Westwood Farm Community Pre-School

Children are usually identified as having additional needs (SEND) through concerns raised by parents or by their keyworker when they are not meeting the usual developmental milestones. We have experience of working with children who present with a variety of additional needs. We are happy to attend training to support childrens requirements. We will help and support parents during any referral process.

We have an open door policy where parents are welcome to chat informally about their child's development at any time. We have strong relationships with parents, carers and other outside agencies which ensures the successful development of all our children. Each child has a keyworker and parents are able to view and contribute to their child's on-line Learning Journey at any time. We ask parents to share information about any diagnosis with us to enable us to plan and cater for each individual child. We realise that communication with our parents is vital and therefore regularly seek feedback from parents with our annual questionnaire. Our comments and suggestions book is available at all times .This helps us to evaluate our Pre-School practice. We liaise with parents and other professionals when required.

Children are constantly observed throughout their play and adult led activities to enable us to monitor their progress in each area of the EYFS. This is recorded in their on-line Learning Journeys by their keyworker. Our planning is based on the individual child's interests and we look at the ways in which individual children play and learn. Children are encouraged to be independent and to choose their own activities. They are encouraged to explore every aspect of our provision whilst taking small manageable risks.

We have the following strategies in place to support children with additional needs or learning difficulties:- Visual prompts Visual timetabling Simplifying language Key words in child's first language We are guided by parents to ascertain each individual child's SEN needs. We carry out small group work to offer children extra support, and 1:1 when required.

We have a dedicated Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) who regularly attends training and is available to speak to parents about any concerns at any time. Pre-School staff are dedicated to providing support to all children. We can provide one to one support through funding from West Berkshire Council. We have a good relationship with West Berkshire Early Years Service and work very closely with them to support our children with additional needs. We have also worked with Health Visitors, Speech and Language therapists Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists. We liaise with local schools to ease the transition process for all our children.

We work within the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and all children are monitored to track their progress in all areas of development. When a child starts with us we request to see their two year old progress check to use towards a baseline assessment. Children with recognised Special Educational Needs have an individual plan which is constantly reviewed. Parents are always kept up to date on their child's progress and are actively involved in setting their child's targets alongside the keyworker and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. The child's views and preferences are always taken into consideration. We share information with Childminders and other settings where appropriate, and with permission from the parents.

All of our children are offered the same opportunities. This may involve setting our provision out differently to enable access for all children. Risk assessments are carried out prior to any trip taking place and adult ratios are increased accordingly. We include parents in the planning of any trips or outings outside of the Pre-School environment.

Our setting is in a large hall that we set up on a daily basis which means we can be flexible with the layout of our equipment and toys so we can include all children with additional needs. We have a ramp available to allow wheelchair access.

Before a child with Special Educational Needs starts at our Pre-School we meet regularly with the parents and other professionals to discuss the child's needs and requirements. Any extra equipment can then be provided to make sure everything is in place before they start to ensure a smooth transition. We have very close relationships with the local schools in our area. We invite teachers into our Pre-School to meet the children. Transition visits are arranged according to the child's needs and we are able to visit the school and meet the teachers to advise the school of the child's requirements. The teacher is provided with the child's Transition Report before they start school to assist the teacher with planning. We request information from local schools as to any additional skills that we can help build on, in order to help prepare children set to attend their school in the future.

Our Self Evaluation is on-going, where we can evaluate and reflect on our practice. Parents are always asked for feedback via our annual questionnaire and parents comments and suggestions book. Comments slips are also sent to parents on a regular basis.

If you would like to register for a place or would like any further information please contact our Administrator - Mrs Nicki Layfield Tel: 07591750224 e-mail: admin@westwoodfarmpreschool.com If you would like to come and visit us, please call the above number to arrange an appointment. If you would like to speak to our SenCo please call using the number above, or e-mail on sen@westwoodfarmpreschool.com.

We have an open door policy so that parents are encouraged to give both positive and negative feedback to any staff or committee member either by face to face, telephone or email. If parents prefer they can talk to our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator. We have a complaints policy that we adhere to which parents can access at all times. We try to resolve problems and complaints as quickly as we can. If parents have any serious complaints about our Pre-School that they do not wish to discuss with us they can contact OFSTED.