Local Offer

Contact Name
Karen Barnes SENDCO

‍Contact Telephone
01296 489457

‍Contact Email
SENCO@newmillsidepre-school.co.uk

‍Local Offer Links
All policies & procedures

‍Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years (0-5 years)

‍SEN Provision Type
Universal service (No referral required)
Early Years Local Offer Response

How does the setting know if a child will need extra help and what should families do if they think their child may have Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND)?
All children attending the setting are observed on their learning and development. These assessments will identify if your child needs additional support. Your child will be monitored and supported by the setting and outside agencies with parental consent. Each child has a key person and or SEN Support, the child’s main care giver at the setting. Discussions with you and your child will take place with their key person. New Millside can cater for children with special educational needs such as autism, speech and language difficulties, behavioural problems, English as an Additional Language and disabilities. New Millside caters for our local diverse community and actively involve groups such as travellers. The pre-school is supported by METAS. METAS support the setting and families with communication barriers, English as an additional language (EAL), etc. Our setting includes all of our families in parent days and the completion of an ‘All About Me’ book on admission. We have home/school books for children with SEND

‍How will staff in the setting support a child with SEND?
Our staff are widely trained in many areas, including speech and language, autism and behaviour management. New Millside’s key person approach involves each key person to plan around their children’s individual needs. Each key person tracks their child’s development and reviews their progress regularly. The home link diary supports communication between parents and key persons. A key person will log in the diary what the child is working on and what activity their parents can carry out with the child at home to support their learning. On induction each child receives an ‘All About Me’ form which focuses on their strengths, areas for development, home life, interests and language. Observation, assessment and planning along with the routine of the pre-school is explained on induction. New Millside sends a Parents’ Questionnaire annually to each family to gather opinions on the service and support we provide to children and their families. These results are used to inform us of where developments are needed. The pre-school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) is familiar with the SEND Code of Practice, monitors records and ensures they are kept up-to-date regarding information about your child’s learning and progress. Our SENCo establishes and maintains positive relationships with our parents; informing of any progress, ensuring the staff are familiar with the SEND policy and that it is reviewed annually with all trustees. Our SENCo supports staff with SEND children. Our setting SENCo liaises with the Services for Young Children Area Inclusion Coordinator (InCo) and other professionals; attends the professional’s SEND support group and coordinates transitions to school. The SENCo when in need of support from the Inclusion Co-ordinator regarding your child will undertake a process of referral. A form ‘child of concern’ would be completed and a meeting arrange for the Inclusion Co-ordinator to attend the setting to observe your child during the session.

‍How will staff work with families about how a child with SEND is doing and how to support a child's learning?
Every child is unique – we therefore plan for a child’s development based on observations and evidence gained from their Learning Journey. We take into consideration your child’s progress and plan and support the child at their own pace. We use the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as a guide for a child’s development. The pre-school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) and Behaviour Coordinator (BeCo) helps children who need extra support. They will ensure that child’s key person is provided with support and activities for your child to learn within the area of need. Progress will be evidenced in your child’s learning journal and Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) (IEP) will be written to support learning in the setting and in the home. Targets will be reviewed regularly to ensure your child is making progress. Observations are taken on your child and an assessment is made, this will highlight areas of development that may need to be focused on. Planning will be addressed within these areas of learning.

‍What support does the setting offer for a child with SEND's overall well-being?
We offer a session which will familiarise your child with the pre-school and also enable support for your child to be discussed before they start. Care routines will be discussed prior to starting, including nappy changing. We are able to administer prescribed medication once the appropriate form has been completed. If additional training is required we will undertake this as necessary. Promoting positive behaviour is important to our setting and we ensure this is met, by using our Golden Rules that are discussed and written by the children. We will always discuss any behaviour concerns with you in order to maintain a consistent approach between home and our setting. The safety of your child is paramount. Parents are requested to complete a ‘collection form’ before the child starts, giving us details of who will collect their child, a password and a photograph to accompany. No child will leave the setting with an adult if they are not on this form. We regularly review our risk assessment procedures that are carried out daily before the start of each session from both a 2 and 3 year old perspective. Risk assessment for any trip will be completed prior to the visit, this includes short walks around the local area.

‍What specialist services and expertise are available at, or accessed by, the setting?
We offer a session which will familiarise your child with the pre-school and also enable support for your child to be discussed before they start. Care routines will be discussed prior to starting, including nappy changing. We are able to administer prescribed medication once the appropriate form has been completed. If additional training is required we will undertake this as necessary. Promoting positive behaviour is important to our setting and we ensure this is met, by using our Golden Rules that are discussed and written by the children. We will always discuss any behaviour concerns with you in order to maintain a consistent approach between home and our setting. The safety of your child is paramount. Parents are requested to complete a ‘collection form’ before the child starts, giving us details of who will collect their child, a password and a photograph to accompany. No child will leave the setting with an adult if they are not on this form. We regularly review our risk assessment procedures that are carried out daily before the start of each session from both a 2 and 3 year old perspective. Risk assessment for any trip will be completed prior to the visit, this includes short walks around the local area.

