Milford Pre-School Plus Ltd Pre-School

We assess children and their needs upon entry by using the Solent Development System, observations are made and recorded, if a specific need is identified outside agencies are contacted with parents consent.

Children are routinely and frequently assessed as part of their ongoing attendance at our setting, via numerous methods including Language Box sessions.  

We encourage children to learn through play and have extensive knowledge, expertise, space and resources to help children develop in line with the EYFS curriculum.

We can apply for extra support and funding if the need is identified.

We have a dedicated Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) who will support every child, their parents and the settings Key Person when needed.

SEND children are supported by the development of a bespoke Play Plan which is devised by the Key Person and SENCo after discussions with parents. This is in line with partnering agencies and is frequently reviewed. SEND children are also supported by a Buddy Key Person system. 

Our curriculum follows the 'Early Years Foundation Stage' (EYFS) offering 'children's' choice' activities both inside and outside. The setting is 'free flow' enabling the children to play inside or outside when they choose.

We offer activities to support your child’s learning and development in all areas of the curriculum. These are 'Communication and Language Development', 'Physical Development', 'Personal, Social and Emotional Development', 'Literacy', 'Mathematics', 'Understanding the World' and 'Expressive Arts and Design'.

The Pre-School Manager compiles various planned activities to assist with the free flow structure. The activities are differentiated to the abilities of the children and learning outcomes expected.

We use a system called 'Tapestry' an online learning journal to record the development and progress of the children. This can be accessed by parents, so you have up to date information about your child's progress. We use this to track the progress of the children, using this information to plan next steps and support development. 

All staff are responsible for ensuring your child is safe and secure; both emotionally and physically. The Pre-School Manager frequently observes Key Person's during Peer to Peer Observations. 

All children attend Forest School which provides children with holistic development. 

All staff are required to adhere to both local and national policies which are frequently reviewed.

All staff are trained in Paediatric First Aid, Safeguarding and have recent DBS checks.

We undertake daily checks to ensure our cleanliness, hygiene and safety of our setting. 

With parental permission we will liaise with the Area Inclusion Team, Speech and Language Therapists, Portage and Educational Psychologists in order to support the children. We will contact additional outside agencies, professionals or specialists should this be required.

Our staff are all qualified to or working towards a minimum of Level 3 in Early Years Child Care and Education. Between us we have many years of experience and continuously keep our knowledge up to date through various training methods.

All children would be included in every activity outside the classroom and any school trips organized are planned to cater for all, with parents also being able to attend.

Our building - both inside and out is accessible to both wheelchair and pushchairs users.

There is an accessible toilet for wheelchair users.

We have an accessible push button to gain access to our outside and inside space. 

We invite all children and parents to attend a stay and play session before formally staring at our setting to provide the opportunity to collect information and to hold discussions on every aspect relating to the child.

If applicable, with permission we would gain support and advice from other agencies with which you are already involved to ensure a joint partnership approach. We will ensure that the appropriate equipment and care is in place to make the transition as smooth as possible for your child. 

We have a bespoke transition policy and programme in place to aid children in their transition to Primary School, which includes school visits and teacher introductions. Our policy also outlines our information sharing process and the comprehensive handover report we supply.

For children requiring extra support to join mainstream school a Transition Partnership Agreement (TPA) is set up in collaboration with the primary school, parents and any if applicable relevant outside agencies and SENCO's. 

All of our resources can be adapted to suit various special educational needs and disabilities. If we or an outside agency identified that a child would benefit from a more specific resource we could procure the resource to support the child.

The decision on how much support your child will receive in our setting is made from the consultations between yourself, the pre-school and outside agencies.

If a child already has a diagnosis then appropriate advice will be sought and followed. If you have no diagnosis but are concerned about your child’s development a meeting will be held to discuss the best way forward. The Key Person will share developmental records with you. These can be used as a tool to identify an area of concern. A Play Plan is then drawn up by the Key Person, SENCo and yourself with a realistic review date. Upon review the impact of the support will be monitored and adapted as appropriate. The Pre-School Manager will monitor the child’s progress on a termly basis. 

Parents are engaged through various methods, these include newsletters, bespoke preschool and community events, Tapesty and Social Media Platforms.

We also ask for parent volunteers on our Fundraising Committee and Board of Directors.