How does the early year's provision identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities?

How does the early year's provision identify and assess children with special educational needs and disabilities?

• The early year’s provision is used daily to support practitioners to identify children’s areas of need in regard to their development.
• Practitioners work in close partnership with the children in using and accessing their environment. Through observation, we get a holistic view of any child showing difficulty in accessing the environment and resources for any reason; difficulties in physical movement, visual difficulties and inability to use verbal responses in communicating.
• Throughout their time at the setting, the children are observed within a variety of areas every day by the practitioners.
• Observations of the children are documented on our planning system. This is evaluated each week in order to plan and provide a wider range of activities and experiences to facilitate and challenge each child within their learning and development.
• Children’s developments are also documented on the planning system, which is used every term to document and transfer data onto the assessment documents. This enables practitioners to keep track of and monitor children’s developments across the age ranges and ensures that children who are below expected age level are provided with early intervention. Any child found to be under achieving in any areas, findings are documented on Special Educational Needs (SEN) support plans which are shared with the parent. This documents how the setting is going to support the child over a specific time period and the outcomes expected. This can be through a wide variety of avenues including one-to-one sessions, group sessions, home learning, support from Health Visitor, speech enrichment/speech and language, other multi-agency support.
• We have a wide level of experience in providing appropriate support through effective multi agency working. For example, we work in close partnership with Physiotherapists, Health Visitors, Educational Psychologists, on a regular basis to ensure we are offering each child the best possible care available and supporting their development holistically.
• Management use further resources available in accessing funding for specialised equipment we may need in order to support us further in meeting the child’s needs. This is sought through DCATCH funding and liaising with the Early Years Team and One Point; equipment and training for staff are accessed through these avenues of funding. Throughout all daily practices, we follow the ‘assess, plan, do and review’ process, in order to document what has been observed, plan for ways in which to take children’s learning and development forward and then to re-evaluate within timescales. 

How will the curriculum be matched to meet children's developmental needs?

How will the curriculum be matched to meet children's developmental needs?

• With both parents and practitioners working in close partnership daily, practitioners use this information to ensure that the provisions and environment we offer is enriched with many opportunities to support each child in their development.  
• Practitioners are continuously observing children within their play and document through observations and group times, what children’s interests and the progress they are showing in their development. This evidence and information is collated within weekly planning meetings, where practitioners discuss the best ways in which to take the children’s learning and development forward. This could be through on the spot enhancements, providing experiences and activities, providing group or one-to-one activities and experiences for individual or a small number of children. Practitioners will often reflect on the layout of the room and where needed will change areas to best suit the needs of the children. Additional areas may be added or taken away depending on the children’s needs and interests.
• Staff continuously reflect on the environment, practice and resources they provide the children each day and will tailor the environment and/or resources to accommodate developments.  
• Practitioners are supportive of children’s interests and schematic behaviours and will ensure all children are included in every avenue of the setting and environment.  
• Practitioners use the EYFS guidance and framework to support them in ensuring they are offering the children within our care the best possible learning environment we have to offer, which will enable them to thrive within their environment.

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?

What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?

As we work in close collaboration with local Children Centres (some of which our settings are located within), we have the benefit of being surrounded by a multitude of professionals from a wide range of backgrounds:

• Health Visitors
• School Nurses
• Education Development Advisors
• Health Professionals
• Midwives and Family Workers.

On transition induction, parent's complete paperwork that gives permission to liaise with these multi-agency professionals if we need further advice in which to support their child’s learning.

We often liaise with multi-agency professionals so we are up to date with information we can use within training sessions and in order to keep our records up to date in relation to safeguarding (criminal record checks - DBS).

Having these strong partnership links with the multi-agency professionals enables us to share information in regard to spaces and funding, both we as a setting can access and our parents are also entitled to access, in order to help them support their child and family.

Professionals such as family workers, health visitors and Education Development Advisors will often recommend our services to families they are supporting through their own working roles.

What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had, or are having?

What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had, or are having?

The manager on site is the appointed SENCO and attends SENCO business meeting and training in relation to SEND.

This information is then filtered down to the staff team within in-house training sessions. This ensures that the training can be tailored to suit both the staff team and each individual team member as all staff learn in different ways. Practitioners are continuously supported in using new pieces of evidence and documentation in relation of how to identify and support individual needs of the children.

 

How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors/outdoors)

How accessible is the early years setting environment? (indoors/outdoors)

All Giant Steps settings are easily accessible for all. Buildings are one level units and all doors and accesses are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and wide pushchairs. All settings have disabled access throughout covering all changing and toileting facilities. We provide open door access into the outdoor area, which the children move through freely and can access independently at their leisure.

 

How will the early years provision prepare and support my child(ren's) transition to their next educational establishment?

How will the early years provision prepare and support my child(ren's) transition to their next educational establishment?

Children and families are fully supported within their transition into their next educational establishments.

Parents and children are invited to attend a transitional review meeting to discuss ways in which the child will be supported throughout transition.

This gives the staff time to spend with parents/carers and children, ensuring a smooth transition. Visits to the next educational establishment are arranged to ensure that all parties are able to become familiar with each other and the new environment.

Teachers/Practitioners are also invited to come into our settings on a number of occasions to meet with the children in order for them to spend quality time getting to know them prior to their settling in sessions commencing at their new setting. We will also talk to and discuss the children individually, in order to share their progress, development and all other relevant pieces of information pertaining to each child.

There are a number of reasons as to why a child may not settle or adjust to the change of environment and routine; this could be due to attachment difficulties, Autism or Asperger's for example.  We therefore continuously work in close partnership with children, parents/carers and schools/settings ensure the transition process is as seamless as possible.