1. How do Grove Road Pre-School know if young children need extra help and what our parents/carers should do if they think their child may have special educational needs or disabilities?
    At Grove Road Pre-School we treat every child as an individual.  Your child will be allocated a key person who will be responsible for assessing and recording your child’s development. The key person completes observations on your child during their time in our early years setting. The key person will also share information with you about your child’s development and we encourage you to share information to the key person about your child’s development at home.Through the use of observations and planning for their next steps we are able to identify any concerns about your child’s development, this we will share with you, and with consent we will contact other professionals if required.If you have any concerns about your child you should speak with your child’s key person who will relay to the manager or designated SENCO (special educational needs co-ordinator) who will be able to take it further.
  2. How Grove Road Pre-School supports young children with special educational needs or disabilities? Your child’s key person and SENCO will work in partnership with both you and your child.  This relationship will ensure that we share knowledge concerning your child and their development.This knowledge begins with the All About Me and continues with regular meetings relating to their next steps.  Through continual observations we can plan for your child including assessing additional support from other professionals as appropriate i.e. health visitor.With your permission, we will contact the appropriate outside agency if required either for advice or to make a referral with any concerns.  We will implement strategies and advice offered as appropriate.

    We use a visual routine board which supports children if they do not like change as the visual routine board informs the child of what is going to happen next and gives the child time to prepare for a change.

  3. How Grove Road Pre-School creates learning and development opportunities for individual children with a special educational need or disability. Every child is viewed as ‘unique’ therefore we plan for your child’s development based on observations of your child and evidence gained for their Learning Journal.The key person through talking with you, your child and through observation and talking with other colleagues within the Pre-School will get to know what your child’s interests are.  They will get to know what your child’s favourite activities are and how they prefer to learn.  Using this information supports the key person in adapting any activities needed to support your child in accessing the early year’s curriculum.The environment your child plays in, will be appropriate for their needs and additional support or resources will be supplied as appropriate.
  4. How Grove Road Pre-School works in partnership with parents/carers. A strong relationship between the setting and Parents is important to the Pre-School.Your child’s progress will be recorded in your child’s Online Learning Journal through written comments, observations and photographs and with input from you as well, such as photos taken on holiday or at home.You have access to view your child’s Online Learning Journal at your leisure and your child’s key person, manager or SENCO will meet with you regularly to discuss your child’s development and next steps.

    We are always available to discuss any concerns you have regarding your child’s learning.

  5. How Grove Road Pre-School supports the wellbeing of young children with special educational need or disability. We offer ‘settling in’ sessions which will familiarise your child with the Pre-School and also enable support for your child to be discussed before they commence at Pre-School.Care routines will be discussed prior to starting at the Pre-School, including nappy changing.We are able to administer prescribed medicines once the appropriate form has been completed.  If additional training is required to administer medicine we will undertake this as necessary.

    We also support children with special dietary requirements.

    Promoting positive behaviour is important to the Pre-School.  We will always discuss any behaviour concerns with you in order to maintain a consistent approach between home and the setting.

    The safety of your child is paramount.  Parents are requested to provide details of who is due to collect them each session.

    We have security system, locking gates and members of staff positioned at doors and gates during the children’s arrival and when they leave.  We will not allow any child off the premises if the person collecting them is not known to the Pre-School.

    We regularly undertake and review risk assessments on our equipment to ensure they are fit for purpose.  Risk assessments are also completed if the children are taking into the adjacent school grounds.

    We have health and safety policies which are implemented daily.  Copies of these are in the main reception of the setting in the policy folder for parents.

  6. Staff training and experience in supporting young children with special educational need or disability. All staff continually receive and refresh their training.  All staff are qualified within Early Years or are currently studying for qualifications.We continually reflect upon our practice and will attend training when a particular need is identified.We have a team of practitioners with many year’s experience in working with children and families with SEND. The manager and SENCO both have attended SEN Code of Practice training with the SENCO attending the most recent SEND Code of Practice training.

    We have early years practitioners trained in supporting children with Autism. We are trained in delivering the SEN Code of Practice and are trained in ‘Early Language Development’.

    We have been trained in ‘Behaviour Management’. We are trained in Safeguarding children and are first aid trained. We access training in house and through Essex County Council. We also access training through the Area SENCO.

