Lydlynch Preschool

At Lydlynch Pre-School every child is allocated a key carer. The key carer will attend a home visit with management prior to starting pre-school. If parents feel there are any needs for their child which need to be discussed this is the perfect opportunity. All of our staff are caring and will help to ensure your child settles into pre-school. During your child’s settling in period their key carer will play alongside supporting you child’s development and take notes and regular observations to gain and understanding at what stage of learning and development they are at. Key carers are always available for parents\carers to liaise with during the day as this is very important to us in supporting your child’s development and progress or to raise any areas of concern. We also have communication books available for parents who may not drop or collect their children from our setting or have shared carers. We have a Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator at Lydlynch Pre-School who will observe your child’s progress and discuss with you their needs and to also support key carers in planning and extending learning and development of your child.

At Lydlynch Pre-School the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator will work with and alongside your child’s key carer to support your child’s needs and to ensure that the correct support is put in place to allow your child to develop and thrive at pre-school to their full potential. If needed we will put a plan in place for your child. These plans\forms are called `Learning Adventure Plans’ they will have your child’s can do’s and needs support with or in doing. All staff are made aware of any needs your child may have and how best to support your child. Staff work closely as a team. Regular observations are taken during your child’s session’s at pre-school and once a term key carers will fill in a tracking form for every child to track their progress and to use as evidence and plan for your child’s next steps or individual needs. We also keep a learning journey of your child’s progress during their time at Lydlynch Pre-School which will contain evidence of your child’s work, photos, activities and observations to support your child’s progress. These are shared and discussed with parents\carers. If parents feel their child would benefit from outside agencies being involved in supporting us in supporting your child we will always liaise with and gain parents\ carers permission for outside agencies involvement. We also respect and keep information confidential.

At Lydlynch Pre-School we use observations to help us track the child’s progress, needs and support areas. Every child develops at different ages and stages, this is why we adapt every activity to enable all children to take part and complete. Key carers planning for the individual child is achievable and will allow your child time and support when and where needed to complete the task. Using our observations we will fill out our progress tracking forms which will support us in planning next steps for your child or flagging up areas where your child may need extra support. If outside agencies are involved in supporting us with your child we will have regular meetings with parents and outside agencies, when and where needed working together to support your child. If we feel your child would benefit from 1-1 support at pre-school this will be put in place to support your child in achieving their full potential. At Lydlynch we pride ourselves in adapting activities for all children to take part whatever their stage of development or needs. If your child has specific needs we will have a learning adventure plan in place to support their specific areas of need, ensuring activities are adapted accordingly. Makaton and Picture Exchange Communication is used on a daily basis. We make it our priority to ensure that we have close relationship with parents and carers.

We regularly liaise with parents each session and are available when ever parents would like to talk or need support. We plan meetings with parents if needed when appropriate. Parents are welcome to arrange meetings or time to speak to management or the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (Claire Thompson) any time they wish. We have an open door policy at pre-school where parents and carers are always welcome to stay and play or just pop in to help out or to have a catch up or chat. If it is more convenient for parents to phone to liaise with management or the special educational needs co-ordinator then this is also an option.

To ensure your child is safe and secure emotionally and physically during their stay at pre-school we are an inclusive setting where all ages, stages, developmental or physical needs are adapted to ensure all children are treated equally and included in all things. We carry out a safety check at the beginning of every session inside and out on toys and equipment. We have buzzers on doors used to exit from pre-school to ensure the children are safe, this also stops parents or visitors from entering without staff or management knowing. If we feel a behaviour plan is needed for a child in our setting to keep the child and other children safe we will liaise with parents/carers as appropriate and write up a Learning Adventure Plan together. At Lydlynch pre-school we have pre-school rules which all children are aware of and we talk about them every session. To encourage and support turn taking there are several sand timers available to be used with adult support. The children are rewarded through certificates and stickers from members of staff to promote positive behaviour. Visual time tables are also used as needed to help any child gain an understanding of the pre-school routine. Nappy changing facilities are available for all children and all members of staff within our setting are Police Checked through a DRB form.

All staff within the setting are qualified or studying towards qualifying in Childcare Education Level 2 & 3 and have experience in supporting children with individual needs. Our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Level 3 qualified and trained in providing specialised care and supporting children with a variety of needs and has support from outside agencies and professionals to meet every child’s individual needs. We also liaise with social services and attend meetings based solely around the learning and development of your child.

The staff members that support young children with SEN and disabilities have had SEN training and attend regular meeting to keep up to date with information. Staff also liaise with outside agencies and gain knowledge and experience. This information is also fed back to all staff members so the staff are all able to support each other.

All activities are planned and adapted to ensure that every child’s needs are meet and a that they are age appropriate to ensure activities can be achieved by all children. Weekly planning is available for parents and carers to view as well as termly topics. Regular news letters are produced parents about things their children have been doing at preschool. We also have a face book page which is used to remind and update parents of any upcoming events or to read information or reminders.

On site we have access to a disabled toilet with wheelchair access and our doors leading in and out of the pre-school are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. We support families with English as a second language through the Ethnic Minorities and Traveller Achievement Service. In the past some families have used family members or friends to communicate with us. Newsletters, policies and procedures can be translated on request. Around the preschool you will find visual aids, posters, and pictures to support understanding. Our local children’s centre and pre-school learning alliance also support the pre-school within these areas.

The majority of our children at pre-school transfer to our attached school. The school provide regular visits for the pre-school children to attend to have a look around. The pre-school children are also involved in song and rhyme sessions where they will get a chance to meet their new teacher and teaching assistants through a variety of activities. Teachers from the school also visit the pre-school and liaise with the key carers to gain an understanding of all children’s needs and are sent a copy of their learning development record. For those children who will transfer to an offsite setting the process is similar. Practitioners will liaise and organise visits for the child. The child, their parents/ carers and on occasions key carer will visit their new setting and also get the opportunity to discuss any needs the child may have. With parental consent teachers may be invited to the pre-schools regular meetings with professional for them to gain a clearer understanding of the child’s needs and anything that they may need to put in place.

With the support of outside agencies we are able to put in place things for children with SEN or Disabilities. For example the best lay out of the preschool if a child is in a wheel chair so the child can access all areas of the preschool as independently as possible. We liaise with parents and outside agencies to discuss the child’s needs and will adapt all resources so they are accessible for all children to use or participate in with support or independently.

Whilst attending our setting the practitioners will carry out a range of observations within all areas of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage. If any concerns are raised about a child’s development our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator will also carry out a range of observations and with parents’ consent contact the Area Inclusion Coordinator who will arrange a visit to assess your child’s development. This is will determine what type and how much support your child will receive.

Lydlynch Pre-School have their own directorship team made up of parents and carers of our children. All parents are invited and welcome to attend termly meetings. We have an open door policy and all parents and carers are invited to stay and play with their children and participate within activities planned for the children. Parents are also invited to talk about topic related subjects that they feel would benefit the children. We have a strong parent/carer relationship and are always available to contact. Questionnaires are produced for parents and carers twice a year to gain understanding of their opinions on the daily running of the pre-school and any improvements or ideas they may have.