Family Information and Services Hub
Local Offer

Wildern Opportunity Group

Offering services to:
  • Children 0-5
  • Primary school aged children
Supporting people with:
  • Activities for children and young people
Carescheme type:
  • Pre-School Playgroup

Wildern Opportunity Group Preschool provides childcare and early years education sessions.

Who to contact

Contact Name
Lucy Smith
Contact Position
Manager
Telephone
01489 787968 01489 787968
E-mail
info@wildernopportunitygroup.co.uk
Facebook
Wildern Opportunity Group

Where to go

Address
Centre 2000
St. Johns Road, Hedge End
Southampton
Hampshire
Postcode

SO30 4AF

View SO30 4AF on a map

Costs

Details
Additional hours payments £5.60 an hour

Childcare Information

Funded Places

Offers 3 & 4 year old funded places
Yes
Offers 2 year old funded places
Yes

Opening Times & Facilities

Opening Times
Opening Times
DayOpening TimeClosing Time
Monday 09:00 15:00
Tuesday 09:00 15:00
Wednesday 09:00 15:00
Thursday 09:00 15:00
Friday 09:00 15:00

Local Offer

Description

Prior to application for a placement at the preschool the main point of contact is Lucy Smith the Manager or Eleasha Hassell the deputy manager, who are also responsible for arranging times and dates for parents and their child to be shown around. Start dates, settling in sessions and key person allocation will be discussed during the show around. 

The Manager and SENCo are to be contacted if a referral is being made.

Services for Young Children, Area Inclusion Team, Portage, Family Support Service and Health Visiting Teams would all be able to provide information and advice.

The Local Authority’s Local Offer can be found on line.

Contact Name
Lucy Smith
Contact Telephone
01489 787968
Contact Email
info@wildernopportunitygroup.co.uk
Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years (0-4 years)
How does the setting/school/college know if children/young people need extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?

At Wildern Opportunity Group we offer visits and settling in sessions suited to children’s and parent’s needs, and our registration form offers the opportunity for parents to indicate any initial concerns. Any queries or concerns will be discussed during these times with a follow up meeting with our Special Education Needs Coordinator (SENCo).

Our Key Person system allows staff to monitor individual children’s development through observations in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. A 2-year-old development check/baseline is carried out and shared with you and any concerns regarding development will be discussed.

At the end of each term staff will complete learning and development summaries and share these with you during parent consultations where you can spend time with your child’s key person.  Further meetings can be arranged with our SENCo in line with our open-door policy.

We have a dedicated SENCo who monitors your child and liaises with you, your child, the key person and outside agencies.

Our staff and volunteers have experience with Speech and Language disorders and delay, Social and Communication difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Downs Syndrome.

We have a parent/professional referral system for children with identified additional needs.

How will early years setting/school/college staff support my child/young person?

The management team; Manager, Deputy and SENCo decide the allocation of sessions for your child and applies for funding and additional support as needed.

You will be supplied a welcome pack which includes; registration form, information on our policies and procedures and an up to date newsletter. Information on allergies, dietary concerns and healthy lunch box options can be discussed and shared on request.

The SENCo will liaise with you, your child’s key person and any outside agencies involved drawing up an Individual Education Plan (IEP) with agreed targets and monitoring your child’s progress. The SENCo attends team around the child meetings and sits of the Southern Parishes Review Board to ensure education and health are working together so that you and your child are receiving the support you require and through transition to school; with parents’ permission. The SENCo reports back to you, the key person and Management team about what happens next.

Your child’s needs will be discussed at staff meetings where activities and environment will be reviewed so that our provision can be made as effective as possible.

Every child is on the Eylog system- supporting the Early Years Framework Stage- this records all observations and photos showing your child’s learning journey through preschool. Next steps are recorded, identified by your child’s key person which they will be working on with your child.

We work closely with Portage, physiotherapists and Speech and Language Therapists.  They come in to visit your child and discuss with the key person their progress and any further information.

How will the curriculum be matched to my child's/young person's needs?

All children are supported to access all areas of learning and all resources and equipment provided. 

Staff come together at staff meetings to plan activities for your child’s identified next steps; these are differentiated to meet the individual needs of each child based on IEP targets, discussed with parents, health professionals and SENCo. All activities are either child-led or adult-led; this allows children to learn from their own experiences and with the support from the practitioners.

