policy widely known.
  • We are flexible about attendance patterns to accommodate the needs of individual children and families, providing these do not disrupt the pattern of continuity in Giggles day Nursery that provides stability for all the children.

Access for disabled Adults and Children

Our building is suitable for wheelchair access and in view of the Disability Discrimination Act 2004; we will make reasonable adjustments where necessary to accommodate disabled children and adults using our building and ensure equality of opportunity to all. We use the early year’s tracker system to pass on information of a child’s needs and abilities when children transfer to a new setting/ school to ensure continuity of care for the child.

Our building is all on one floor, we have a disabled ramp to gain access to the building. All corridors and doorways are wide enough to accommodate wheelchair use.

Partnership with Parents

At Giggles Day Nursery we work closely with parents in the support of those children with special educational needs. We encourage an active partnership through an ongoing dialogue with parents and consult with parents at every level of intervention. Parents have much to contribute to our support for children with special educational needs. We provide parents with information on sources of independent advice

We have termly meetings with parents in a private quiet area to review their progress of their children against the targets set in the ISP and to set new targets for the next term. We discuss any outside intervention with the parents and we support the process of decision making by providing clear information relating to the education of children with special educational needs.

Confidentiality

  • We will respect parent’s/carers rights to confidentiality when supporting children with SEN.
  • We always check whether parents regard information they share with us to be regarded as confidential or not.
  • We will always discuss any possible referrals to other services with parents to seek their agreement before we make such referrals.
  • All meetings with parents other than the normal parent staff contact will take place in private.
  • All our staff will need to be aware of any ISP targets agreed for a child as they are likely to be involved in supporting that child. However, all staff are also aware that their knowledge of these targets is privileged information which should not be shared with anyone without the permission of either the setting manager ,SENCO or Parent/carer
  • All records will be kept in the locked office of the nursery.
  • All staff have signed a confidentiality agreement.

Staffing and Training

Giggles Day nursery is committed to providing training and development to staff to support SEN/Inclusion.

Eva Apeed(SENCo, & NVQ2 in Childcare in Education) has completed the four sessions of SENCo training in supporting children with special educational needs and regularly attends relevant SEN training organised through the EYDCP and the local authority each year, to keep up to date with new SEN information as well as meeting with our Hounslow area SEN coordinator Eva is also trained for Makaton (in house training).

We have also Aleksandra Stawiak who is SENCo back up persona QTS & NVQ3 trained.

All qualified &trainee staff employed for more than 3 months are booked to attend first Aid training.

  • We provide in-service training for parents, practitioners and volunteers.
  • We raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer.
  • Staff have regular staff meetings to discuss SEN children’s progress/achievements or any difficulties that may have arisen.
  • Additionally staff have meetings with Eva to discuss those children with any concerns after children first 6 weeks in the setting.

Curriculum, Resources and Learning Environment

The nursery follows the four principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) which shapes practice for each individual child’s learning and development.

The four principles are as stated below-

  • Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured.
  • Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
  • Children learn to develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
  • Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates.

The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision including children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The EYFS comprises of seven areas of learning and development, made up of three prime areas which are-

  • Communication and language
  • Physical development
  • Personal, social and emotional development

And the remaining four are-

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding of the world
  • Expressive arts and design
  • Access through trackers/Ecat/2yr old checks/Development matters

We have a range of resources including SEN books, toys and pictures and visual timetables available to support children with special educational needs Activities are planned and resources adapted and varied to meet a range of needs. Our nursery budget ensures we have enough capital to purchase any relevant resources, and furniture needed to support children with Special Educational Needs. Our SENCO will also gain resources from the Hounslow Toy Library. We are able to apply for funding if it is felt additional support workers are required.

Identification and assessment

Assessment plays an important part in helping parents, carers and practitioners to recognise children’s progress, understand their needs, and to plan activities and support.

Graduated Response

A graduated response is part of the SEN code of practise to help meet children’s needs. The stages are as follows: Assess, Plan, Review and Do.

Assess

  • We use initial observations and assessments from staff, information received from external resources and/or parental concern to support early identification.
  • We use on-going observational assessments linked to the Early Years Outcomes/Development Matters to support early identification of needs.

Plan

  • We use Individual Support Plans (ISPs) to agree targets, interventions and support for a child identified with special educational needs with a child-centred focus and outcomes underpinning and informing the content of the plan.
  • The SENCO will liaise with the child’s parents/carers, together with the child and external agencies, if appropriate, in planning new ISPs.
  • We encourage parents/carers to attend ISP meetings.

Do

  • Key Person / Inclusion Support Worker will be responsible for working with the child on a daily basis
  • Our SENCO will support and oversee implementation of the ISPs.

Review

The SENCO will organise review meetings with parents/carers, Key Person and/or Inclusion Support Worker and external professionals to monitor progress

SEN Support:a graduated approach to supporting children with SEN.

  • We check each child’s progress and monitor any child who seems to be having difficulties in any area of learning, including problems with behaviour.
  • We record each child’s progress and share it with parents or carers on a regular basis through discussions and/or a home-setting dairy (home link book)
  • If a child needs something additional to or different from our usual early years curriculum, we discuss this with parents or carers (and if possible the child) and together prepare an Individual Support Plan (ISP) which shows clear targets for the child. We review this plan regularly with parents or carers.
  • Acknowledge when we continue to be unable to meet the needs of the child and discuss with everybody involved, especially the parents, a request of the LEA for a statutory assessment of the child.
  • If a child is still having difficulties and their needs are not being met within the setting, we will request further support and advice from the Local Authority’s support professionals i.e. The Early Intervention Teams.
  • The SENCo will liaise with external professionals and the child’s parents/carers, together with the child, if appropriate, in planning new ISP.
  • The SENCo will organise review meetings with external professionals, parents/carers, Key Worker and/or Inclusion Support Worker to monitor progress.

Request for Statutory Assessment

  • The child is considered for Statutory Assessment by the SENCo in consultation with the parents and outside professionals. The Local Authority (LA) considers the need for a statutory assessment via the Pre School Panel, and if appropriate a multi-disciplinary will be made.

Statement for Special Educational Needs/EHCP (Education Health Care Plan)

  • If the LA decides that there is sufficient need for a statutory assessment, evidence will need to be collected by the setting. The LA may request that the setting write an assessment. If the LA considers the need for a statement of special educational needs as appropriate, they will make a statement and arrange, monitor and review provision.
  • We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their children’s education.
  • We use a system for keeping records of the assessments, planning, provision and review for children with special educational needs.
  • We ensure the effectiveness of our special educational needs provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. Individual Support Plan reviews, staff and management meetings, parental and external agency’s views, inspections and complaints. This information is collected, evaluated and reviewed annually.

Links with support services and other Agencies