The St Gabriel's School Foundation

Parents are asked, during the registration process to supply us with any information regarding their child’s additional needs.

If staff identify a possible Special Educational Need, meetings will be held between the Special Educational Need Coordinator (SENCo) or Assistant SENCo, ‘Key Person’ and parents to discuss any concerns.  We seek advice and guidance from external agencies whenever necessary.

Sandleford uses the Early Years Outcomes and Development Matters as guidance to understand and support each individual child’s development pathway.

At the age of two and a half (approximately), we carry out a progress check in order to enable early identification of development needs, so that additional support can be put into place if necessary. Our staff carry out such observations and these are recorded in the child’s Learning Journey.

Children’s progress is recorded through weekly planning when next steps are identified.  Our staff complete a tracking grid once a term which ascertains the child’s stage of development and these are shared with parents who may access their child’s Learning Journey at any time.

If a specific need has been identified, regular meetings are held between the parents, ‘Key Person’, and SENCo or Assistant SENCo.  A Support and Achievement Plan (SAP) will be developed together, in order to ensure a cohesive partnership.  The plan will be overseen by the SENCo or her Assistant who will liaise with the child’s ‘Key Person’ and other team members to ensure all targets are closely monitored.

SAPs will be updated based on the child’s individual needs.  The outcomes will be reviewed as and when required.

Our ‘Key Person’ approach allows staff to build strong relationships with an individual child. We are able to view all our children holistically and know and understand their abilities in detail.

Independence is viewed as a highly important life skill and is encouraged in every aspect of nursery life.

Activities and experiences are differentiated to support each individual child and staff are supported by the SENCo or Assistant SENCo when planning for children with a Special Educational Need.

Each ‘Key Person’ plans for their group of key children.  They observe, assess and plan for each child’s individual needs.  Observations inform planning and next steps which are recorded in the child’s Learning Journeys.

Parents are invited into the setting twice a year to discuss the Learning Journey with their child’s ‘Key Person’, however the Learning Journeys are accessible to parents at all times and parents are encouraged to contribute regularly. The ‘Key Person’ discusses the child’s development in detail with the parents and always works in close partnership with them.

Teaching strategies would be discussed with other professionals and parents depending on the child’s additional needs and learning difficulties.  For example, visual timetables, ‘chatterboxes’, would be used to encourage speech and language development. These resources are available to children to take home and share with parents.

Any intervention would be delivered as appropriate and in accordance with a child’s needs; i.e. either1:1 or in small groups.

Each situation is assessed individually, desired targets and outcomes identified and strategies put in place to achieve them.  For example, puppets may be utilised, social stories and personal booklets would be constructed.  Our setting seeks additional support when necessary from other services such as the Educational Psychology Service, Children’s Centre drop-ins, Sensory Consortium Service, Pre-school SEND funding, the West Berkshire ECAT information website and professionals.  Concerns will be openly discussed with parents and decisions are made together.  A child with a special educational need will be added to the Individual Needs Register, maintained by the SENCo, and regular paperwork (the SAP) is completed and reviewed regularly.  An additional charge might be incurred for the provision of extra-support as necessary.

Regular observations are carried out, the results of which are used to inform next steps and future activities for children.  Progress in the EYFS is tracked once a term.  A more substantial progress check is also completed at around two and a half years old.

All children’s next steps are discussed with parents and we welcome their involvement in planning for these.

The child’s best interests are paramount and considered carefully during planning. Whenever possible, children are involved in setting their personal targets.

If a child attends another setting, ‘Key Persons’ meet together to ensure appropriate levels of communication regarding the child’s needs, development and progress.

During ‘settling in sessions’ an “All About Me” sheet is completed by the parent to enable the ‘Key Person’ to gain as much information as possible before planning suitable activities to support the child.

Risk assessments are carried out by the managers and staff for specific situations and children which are then recorded on our Risk Assessment template.

When planning trips offsite, the itinerary and logistics of the trip would be discussed with the parents who would be invited to join the visit in order to accompany their child.

If parents are unable to join the visit, parents and staff work together to discuss how best to support the child whilst away from the setting.

Sandleford and St Gabriel’s School are housed in historic buildings within historic parkland, much of which is listed.  Such constraints sometimes restrict what can be achieved. Adaptations have been made to the buildings and grounds.

Any support arrangements are discussed with parents in order for us to access any additional equipment the child may need.  We would also record the contact details of all other professionals involved with the child.

We support the child with their transition to the next room, or other settings, by allocating time for ‘settling in sessions’.  A change of ‘Key Person’ form is completed and passed to the new ‘Key Person’.

When a child starts school, all transition documents, SAP and Learning Journey is forwarded to them directly.  Meetings would be arranged between the new school and our SENCo or Assistant SENCo. Both parents and their child are encouraged to attend these meetings.

Children transferring to St Gabriel's School have numerous visits to the reception classroon to work with the reception teacher and get used to the new environment.

We communicate regularly with parents and our Transition Coordinator is available to parents at any time.

Outcomes listed on the SAP demonstrate progress over a period of time.  Sandleford enjoys an ‘open door policy’ together with excellent relationships with parents and carers who are welcome to share ideas for improvements at any stage.

The school’s Executive, together with Sandleford staff, evaluates the overall effectiveness of its SEND provision through the regular completion and review of the ISI Self-Evaluation Form (SEF).

Please contact us for an information pack and to register your child.

Jane Benney-Registrar- 01635 555680 registrar@stgabriels.co.uk

Katie Noonan-Nursery Manager- 01635 555696 knoonan@stgabriels.co.uk

If parents have a concern about the development, progress or wellbeing of their child they should contact Katie Noonan, Sandleford Manager in the first instance or Michelle Bullock, Deputy Manager in her absence.

Clare Lawrence, Sandleford Curriculum Manager, is readily available to discuss any compliments or concerns regarding a child’s academic and social development.

The Principal and/or any member of the school’s Executive is always available to receive any feedback from parents/carers.

The School has a formal Complaints Procedure which is communicated to all parents via the School Website.