All staff record children’s baselines and complete development summaries where they use information from their observations to assess where your child is under the Early Years Foundation Stage. This information is recorded to allow the staff to monitor your child’s individual progress.

How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support my child's/young person's learning?

We have an open-door policy, to ensure any concerns, changes in behaviours, or relevant information can be shared.

Parent consultations are available termly as an opportunity to share your child’s progress.

Parents can speak to their child’s key person either at the beginning or end of their session.

IEPs or behaviour plans are reviewed with your SENCo and the key person through arranged meetings.

You will be given general information via EYlog, our closed faced book page and letters sent home with your child, there is also the parent notice board located in the hallway.

Communication books are introduced to parents of children with SEND. These are for informing parents and vice versa how their child’s day/night has been. This will be shared between staff and the parent, recording brief information about your child.

What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall well being?

Our preschool has policies to support Behaviour, Special Educational Needs and Inclusion.  Every child will be supported under these policies.  Your child and their family along with the Area Inclusion Coordinator Service and possibly other agencies such as Speech and language therapy will work together with the preschool to ensure the child receives the amount of support needed.

Your child’s Key Person is responsible for ensuring your child is safe and secure; both emotionally and physically throughout the transition from home to preschool and later to school.

Lucy Smith and Helen Hooper have completed the EHCO’s training – Emotional Health co-ordinators. They are able to provide both individual and small group sessions – with parental consent -to support identified children dealing with their feelings and their responses to them.

Small language groups are held throughout the session to encourage positive language and social skills and to build self-confidence.  

Choice boards are individually adapted to suit each child’s interests and target activities. The key person supports the child when using this to ensure they access all resources and activities. All staff have basic Makaton training, understand the principles behind Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECs) and support children in expressing their needs and initiating choices.

All staff are trained in First Aid and Safeguarding. All medication is stored in medicine box in our Kitchen which the children never access. A record book is kept of all medications held and dosage, time of administration is recorded and signed by you.

We value our children’s independence and encourage them to participate in deciding on some resources they would like out in the play environment. These items are in the store cupboard and rotated daily to suit children’s interests.

What specialist services and expertise are avaliable at or accessed by the setting/school/college?

Wildern Opportunity Group offers a specific service for children with SEND and their families.  They are referred by a health professional and we follow this up by making a phone call to the family and to arrange a home visit.  We allocate a key person to support each child.  Every child receives one to one support.  When an individual child is ready for pre-school, we transition them into our mainstream setting after reviewing their needs for support. 

Observations made during Group can link to the EYFS and the child’s Individual Educational Plan.  A section for next steps is available for key persons to comment if appropriate to the needs of the child they are working with, including targets set via their individual education plan.

Our SENCo will discusses any developments with parents and parents will be involved in their child’s targets and plans.  Parents are given the opportunity to voice their anxieties or any concerns they may have supporting a child with SEN

The manager and SENCo, Lucy Smith has 30 years’ experience of working with children and adults with special needs and their families, a background in learning disability nursing as well as completing the SENCo Induction Training. The SENCo attends termly SENCo network meetings which contain important changes, legislation or new ideas and resources to support children with SEN.

What training have the staff supporting children and young people with SEND had? Are any being trained currently?

All staff are encouraged to share information and implement recent training.  Our current staff training background includes THOMAS training, Makaton, Autism awareness, supporting children with type 1 diabetes, supporting language and communication, catheterization and managing gastrostomy’s.   

Additional and bespoke training is always sourced as required to meet the diverse and sometimes complex needs of individual children.

Staff who attend training feedback what they have learned to other staff members at staff meetings to ensure everyone is up to date and working to the same level of knowledge and understanding. We work hard to ensure all our staff feel confident and competent in supporting children with a variety of additional needs and complex health conditions. 

The preschool Manager holds a level 5 and an Advanced Diploma in Learning disabilities. We have ten members of staff:  7 staff at level 3, 2 staff at level 2 and 1 staff member currently carrying out a level 3 apprenticeship.  

How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?

All outings undertaken by the preschool are within our local area. This includes walks into the village, the local park and an annual strawberry picking trip. When we take children on local outings, we carry out a robust risk assessment, this also includes keeping a record of the route taken, register of children and staff, emergency contact details, etc. in line with our outings policy. We ensure we have higher staff ratios to ensure all children’s safety.

