Our SEND Offer
At Horfield Welly Pre-school we understand how important it is to choose a pre-school that will meet your child’s individual needs and support them to reach their full potential. We believe that each child is unique and should be equally valued and we are committed to ensuring that all children are fully included in all aspects of pre-school life and to making your families time at Welly a rewarding and positive experience. Our practitioners support children with a range of different needs, but some children need additional support that is different from their peers. Your child may need help with the way that they talk either with adults or children. learning to manage their feelings, their physical needs including eyesight, hearing and special awareness, learning in a small group or by themselves.
How Accessible is our setting?
We plan our learning carefully to enable as much access as possible to all children.
The main room and garden are fully accessible to all, the hall has double door, ramped access and is a large, bright and airy with plenty of space to allow adequate distances between activities and apparatus for any mobility aids. There is a further room to the rear of the hall which can only be accessed by 3 stairs. The toilet area is adequate but does not offer any changing facilities, alternative rooms can be made available if required. We want all children to access curriculum opportunities off site, including trips. We will meet with the parents/carers of a child with specific needs to plan how to make adjustments to ensure accessibility. A risk assessment would be written with the parents/carers if necessary. Our SENCO is able to discuss any concerns you have and advise you on the suitability of our setting for your child. We also welcome other professionals into our setting who may be working with your child.
We offer all families a home visit before your child starts with us, this allows us to find out more about your child and their individual needs and gives parents and carers the opportunity to raise any concerns you may have before your child starts at pre-school.
All of the children are observed in their play and interactions by our practitioners. These observations are recorded in their learning diaries which reflect their development and interests, these are always available for parents and carers to see and contribute to. Children’s development and progress are continually monitored so that we can identify where a child has significantly greater difficulty in learning than their peers.
As a setting we work within a cycle of plan, do, assess and review and respond to the needs of the child with a graduated response. We complete a 2 Year Check for all 2 year olds at the setting which we share with parents and will highlight any areas of concern.
How do you identify if a child needs extra help with their learning?
Who will be working with my child and what are their roles?
The Welly staff team work closely together so it is likely all practitioners will be involved in your child’s care. Your child’s key worker has a special role in this, they will know your child best and plan next steps based on their previous learning and interests. Our Manager is always available to talk to you at any time.
Our setting’s SENCO, Claire Skyner, will oversee any additional provision we make to help your child, the SENCO is also able to make referrals to other professionals to gain advice, such as speech and language services, Early Years Inclusion, Educational Psychologists and The Bristol Autism Team.
Who can I talk to at the setting if I am concerned about my child’s progress?
The first point of contact should be your child’s key person. We have an open-door policy so please talk to them at any time if you would like to discuss any concerns you have about your child.
You can also talk to the Pre-school Manager or the designated SENCO, Claire Skyner. Your child’s key person or SENCO may talk to you informally or arrange a meeting with you to discuss any needs that are identified.
What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had or are having?
Our SENCO is a qualified Early Years Teacher who attends regular training and area SENCO Cluster Meetings.
Our staff are experienced practitioners and have attended various additional training sessions including Attention Autism, Workstation, Makaton, Emotion Coaching, Mental Health & Resilience, ASD, Behaviour Management to name a few. Our setting has a commitment to training in all areas of practice and in particular we attend training relevant to inclusion and meeting the needs of children with SEND. We will seek advice and information from outside agencies and attend training in relation to individual training as appropriate.
What is the settings approach to supporting different children’s needs and how will that help my child?
Horfield Welly Pre-school provides high quality broad and balanced, play and learning opportunities to ALL children through the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
Within our setting, our practitioners plan and resource the rooms based on the children’s interests, building on successes to extend and develop their understanding. Differentiated ways of teaching support each child’s different learning needs. If your child is struggling with any aspect of their learning and development and is making less than expected progress then their key person will talk to you about this and, supported by the SENCO, specific support will be put in place to help your child to access the curriculum.
Where appropriate, support from other health professionals can be sought. These services include: Speech and Language Therapist; Early Years Inclusion specialist; Occupational Therapist and Educational Psychologist. These professionals may suggest strategies that can be implemented within Pre-school. If your child receives the support and input and is identified as having a specific special educational need, it may be appropriate to write a Support plan (Non statutory Education, Health and Care Plan – EHCP ) together.
This document will offer an opportunity for all professionals who are supporting your child to add their contributions.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive? And how will I be involved?
We are committed to working in equal partnership with all our parents/carers. Parents are involved closely with their child’s individual progress, we will talk to you at every step of the process of planning any additional support for your child.
We receive funding for all children who are 3 and 4 as well as for eligible 2 year olds. We are able to apply for additional funding if a child has needs that are different and additional to normal requirements. The setting SENCO will make this application and the Early Years Special Educational Needs Panel will decide the allocation of funding using the Bristol Universal descriptors.
If further support is required in addition to the Early Years SEN Panel funding and if all involved with the child agree then a request for an EHC Needs Assessment can be made.
How will I know if my child is making progress in their learning?
All children’s progress is monitored using the Early Years Foundation Stage and recorded in their individual learning journal which is accessible for parents to view and contribute to parents online. We also use the Differentiated Early Years Outcomes (DEYO) which breaks down these stages into smaller steps which is valuable for children who may appear to be making slower progress.
If your child has an IEP (Individual Education Plan) then we will meet with you regularly to review and discuss your child's progress and to plan next steps for your child.
How does the setting manage the administration of medicines and manage personal care?
We will work closely with you to develop an appropriate plan to manage the administration of any medicines and we will seek out any specialist training if required.
If your child needs personal care (toileting, dressing, eating) an individual provision plan will be developed, all staff will be aware of your child’s needs to ensure that they feel safe and secure.
How will my child be prepared to move on to the next stage within the setting or onto school?
If your child is moving from our rising 3’s to pre-school provision your family will be offered a home visit by your child’s new key person, your child will also join their new key person for lunch and various activities in the summer term.
We recognise that moving on to school can be challenging for some children. We liaise with our local schools to ensure smooth transition for all children, this includes inviting new practitioners/teachers to visit the children at Welly and discussing any special arrangements and support that can be put in place to support you and your child. With your permission, we will make sure that all records about your child’s special educational needs are passed on to the receiving school.
If a child may require a specialist setting in their school years, you or the setting may decide to request an Education, Health and Care Assessment to develop a plan. An EHC Plan is a way of providing support that puts children, young people and families at the centre of the assessment and planning process, to make sure that your views are not only heard but also understood. This process focuses on what is important for children and young people, i.e. what they and you want to achieve now and in the future. The EHC Plan will have long and short term goals for your child. It will set out what support they need and how they will receive this support.
Click here to view our Special Educational Needs and Inclusion policy.
Bristol SEND Offer
Please follow this link to the Bristol SEND Offer website, a comprehensive source of local information for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and their families