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Local Offer

Westbrook Little People Preschool

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

We are a committee-run, charity preschool, catering to 2-4 year olds during term time only.  

Who to contact

Contact Name
Catherine Cartwright
Contact Position
Manager
Telephone
02392 265173 02392 265173
E-mail
westbrook.manager@gmail.com
Website
WLP website
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Notes

We are in the building 8:15am - 3pm to be contacted by telephone.  Email is monitored throughout the day.  We are only open during term times, though emails will be read during holidays.  

Where to go

Name
Westbrook Hall
Address
Community Hall
Tempest Avenue
Waterlooville
Hampshire
Postcode

PO7 8NU

View PO7 8NU on a map
Notes

The venue is a single story community hall with wheelchair access appropriate to both adults and children.  There is a disabled toilet available and our garden is accessed by ramp, so all children are able to explore this area.  We are next to a public car park so families can park near the hall.  We are situated in the middle of Tempest Avenue, next to the little Tesco.  

Costs

£5.75 (3-4 year olds)  per hour
£6.00 (2 year olds)  per hour
£6.50 (1 year olds)  per hour
Details
We accept 30 hour funding and 2 year funding as well as childcare vouchers.

Availability

Other notes

We are a preschool catering to 1-4 year olds during term time (9-3).  We are in an accessible building, with accessible toilets and changing facilities.  Children with additional needs are welcome and will be supported to reach their highest potential.  We have good relationships with the Hampshire SEN team and have experience transitioning children to specialist provision primary schools, and supporting children moving onto mainstream schools with the appropriate support in place. 

We are based on Tempest Avenue in Waterlooville and many of our children continue on to local schools such as Queen's Inclosure (QI) or Padnell.  

Local Offer

Description

We welcome children with any additional need, and advise parents to come and visit with us to discuss any specific needs their children may have.

Contact Name
Catherine Cartwright
Contact Telephone
02392 265173
Contact Email
westbrook.manager@gmail.com
Links
https://wlp-preschool.co.uk/
Local Offer Age Bands
Early Years (0-4 years)
Primary (4-10 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?

Westbrook Little People have an inclusive policy that benefits all children interested in our setting.  We have a flexible and supportive settling in procedure, so this can be done over time and at a child's own pace.  Also, if a child is coming into setting with any existing educational needs or disabilities, we can discuss these with families, putting the correct support in place before the child starts with us.  If a family has concerns about their child, they are welcome to visit and share their concerns, so we know how we can best support the child as they enter the preschool setting.

We also have strong communication within our team, between key persons, SENDCO (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator), and management, and this helps us discuss and identify any additional support that a child may need. We work closely with families so they know what is happening in the preschool, any strategies that we have implemented, and how they are working to support the child.  

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

We have a key worker system within the preschool that gives children a familiar adult to build a special relationship with through their time in preschool, but especially when settling in.  This person will also be in charge of tracking your child's progress, and keeping in touch with parents about how their child is settling in at preschool.  We are lucky to have a small team, meaning that all children are known well by all the adults around them, and all adults have a good understanding of the needs of the children in the setting.  

We use the Tapestry tracking tool (online) that allows parents to be kept updated on what a child is doing at preschool, how they are progressing, and allows parents to share information about their child, what they have been doing at home, and any new achievements, with the team also. For children, this allows them to see a bond between their home life and their time at preschool, and allows us to be aware of any new interests that the children show. 

We provide an environment in which all children, including those with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) are supported to reach their full potential.  As well as having special resources in setting, such as our sensory area, we work closely with other specialists, such as Speech and Language therapists, Portage, Occupational Therapists, as well as local medical teams and specialist advisory teachers.  This allows us to give the children the most appropriate support we can in order to help them learn and grow at preschool.  We have also implemented communication groups and bucket time to develop shared attention skills.

We follow the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice, and monitor and review our practice and policies, making adjustments as needed.  Our SENDCO attends termly support meetings to keep up to date with best practice, and shares this with the team so that everyone can be doing their best to support the children in our care. 

Children with certain behaviours may also require a risk assessment for their time in the setting, if they are known to climb or abscond. This would be discussed with parents so that it would have all the information needed to put plans in place to keep the child safe in setting.  

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

By getting to know a child and their interests, we can plan activities and resources to support both their interests and development.  We use visuals, including visual timetables, feelings boards, and now and next boards, to support understanding across the setting, and take advice from other agencies in ways to continue to support children with additional needs.  Our inclusive policy and practice means we will always try our best to meet a child's needs with the general provision of the preschool, so they are included amongst all the children and part of the preschool community.

We use both the general statements of progress from the EYFS, as well as the statements from the Solent Therapies tracking system to measure how our children with additional needs are progressing.  We also write IEPs (individual education plans) and 'Next Step' plans to make a child's targets clear to all members of staff, so they can be supported to meet these goals.  

We also have a strong belief in learning through play, and in planning in the moment as well as planning around children's interests, in order to introduce exciting learning experiences for all children.  

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 work closely with all families to keep them informed about their child's progress.  Tapestry, our online learning journal, keeps an ongoing record of how and what a child is doing and learning, and this can be added to both by practitioners in preschool and also by families at home, which helps build a broad picture of a child's progress.  We also create progress reports and 'next step' documents to be shared with families, and offer meetings to discuss children.

By working with outside agencies, we can also refer to other services if this is deemed appropriate, so that children can get the most appropriate and focused support available.  We can also advise on courses that are available to parents, or websites that can be useful.  Resources can also be shared for use at home.  We also host courses from other outside agencies, such as Barnardo's, focussed around requested or noted needs of the families and children in setting.  