  7. Specialist services and expertise accessed by Grove Road Pre-School We work with all professionals as required for each child and always encourage these persons to come and visit the relevant children in the setting.If required we will contact and work with appropriate outside agencies.  We will obtain parental consent before contact with any outside agencies is made we will include parents in all decisions made and meetings held.If speech and language concerns are identified by the setting, we will advise the parents to take their child to the Speech and Language drop in sessions at the Family Centres or to contact their Health Visitor.  We work with Speech and Language therapists and the reports they provide to support the children in their language development.

    We also have access to our area SENCO who offers support to the Pre-School and our families.

  8. How Grove Road Pre-School includes young people with SEND in community based activities and outings. We would complete a risk assessment and you would be informed about any outings in advance of an outing taking place. Sometimes children might go into the school grounds, up to the pond, onto the school field or into the woods on the Pre-School grounds.We would take your child’s medication with us (if applicable) which would be discussed at the risk assessment meeting. A recce of the place would take place before any risk assessment is completed to ensure for example, there would be wheelchair access.
  9. Our accessible environment We will work closely with all parents to access any specialist equipment that may be required.The Pre-School is fully accessible with ramp leading to the main doors, accessible toilet, accessible doors and full access to all equipment and outside areas.  We also complete a yearly assessment of our premises to evaluate our accessibility.Visual timetables are used to assist children with daily routine if required.  The setting will acquire any resources to support families and children with additional needs from the appropriate agencies.
  10. How Grove Road Pre-School prepares and supports young children with SEND when joining the Pre-School and when transferring to another setting or school. Before your child joins the Pre-School we encourage you to visit the Pre-School so that you can both become equated with the environment.  You will have the opportunity to attend a drop in open day where you will meet the staff, other families and children that attend.We will also give you a booklet with photographs of the key adults within the setting who will have contact with your child, that way you can start the process from home sharing the photographs with your child and naming the key adults he/she will be in contact with in the setting. The booklet will also have photographs of the classroom and other key areas within the setting.Then closer to your child’s start date we have an intake day where discussion of personal details and relevant information is shared.

    We work closely with each family to develop a settling in routine to match your child’s needs.

    We have a detailed transition policy which we follow when children are moving on to school.  We have regular meeting with the staff of the local schools where we are able to discuss the specific needs to individual children (once we have obtained permission from parents/careers.)

  11. How Grove Road Pre-School organise our resources to meet the needs of young children with SEND. We are a registered charity with limited funds, however we are able to apply for funding from Essex County Council to support individual children as required.  We would also ensure staff attend any specific training necessary.The Pre-School has access to borrow specialist toys and equipment if required.
  12. How Grove Road Pre-School decide on appropriate support for young children with SEND. The Pre-School management team and the SENCO will work closely with you and other professionals to determine your child’s needs.  We have regular team meetings to involve all staff in any support required.In addition the Key Person will be able to identify any additional support through the observation procedure required by the Early Years Foundation Stage and Play Plans or Individual Educational Plans will be made as necessary.
  13. How we involve all parents/carers in Grove Road Pre-School. We are a Committee run Pre-School where parents/carers are invited to join the committee, attend half termly meetings and engage in fundraising ideas and events supporting staff and children at the setting.Strong relationships with parents are important to the Pre-School.  We operate an open door policy and newsletters are available every half term.  We also give a verbal account at the end of each session.We offer a Stay and Play session for parents to share the Pre-School experience with their child, and parents, grandparents, carers also have the opportunity to volunteer to be a parent helper for a session.

    Social events are also arrange throughout the year ranging from Easter Egg Hunts, cake sales, fetes and meals.

  14. Who to contact for further information. More detailed information is available in our policies and procedures, specifically:Promoting positive behaviour
    Inclusion
    Administration of medication
    Supporting children with additional needs
    Parent partnership.

    This can be found on our policies and procedures page

    To register your child please contact the Pre-School
    on 01268 747322 or groveroadpreschool@hotmail.co.uk.

    You can also download a registration form from this website.

    If you would like to discuss your child’s needs before registering please contact either the Pre-school Managers, Jackie Standen or Anne May on the contact details above.