The following outlines Pixels’ commitment to children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).
The commitment must be taken in the context of the varied interests, demands and changes that make up the business.These include the best interests of the staff, existing children and parents as well as the legal and regulatory obligations as stated in the Early Years Foundation Stage and SEND code of practice. The main aims of our SEND policy is to ensure the early identification of the needs a child may have and offering an appropriate learning environment in which we provide a range of activities to meet individual needs.
We ensure all children within the framework of our admissions policy have an equal opportunity to engage in all areas of EYFS. We will provide a balanced and appropriate approach which is accessible to the individual needs of all our children. We will ensure that the needs of the children are identified and assessed, and we will provide appropriate strategies through targeted support which is consistent to support learning.
All staff observe, monitor and record children’s developmental progress on a regular basis. We carry out a ‘progress check at age two’.
The policy describes the way we meet the needs of children who experience barriers to their learning, which may relate to the following:
- Communication and interaction
- Sensory and/or physical impairment
- Cognition and learning difficulties
- Social, metal and emotional health
We view children’s behaviour as an outward sign or indicator of another need that a young child may not be able to verbalise or understand. Staff attend training regarding behaviour strategies and will use their knowledge and expertise to build a picture of the behaviour. If a concern is raised due to a child’s behaviour, records of incidents will be recorded to enable key-persons to assess and determine an action or next step. All records made on your child are available on request and sent home termly for you to read and make comments on. Consent will be sought from the child’s parent to gain advice from outside professionals if this cause of action is deemed appropriate.
We will respond to all learners in ways which take account of their varied life experiences and needs.
Our Nursery is a converted building and wheelchair access may be a little difficult; it may be possible to adapt the building to make it more suitable if necessary however if necessary the nursery staff will endeavour to find access to the ground floor of the building.
All staff are trained in First Aid and Safeguarding children and some staff have experience in caring for children on the Autistic Spectrum. The majority of the staff are qualified to use makaton.
We plan our early year’s curriculum to ensure that we provide appropriate learning opportunities for children with SEN, and highlighting any activities where extra support may be needed. All equipment is able to move from room to room to allow access for all children.
Regular assessments are made of the layout of the room/furniture, timetables/routines, and activities including the positioning of activities to ensure the inclusion of all children
Parents are children’s first and most enduring educators. When parents and practitioners work together in early year’s settings, the results have a positive impact on children’s development and learning; this is why Rhymes is committed to developing an effective partnership with parents.
We hold Key Person Chats annually, if this is not convenient parents are welcome to make an alternative appointment to talk to their Key Person and look at their child’s Learning Journey. There are office facilities off the premises for parents to talk to staff away from their children or other parents so they can be assured of privacy and confidentiality.
We aim to establish close links with a number of local schools such as Gorseland, Birchwood, Martlesham Primary school and Cedarwood to name a small selection. We aim to invite the class teachers or school SENCO to visit us to make transition easier for the children. With parents’ permission children’s records and information will be passed on to their new setting this is particularly important for children with SEN.
The setting operates a complaints procedure please see applicable policy however if you have any complaints or concerns regarding SEN, please talk to the SENCO first and hopefully the complaint or the concern can be resolved between you without any further intervention.
Your view and opinions are valued and taken very seriously, complaints will be recorded as well as the outcome or specific action that needed to be taken to resolve the situation and kept on file for future reference.