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

For children who have a long-term medical condition or who regularly take medication, a risk assessment would need to be carried out to make sure that the setting is an appropriate place to meet the child's needs.  This risk assessment will be shared with the whole team so that everyone is aware of a child's needs and how to meet them.  An individual care plan with also be put in place, so that any specific medical needs are clearly explained and staff know how to meet them.  Creating these plans may include other medical or social care professionals, as well as families, to make sure they are accurate and specific.  If necessary, staff will undertake additional training to be sure that they can meet a child's specific needs.  A health care plan will also underline what staff are to do in case of an emergency, and these steps are shared amongst the team and with families.  

We have also worked hard to implement feelings talk in the setting to promote children's emotional literacy and awareness of their own feelings.

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

As an Early Years setting we work closely with a number of other agencies and support. We have an Area ISSO (inclusion setting support officer) who guides and supports our setting SENDCO and helps to access support as needed.  We work with the Health Visitor team, as well as specialist teams from local hospitals, such as QA, and other specialist teams, such as the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association.  We also work closely with Speech and Language therapists and the local Portage services, as well as specialist advisory teachers.  

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

All members of staff hold a Level 3 childcare qualification, and we have one Level 3 apprentice.  

One member of the staff has been on Thomas Training around Autism and autistic behaviour.

All members of staff undertake SEN knowledge training as part of their continued professional development.  

Our current SENDCo is currently undergoing SENDCo training.  

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

We try and include all children in our additional activities, including trips.  All irregular activities/outings outside of our regular routine will have additional permission forms and letters to families, as well as an additional risk assessment.  Additional needs that need to be considered before a trip will be discussed with families, and plans put into place to discuss suitability of an activity, or additional support that will need to be put in place to support a child's involvement.

How accessible is the setting/school/college enviroment?

The building is fully wheelchair accessible for both adult and child wheelchairs (including power driven chairs).  We have a full disabled toilet and small child changing facilities.  The garden is on one level and has ramp access from the indoors.  Our fire escapes also have level or ramp access.  

Within the setting we use visual prompts, supports and displays to support children's communication and understanding, and also use Makaton signing to support children who need visual support.  

Our learning environment is laid out in a spacious manner to allow children with dyspraxia or spacial awareness issues free access to all learning and play areas.  We have also recently implemented a quiet area for those with sensory needs.  

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?

As a setting we plan for a child moving to school by first discussing plans with families, and supporting them as they go through the application process for schools.  For children who will need additional support, or who are looking to consider specialist provision primary schools, this may mean putting together an application for an EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan).  This will be discussed between families, the SENDCo, and any other outside agencies involved with the child, such as Portage or Speech and Language.  We have successfully transitioned children to specialist provision and also to mainstream primary schools, with additional appropriate support.

We also write a 'one page profile' report for schools before the children move up, giving information on a child's likes and dislikes, their strengths and challenges, and also the most successful strategies for supporting them.  These are shared both with families and with schools.

For those children who may have some level of additional need but do not currently meet the threshold of an EHCP, or who may be accessing mainstream provision, we arrange TPA (Transition Partnership Agreement) meetings. These are held between the preschool setting the child is leaving, the school they will be attending, and the families of the child, and make an agreement for the type and level of support the child will receive when they are in school.  

In the term before transitioning to infant or primary school, we also offer transition visits to one of the local schools, and can support visits to other schools.  We also set up more structured activities within the setting for school leaver children to access, as well as school-themed stories, and items within the role play such as school uniform and book bags, so that children become familiar with these items. We also welcome teachers from the receiving schools to come into setting and meet the children that they will be teaching, to create that early familiarity and bond.  

 

(Due to the current unprecedented situation concerning COVID-19, visits have been temporarily suspended, but meetings can take place online, over Zoom or other appropriate methods.  As the situation is constantly changing, we will update this information as often as possible). 

 

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

Before purchase or loan, equipment and resources are checked to ensure they are safe for all the ages and stages of children currently attending Westbrook Little People, and particularly our children who may have additional needs.  Our environment has been set up to consider all children's development, and most resources are for the use of ALL the children.  

Any specialist equipment may come from Occupational Therapy, SEND funding, the Disability Access Fund (DAF), or Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) funding.  Resources are alwayscarefully considered based on a child's needs and interests, using staff judgement and knowledge of the child, and any specific concerns or questions will be discussed with families before purchase or loan.  

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

Through observation and collection of evidence, based around a child's key targets, they key person and SENDCo will discuss whether to refer to or coordinate with other agencies.  Before any referals are made, these are discussed with parents and families.  Needs are identified by use of trackers such as the Solent Therapies tracker that shows any gaps between age related expectations and children's level of development, knowledge of the child's strengths and challenges, and any advice from outside agencies.

If a child comes in with an existing EHCP, this will outline how much and what kind of support a child will need.  If it is decided that a child will need an EHCP as they leave preschool, this will be discussed with families, key persons and the SENDCo, and evidence will be collected based around the child's specific needs, strengths and challenges.  

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

We believe children progress and achieve best in a setting with a strong sense of partnership between staff and families.  Our aim is to support families as a child's first teacher and strongest bond.  We have a growing Preschool Committee that welcomes parents to join and get involved with the running of the preschool, with fund raising and volunteering.  We also have opportunities for stay and play sessions, where families can come and enjoy the preschool with the child, and chances to assist and join us on trips.  For families who find this difficult, such as parents who might live apart from their children or families who work full time, we offer flexible parents meetings and access to Tapestry, so they can be kept informed of their child's progress and what they have been doing and learning.  

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

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Last Updated: 07 November 2023

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