Twiggs Lane Pre-School

When Children start with us at Twiggs they are assigned a key person who will observe and track their development.

From these observations the key person will be able to identify if your child requires additional support in certain areas of their development which they can work on with your child at preschool. 

We offer home visits which involves the child's key person visiting you and your child at home to meet and talk to you about any concerns you may have and any information we may need before your child starts with us. 

We also have induction days for you to be able to visit the setting.

If we feel your child may need a referral to an outside agency the key person will work with our senco and with parental permission refer your child to the relevant agencies weather this is speech and language therapy, portage, physiotherapy or paediatrician which can be done through your health visitor or Doctor.

If you have any concerns about your child you can speak to their key person or any member off staff in person or on the phone. We can invite you in for a more lengthily discussion to put plans in place for the best outcome for your child.

Twiggs lane pre-school staff are trained to a high standard,  We have a SENCO who has many years of experience in many areas and keeps up to date with any new information and training .Our sencos role includes monitoring children and supporting the child's key person to develop a plan with small achievable targets to help support your child's development. Each individual child’s activities are planned around their needs and interests. The senco will ask for support from our area inclusion team  when the need is required .

Every child is unique, we operate observation, assessment and planning system for each child, we work alongside the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as a guide for the child’s development. These observations work alongside information that families has shared with us. Children develop in their own time and at their own level. The Senco’s will work closely alongside the child’s key-person and support them in their planning, for what’s next for your child sharing ideas and also implement personal support plans alongside family members which will be reviewed termly to assess their next target. A visual timetable is used.

We use an app called Famly which will contain your child’s information, as well as observations they will also have a tracking document to show your child’s progress, all documentation will be in the above, this information is available to share with you at any time, parents are encouraged to be involved with supporting their child’s learning to share any ideas / strategies that will promote their child’s learning whilst in our care. We operate an open door policy and are available for discussions at any time. Each Term Staff complete mini reports on their key children to evaluate their progress and to identify any specific areas that need support, we also invite parents in for parents evenings to discuss the reports to celebrate their achievements and to talk about any concerns we or you may have. Parents receive newsletters / e-mails to keep the parents well informed with topics we are covering at preschool and any ideas they can try with their children at home to extend their learning. We also welcome any new interests the children have so we can implement that into our planning also.

Newsletters can be printed or translated if required. All staff are kept up to date with any necessary training.

Staff can administer medicines with parental consent; medical forms are completed when necessary, if a child has any behaviour difficulties they will be supported by a staff member as and when required. Outside agency's such as our inclusion team will be contacted for support if  we feel this is necessary and will benefit the child's overall learning and development.  We will work closely with families in partnership to get the best possible outcome. Twiggs has a comprehensive set of policies and procedures to follow, Language groups are provided during session time to encourage positive language and social skills to build confidence. Staff update training regularly to meet the needs of the children.

All staff are qualified to level 2 and level 3 or above in Early Years, all staff are first-aid trained and have attended safe-guarding training. The Manager has completed SEN Training and has extensive experience working closely with families and outside agencies.

Our Sencos have also completed their SEN training and have extensive knowledge and experience , they also keep up to date with extra training and attend local SEN briefings to keep up to date with the current legislation.

Makaton training has been completed and used daily within the setting.  Sencos work closely with our inclusion team and other professionals, as well as the infants school with whom we have close links.

The Manager is trained to level 3 and has also completed SEN induction . All other staff are trained to level 3 and Level 2. Senco’s have attended relevant courses to fulfil their roles and continues to keep updated. All staff training is monitored very closely and relevant training offered to suit the children’s needs.

At Twiggs we provide annual outing for all, parents are invited to come along to the trip as this gives them an opportunity to mix with other families and get to know them. The curriculum before and after the outing allows children the opportunity to share any knowledge with us regarding the trip i.e. farm / zoo. All staff attends the outing and are  available to support any family who require it. All outings are risk assessed.

We also take the children on short walks around the village and for children who struggle walking to far we take on to the school field and talk about what we can see and hear in our environment.

Children that use any specialised equipment day to day will still be included in outings and this will be risk assessed accordingly to make sure we can get them there safely.

Twiggs is wheelchair accessible with toilet facilities. Within the setting visual timetables are displayed. Staff ratios are high to meet the children’s needs, any children that have dual language we will work closely with families for support on both sides, support will also be sought from outside agencies if required. Signs and newsletters are translated into the preferred language. Twiggs outside environment is spacious and secure with plenty of resources.

Home-visits are offered prior to children starting pre-school, we provide open days for children and their families also stay and play days. This time allows family members to explore the environment and meet staff. All children are provided with uniform and book bag before start date. We have a very good links with the infant school and transitions into school are smooth as we operate from a room within the school building. Children see the school teachers regularly. They also visit the pre-school setting. All transition documents are shared. Extra meetings provided for the parents with staff and teachers if required.

Extra funding at times can be granted for your child if appropriate, funding allows your child to be supported on an increased ratio basis at times of need, as well as buying additional equipment to further your child’s learning and development.

The key-person will record any observations and assessments which will help with your child’s planning, this information will be shared with the setting s Senco’s who will implement personal support plans and with parental consent, we will work together to devise the best achievable targets, support will be given from day one.

Parents are actively encouraged to be involved either by joining the fund raising team or becoming a director, everyone is welcome to stay and play. Parents and the key-person work together on their child’s learning and development. Open door policy allows parents freedom to share any information with us and any skills that they have.

We also encourage parents to use our Famly app to send us messages throughout the day if needed  as we use this as a point of contact too.