Early Years Local Offer response

Learning and development

Systems and strategies we have in place to identify children that may require additional support

Early identification of individual needs is supported by initial transition sessions during which we build relationships with the parents/carers of new children and encourage the sharing of information about their child’s learning and development. Our teacher, Room Leader and Key Persons are experienced in identifying children who need additional support or targeted interventions and practitioner judgement is supported by our rigorous observation and assessment cycle. We build on our parent partnerships through Stay and Play Sessions and offer Home Visits.

How we identify and support children's learning and development needs

The EYFS document, Development Matters is used to underpin our observations and assessments of each child’s development and systems of progress monitoring support the tracking of children’s learning to ensure that there is rapid sustained progress in the Prime and Specific Areas of learning and clear evidence of children displaying characteristics of effective learning. We identify children from vulnerable groups such as those in receipt of 2 Year Old Funding, Forces Families, looked after children and children with English as an Additional Language. We also use the Leuven Scales to support our observations of children’s involvement and well-being. Where we have concerns, we are able to identify gaps in learning or delays in progression and to target support appropriately. Once identified, the SENCo Team will meet with our Room Leader, Key Person and parents/carers to discuss concerns, putting nursery based interventions in place or making referrals to the appropriate outside agencies in consultation with parents/carers.

Links we have to other agencies

Our strong EYFS team includes experienced Key Persons and a highly experienced School SENCo, who supports meetings, leads and attends TAC and Child Protection Meetings and has access to advice from a range of professionals. We have close links with the Health Visitor Team. We also have close links with the Speech and Language Therapy Team, as well as the Early Years Inclusion Service. Parc Eglos School has developed strong working relationships with the following agencies: CAMHS (child and adolescent mental health service), Educational Psychology Service, speech and language therapist, school nurse, behaviour support advisor, Penhaligon’s Friends, Barnardo’s, FIS (family information service) including family support workers, physiotherapists, nurses specialising in diabetes, epilepsy, continence, paediatricians, clinical psychology service, audiology services and visual impairment services.We also have access to the school Autism Champion and a fully trained Speech and Language Specialist Teaching Assistant, and TIS trained Mental Health Champions.

How we support children transferring to school

We welcome children and their parents/carers considering Parc Eglos Nursery for taster sessions with opportunities to engage in play, meet other children and staff. Preparation for transition to school is embedded in our curriculum in the pre-school year. The majority of the nursery children have traditionally gone on to attend Parc Eglos School (although a school place is not guaranteed and the usual County procedures for applications apply) and we work very closely with the School as an EYFS Team in sharing good practice in moderating assessments, supporting vulnerable groups and supporting children with individual needs. There is clear communication and sharing of information between nursery and Foundation staff and we continue to support Learning Passports and TAC meetings as appropriate. We use the School environment for a range of activities including the ICT suite, the School Hall and the school swimming pool for weekly swimming lessons. Our Key Persons accompany the children and their families to their Learning Together sessions in school. We are able to provide additional support in transition for children with individual needs, by attending Action Plan or TAC meetings, creating ‘Social Stories’ and arranging additional transition sessions between nursery and school. We are able to support parents/carers in making their online application for a school place.

Welfare

Specialist skills or training our staff have

Our current policy is to employ staff who have a minimum Level 3 childcare qualification. All our staff have had Safeguarding training which is regularly updated. We provide annual in house training on health and safety. We have staff who are trained in Paediatric First Aid, Food Hygiene, Makaton, Food Hygiene, Team Teach, Visual Support and support for children with sensory needs.

Support we offer regarding children's health and well-being

We use the Leuven Scales to track involvement and well-being, sharing this information with families and using our tracking to target interventions effectively. We identify our vulnerable groups on entry and liaise with parents/carers to ensure we are meeting the needs of all our children. We write health care plans and individualised risk assessments to support children with individual needs. We serve healthy snack, milk and water each session. Our lunches are cooked on site in our school kitchen and we are able to cater for individual dietary and sensory needs. We work closely with families and, when necessary, with the Health Visiting Team e.g. in supporting dietary needs and providing support with toilet training.

Ways we inform parents about how their child is being supported

Parents/carers are invited to attend a Parent Information evening, outlining the roles and responsibilities of the members of the team including the SENCo and Designated Safeguarding Lead, and outlining the way in which we work. We also send this information home in written form. We have an ‘open door’ policy with regard to liaising with parents/carers and we offer regular stay and play sessions and/or home visits, at the parents/carers request. Our summative assessment and Two Year Progress checks are informed by and shared with parents/carers and our planning responds to individual next steps and children’s fascinations and interests. We send home ideas for activities for parents/carers which support children with Communication and Language and other aspects of their development. We work together with parents/carers in making referrals to other professionals. We attend meetings with parents/carers and external agencies and put in place Action Plans for children with individual needs.

Our complaints policy

We believe that children and parents/carers are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve our setting and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of the setting. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly, by an informal approach with the appropriate member of staff. For example we send out an annual questionnaire, to ensure that parents/carers voice informs our practice. We work closely with families to ensure that parents/carers feel comfortable in coming to speak with their child’s Key Person, Teacher, Room Leader or Class Teacher. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns. We aim to bring all concerns about the running of our setting to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved. Our complaints policy is available on our website or from the nursery office.

Access

Alterations we have made to make our building accessible

Ramps around the whole school building allow for wheelchair access to the nursery through the school building.

Facilities we have for personal care

Our purpose refurbished nursery has low level toilets and we provide steps, child seats and potties to support toilet training. We have low level sinks, hand wash and paper towel dispensers. Our two year area has nappy changing facilities.

Specialist resources we have

We offer additional fully inclusive weekly activities led by specialist teachers for our pre-school children such as swimming. Our swimming teacher is experienced in working with children with a range of additional needs. We have a purpose built nursery garden, providing low level climbing equipment to support children with sensory profiling difficulties. We have an interactive board. We use beige backgrounds and provide natural resources indoors where possible. We have cosy corners to promote speech and language development.

How we include all children in activities, such as trips

Our planning is fully inclusive, building on the needs, interests and fascinations of every child. We ensure that next steps inform our planning. Trips are linked to aspects of our planning and focus on using our local area and community. We ensure that risk assessments address individual needs. We invite parents/carers to join us on our visits and ensure we have appropriate staffing ratios in place, in line with the abilities and needs of the individual children we are taking out of the setting. We have policies in place which inform our practice with regard to outdoor visits.