‍What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having?
The staff continually receive and refresh their training. Most staff are qualified with Early Years qualifications or are currently working toward qualifications. Staff have attended Promoting Positive Behaviour, English as an additional language and Early Years SENDCO Liaison Group meetings. We continually reflect upon our practice and will attend training when a particular need is identified. See link above for details of ‘staff training & qualifications’.

‍How will a child with SEND be included in activities outside the setting?
All children are welcome to attend trips. Parents give consent to outings on our permission letter when they first start. Parents are notified before a trip for permission and to identify any particular needs. Risk assessments are completed. Volunteers to assist on the trips are requested from the children’s families. Depending on their need, children will have a SEN support worker on visits. Visual timetables will be used to explain what will happen on the trip On any trips the children wear high visibility waistcoats and a mobile phone and first aid kit is taken.

‍How accessible is the setting's environment (indoors and outdoors)
We work closely with all parents/carers to access any specialist equipment that may be required. New Millside is fully accessible by wheelchair. There are painted footsteps from the gate to the main front door. The outside area is a flat soft surface area. Our outside environment is spacious. We have a garden area which has many resources and experiences to offer. We have a grassed area which contains a digging area. Our outside area provides challenging activities for children to take part in, including tyres to climb on and scaffold boards creating wooden planks, along with milk crates and guttering to create structures. There is an accessible toilet in the main corridor. Visual timetables using photographs, symbols and signs are used to assist children with the structure and daily routines. Visual cards are used to support your child with ‘what happens next’. Dual language books and story books are shared with families of children with English as Additional Language to aid communication. Key words are requested from parents and shared with all staff. Parents kindly act as interpreters.

‍How will the staff prepare and support a child with SEND to join the setting or transfer to a new setting/school?
When your child joins the waiting list, this will hi-light any additional needs, before your child joins us, we encourage you to visit the setting several times so that you can both become acquainted with the environment. We have a ‘new starter session’ before you start and hold ‘Getting ready for pre-school sessions’ with the Children’s Centre during the summer holidays, usually once a week for four weeks. We hold coffee mornings during the first two weeks of the Autumn Term for all new families to meet each other. We work closely with each family to develop a settling routine to match your child’s needs. If your child attends another setting or is moving to a different setting we share the child’s ‘next steps’ with that setting. We liaise with local schools that we feed to and arrange for the Early Years teacher to visit the children to aid the transition to new schools. We have a particularly good relationship with Broughton Infant School and regularly visit them with the children and they have a system whereby the children that left the year before come in for a ‘question time’ with the children with regard to starting big school.

‍How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to a child's Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities?
We are a registered charity 1031538 with limited funds. However, we are able to apply for funding from Buckinghamshire Local Authority to support individual children if appropriate. We employ specific SEN Support staff if necessary. We also ensure that staff attend any specific training that is necessary.

‍How is the decision made about what type and how much support a child with SEND will receive?
The Pre-school Manager and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO) will work closely with you and other professionals to determine your child’s needs. We have regular team meetings so that all practitioners have an understanding of those needs. 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 individual plans will be made as necessary. We have never turned down the opportunity to support a child.

‍How are parents involved at the setting?
We are a committee run pre-school therefore every parent is automatically a member of the committee and welcome to attend termly meetings. Strong relationships with parents is important to the pre-school. We operate an open door policy, home school diaries are used, newsletters are sent out regularly and we have a comprehensive website and Facebook page for regular updates. We encourage parents to volunteer to be a parent helper for a session. Planning is for New Millside and home.

‍What future plans does your setting have for developing its SEND provision e.g: training, facilities?
During the coming year we would like to update some of our outdoor equipment, we have purchased walkie talkies for staff to use We would like to extend our setting to build a room for individual target assessments and meetings with parents and professionals.

‍Which other Local Authorities/ Counties/ health providers do you have contracts with?
A parent’s first point of contact is their child’s key person. We have an open door policy and parents and carers are welcome to come in at any time to discuss their child’s progress, face to face. The pre-school can also be contacted by telephone 01296 489457 or mobile 07928 689736. The pre-school has a website www.newmillsidepre-school.co.uk. Our email is office@newmillsidepre-school.co.uk or SENCO@newmillsidepre-school.co.uk.