Little Gems Pre-School (West End)

All children attending the setting are observed on their learning and development. These assessments will identify if your child needs additional support. Your child will be monitored and supported by the setting and outside agencies with parental consent. Each child has a key person, at the preschool. Discussions with you and your child will take place with their key person. Our outside agencies are able to help support us in being able to cater for children with special educational needs such as autism, speech and language difficulties, behavioral problems, English as an Additional Language, disabilities and social communications difficulties.
Little Gems welcomes every child and their families into our setting from our diverse community and welcome groups such as travellers. The setting is supported by the Ethnic Minority Traveller Achievement Service (EMTAS). EMTAS support the Pre School and families with communication barriers, English as an additional language (EAL), etc.
The Pre- school includes all families in parent meetings re progress, and the completion of a settling in plan on admission.

Our key person approach involves each key person to plan around their children’s individual needs. Each key person tracks their child’s development and reviews their progress termly at parents meetings. There is a strong communication between parents and key persons, whether by communication at the end of a session or in a meeting with the parents. Parents are able to see their child’s progress daily by going onto the Tapestry system where the child’s key person will record any progress made and also the next steps to help the parents support their child at home with their learning.
All the observation, assessment and planning along with the routine of Little Gems are explained to the parents on induction. Each year Little Gems send a Parents’ Questionnaire to each family to gather opinions on the service and support we provide to children and their families. The results are used to inform us of areas that need developments.
The pre-school’s SENCo is familiar with the SEN Code of Practice, monitors records and ensures they are kept up to date regarding information about your child’s learning and progress. Our SENCo establishes and maintain positive relationships with our parents; informing of any progress, ensuing the pre school staff are familiar with the SEN policy and that it is reviewed annually. Our SENCo supports staff with SEN children. The SENCo liaises with the Services for Young Children Area Inclusion Coordinator and other professionals; attends the professional’s SEN support group and coordinates transitions to school.

Every child is different. We take into consideration your child’s progress and plan and support the child at their own pace. We use the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum as a guide for a child’s development .The pre school’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and Behavior Coordinator (BeCo) helps children who need extra support. They will provide each child’s key person with support and activities for your child to learn within the area of need. Progress will be evidenced in your child’s learning journal and Individual Educational Plans (IEP) will be written to support learning in the setting and in the home. IEP’S will be reviewed termly to view your child’s progress. Observations are taken on your child and an assessment is made, which will highlight areas of development that may need to be focused on. Planning will be addressed within these areas of learning.

Learning journals and our Tapestry system hold each child’s observations and assessments, tracking sheets (this form is a guide of where a child ‘should be’ developing), the child’s creative work, along with a photo album telling the story of the child’s progress. The Tapestry system allows the staff and parents to interact with each other.
Individual Educational Planning forms will also be found within learning journals which explain what area of learning your child needs support in and how the key person and parent can support this at home and at the setting. At Little Gems we will assess each child’s development using a 2 year old progress check through to observations and progress reports until they leave for school. This is how we monitor and adapt targets to maintain and challenge a child’s development progress. Little Gems realise that parents are their child’s first educators and we involve parents in their child’s learning and development. Parents are encouraged to be involved in supporting their child’s learning at home. Little Gems have an open door policy, parents are welcome to come in at any time. Key persons will discuss daily with you, how your child is doing and any progress made. Termly parent’s meetings are focused on the child development. Newsletters are sent out termly as well as events posted on our notice boards daily, our newsletters contain dates for events, parents meetings and trips. Newsletters are printed for parents as not all have access to the internet.

Little Gems staff can administer medicines with parental consent. A child with behavior difficulties will be supported by each member of staff. The Behavior Officer will ensure each child has Individual Education Plan in place to support their needs. Little Gems have a policy in place to support behavior, Special educational needs and disabilities and inclusion. The child and their family along with the Area InCo service and possibly other agencies such as Portage Plus (a service devoted to supporting children and families with behavior difficulties) will work together with us to ensure the child receives the amount of support needed. Emotions and feelings are discussed within the sessions through play and at circle times as well as staff role modeling the correct behavior. Small language groups are held throughout the session to encourage positive language and social skills and to build self-confidence. Staff have had recent advice and training from the SALT specialist giving us tips to pass onto parents if a child is having language difficulties.