Parents/carers and volunteers are invited to come along if they wish.

Our staff have Paediatric First Aid Training and we always ensure at least two First Aid staff are present on any of our outings.

Children are provided with a high vis jacket to wear over their coats or jumpers.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

Outdoors is a safety surface area which is accessible from the main playroom. Children using wheelchairs and walking frames can easily move in and out to the garden for free flow play. The area is walled and fenced with a padlocked high gate. Our resources and equipment are stored in sheds which turn into our playhouses.

Children’s toileting needs are considered by offering changing facilities, potty, child size toilet, step for adult toilet, and frame for child with physical needs. There is also a disabled toilet available for adults in the building.

The building and play room is suitable for wheelchair users, and the play environment is planned to accommodate children’s mobility equipment as required.

Guidance from specialists including physiotherapists and occupational therapists is sought if specialist equipment is required at the preschool.

The small room is used for small group work and can be a quiet place for children as required.

English as a second language is catered for by the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Achievement Service (EMTAS) who help with translation of information for parents. We provide: books, posters and culturally appropriate items whenever possible.

How will the setting/school/college prepare and support my child/young person to join the setting/school/college or the next stage of education and life?

We have a settling in policy that is flexible to suit children’s individual needs. We know that this is not only beneficial for the child but for the parent/carer also. The key person discusses the child’s interests and abilities with the parent/carer during the settling in process, during the first 6 weeks as a relationship is built between the keyworker and child, a baseline assessment is carried out. The key person will make a 10-minute appointment with parent/carer to discuss how the child has settled in and start looking at next steps.

Children who are due to start school are accompanied by their key person to a transition visit.  The reception class teachers also arrange visits to the setting to meet the children and discuss with the key person’s about child’s learning and development. Particular likes and dislikes are shared, if there are any concerns, and information about children with additional needs.  The teachers see the children’s learning journals and progress summaries. 

When the child’s last learning and development summary is completed these are sent to the school ready for their first term. The parents are given copies with their child’s learning journal. During the term before children leave for school, we look at “school ready” children are encouraged to be a little more independent, including opening lunch boxes and putting on coats and jumpers.

Working in partnership with parents and other professionals, if a child is identified as requiring more support in school or requiring a specialist provision, the SENco will begin the process of applying for an Educational Health and Care Plan (EHCP) - A meeting will be arranged with the SENCo  and parents/carers to ensure everyone is clear of the process and potential outcomes.  

If a child requires support in school but does not me criteria for an EHC plan, the SENCo is involved in writing your child’s TPA - Transition Partnership Agreement with the school.  This is a process for joint action planning with an emphasis on a person centred approach  to support the transition process.

How are the setting's/school's/college's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?

Early Years SEN Inclusion funding - can be claimed for children with special educational needs (SEN) though this funding is not guaranteed.

For children who receive Disability Living Allowance, the term after their third birthday we can claim DAF funding – Disability Access Fund. This can contribute to supporting staffing costs to ensure higher staff ratios, specialist equipment and toys and resources.

We work closely with outside agencies and take advice regarding equipment and specialist resources required. We have experience of supporting families with grant and funding applications for equipment.

How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?

In partnership with parents and carers, professionals involved,  the SENCo will observe and make a decision on what strategies and support your child will benefit from to ensure development in the setting.   

The SENCo draws up an Individual Education Plan (IEP) in collaboration with you and the Key Person; this is reviewed regularly. At the review the impact of the support will be assessed and moderated as appropriate.

Monitoring of progress is carried out termly and recorded; to ensure that the curriculum is ensuring progress in all seven areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

How are parents involved in the setting/school/college? How can I be involved?

We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers. We encourage our families to take part in fund raising events, share fundraising ideas and contribute to events such as the local carnival and Christmas party.

We invite parents/carers along to share their knowledge and any skills they might have.

We have an open-door policy and are always happy to listen to parents comments or concerns.

Offering services to:
  • Children 0-5
  • Primary school aged children
Supporting people with:
  • Activities for children and young people
Carescheme type:
  • Pre-School Playgroup

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Last Updated: 15 August 2023

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