Caterpillars Pre-School 110465

At Caterpillars Preschool all our staff are qualified and experienced and use their knowledge of child development when assessing individual children's needs.  Initially we meet the child in their own home, and discuss any concerns that parents may have.  We consider any reports made by the health visitor following the 2 year check that will have been made.  We observe our children to build evidence in order to assess their development levels, guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage. If you think your child has an additional need this can be discussed settling in sessions so we are able to give the support your child needs.   If your child has no additional needs at the start of their journey with us  we may find through observations, ABCC charts and behaviour charts that your child needs some extra support.  We will discuss this with you and get support from outside agencies to help us and you at home, if needed.    

Each child is given a ‘key person’ who will try to build up a relationship with you and your child. Any concerns will be shared with our setting Special Educational Needs Coordinator, who will in turn observe the child alongside the key person, in order to build up a picture of any additional behavioural /developmental needs. She would then contact the relevant outside agencies, and support the key person to complete appropriate charts and paperwork.

The observations made by the key person will show the levels of development already reached by each child.  The key person will record what the ‘next steps’ should be with an IEP or behavioural plan. The key person will ensure that there are appropriate activities available to enable progress to be made.   

At the settling in sessions, parents are given an "All about me" form to complete. This will give us important information on each child’s likes/dislikes, and what they can already do.  When your child has settled into pre-school we will complete our own 2 year check. We will look at the 3 prime areas of learning – Personal and Social development, Physical development, and Communication and Language, and consider if they are reaching the appropriate developmental milestones. We will share termly development reports with you and invite you to our termly parent meetings. Staff are always available to discuss any concerns either before or after a pre-school session.

The key person is responsible for ensuring that your child is safe and secure, both physically and emotionally throughout the transition from home to pre-school. We offer an inclusive service, and daily checks ensure the rooms and equipment are safe and appropriate. Behaviour plans are put into place as required, and we use time lines, sand timers, and visual warning cards to support these. We have ‘Golden Rules’ which we encourage the children to learn, to support their behaviour when in the setting. All our staff have been first aid trained, and some have epi-pen training. Any necessary medication is stored safely out of reach of children. Records are kept of medicines administered and have to be shared with parents and countersigned. All accidents are recorded and shared with parents. All staff are CRB/DBS checked, and most have attended Safeguarding training which is regularly updated. Ofsted and other appropriate agencies are informed about any serious injuries or accidents. We have many policies and procedures, which are regularly checked and updated, to ensure the best care of our children.

Our staff are qualified and experienced, to various levels. We all take the opportunity whenever possible to update our training. We have named staff members responsible for Behaviour Management, Senco, and Safeguarding. All attend regular update briefing sessions. We receive lots of support from our local Inclusion Co-ordinator, Speech Therapists and Portage.

Amongst the staff we have attended training in Autism, ADHD, mental health awareness and SAL to name a few.    Courses are now available online for staff to update their training regularly and to keep up with changes in legislation. 

We have an annual summer trip where some parents are invited to attend with their children. We ensure that the places we visit are wheelchair/buggy friendly. We also organise various events throughout the year to which all our children and their families are welcomed.

Our setting is wheelchair/buggy friendly with appropriate slopes to all entrances/exits. Our room is arranged to give free access for all children. We have an accessible toilet in the foyer. We take guidance from specialists when we need to use specialist equipment. For our children who have English as an additional language we take advice from Hampshire Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Service, who can help us with translations, multi-cultural books/posters/activities as necessary.

The parent and child are given a tour of pre-school on their initial visit. Parents are given ‘welcome’ pack giving them information about us.  We can offer taster sessions for child if required. During the summer term before child starts school we have close links with Reception teachers from various schools.  The teachers do come in and meet the children and chat about them with their key person. If a child needs extra support to access their local mainstream school an Inclusion Partnership Agreement could be set up in collaboration with the pre-school and school.

All children are entitled to 570 hours of funding support a year.  We are registered to accept children who receive 2, 3 and 4 yr old funding. Additional funding can sometimes be claimed for children with special educational needs. If available this funding can be used to supply specific resources, and/or additional adult support to enable them to make progress whilst in our setting.

If your child arrives at our setting already involved with a number of different agencies, a 'Team Around The Child' meeting could be arranged. Decisions would be made in agreement with all parties involved in the care of the child. If you have expressed concerns about your child but there is no diagnosis then we would invite you into the setting to discuss with you ways to support your child. Observations and ABCC charts are completed and shared regularly, and the amount of support given is tailored to your child’s needs. The setting Senco and the key person will devise a Personal Plan/Behaviour Plan, these will be reviewed regularly. Monitoring of progress is carried out regularly to ensure progress in all areas of the curriculum.

Parents are invited to attend several events throughout the year such as dads to preschool and mums to preschool.

Parents are also invited in to share their hobbies, read stories, help with walks and or take part in activities.