Each staff member is fully qualified in National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 3 or above in child care. They are all first aid trained, and have attended advanced or Level 2 safeguarding training. The SENCo attends termly SENCo network meetings which contain important changes, legalisation or new ideas and resources to support children with SEN.
Some staff have had basic Makaton training. Little Gems use Makaton signing through songs and rhymes, within our language activity groups and through general play and snack time. Little Gems has policies and procedures in place to support the running of the preschool and the safety and wellbeing of the children and staff.
Little Gems work together with the outside agencies and services to support children with behavior troubles.

Little Gems have three members of qualified staff, each member of staff holds a NVQ Level 3 in childcare. Little Gems manager holds a degree (Level 5) in Early Childhood Studies. We have one member of staff currently looking into training for her Level 3 in Childcare. We are also in September employing an apprentice who will be training for her Level 2 and 3 in Childcare. Each member of staff has attended speech and language training recently. The manager has attended Behavior management training. Some staff have attended basic training in Makaton. Each member of our team are qualified in First aid and have attended Safeguarding training.

Trips and outings are advertised through a monthly newsletter. Parents give consent to outings on Little Gems admissions forms when the child starts. Parents and carers are invited to attend if they wish. Depending on their need children will have a one to one support worker outside the Pre School. This will be their Key Person. Visual timetables and picture exchange are used to prepare your child and explain what is going to happen on the outing, allowing them to feel comfortable at all times when out of the setting.

Little Gems has wheelchair accessibility at the front and side of the building. We do not currently have wheelchair accessibity to our garden area. In our main room there are routine time lines demonstrating through photos, symbols and signs the structure and routine of each sessions, visual symbols, signs and photos are used to support your child. Each member of staff supports their key group, and is there to support your child when needed. Throughout the room we display posters with languages of children who attend us and will purchase dual language books and stories in their own language.
Little Gems’s outside garden is not accessible to a wheelchair but we are able to use the park which is a short distance from our setting which is easily accessible to a wheelchair and has a wheelchair accessible roundabout in. We are also lucky to be in a park setting with large fields and a MUGA facility which we could adapt to make interesting activities in if required. Our back garden has many resources and experiences to offer.

Little Gems invite new children and families to attend a trial session before they start to support the child’s settling in to Little Gems. Trial sessions allow an opportunity for parents to meet their child’s key person and create a bond with their family, which in time will settle the child when the parents decide to leave them. The pre-school offers a visit to meet the family and child in the home environment.
For children attending infant school, transitions are supported in the same way. Infant school teachers come and visit your child at the setting. Each child will get the opportunity to visit their school on more than one occasion.

Special Education Needs (SEN) funding is allocated to your child where appropriate. A meeting is held with you and the key person to discuss how the funding should be spent for the benefit of your child. The majority of the time in the early stages of the funding it would usually support your child with one to one time with their key person through the week.

Your child’s key person will observe and make a decision on whether your child will benefit from additional support. The key person will discuss this with the setting’s SENCO and manager. The extra support is promptly put into place and supported by all team members. An Individual Education Plan is written for the child with parental input. This is reviewed over a term to learn what impact the support has had on your child, and what should be put in to place next.

Parents and the key person work together on their child learning and development. Parents’ are invited to meetings termly and journals are sent out termly for parents to view and it’s from here that the planning for the individual child takes place. This planning is for home and the setting. Both parties review their child progress throughout the term and discussed either at meetings or through a chat at the beginning or end of a session. Little Gems organise several different activities to involve parents and carers in their child’s learning, for example the local carnival, interesting job or hobby to come and share, story time or bring dad to work day.