Maiden Erlegh Pre-School

Upon accepting a place for their child, parents are expected to complete a First Steps Profile, which gives us a general picture of their child's skills and needs.  Key persons carry out daily informal observations for their key children and report any concerns to the manager/Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator, who will also monitor the child carefully, to build up a picture of the individual child. At regular meetings staff discuss all children and share their findings.

If your child already has a recognised need when they join our setting, we will meet with you before they start to discuss this with you and plan how we can best support them. We recognise that as a parent, you know your child better than anyone. We will therefore discuss with you, any strategies you use, that you feel benefit your child. We will ask for any advice you have been given by other professionals involved in your child’s care and strive to implement their suggestions.

If upon joining our setting, we recognise that your child would benefit from additional support, we will arrange an initial meeting with you to discuss this. We will discuss the role of the Local Education Authority Inclusion Advisor and ask your permission to seek her advice and have her visit your child.

For all families with children who need additional support, we will retain open dialogue with you throughout your child’s time with us, and we will regularly share your child's development record. You will be invited for feedback sessions when anyone from an outside agency attends the setting to visit your child. These sessions will be held by our Special Educational Needs Co-Ordinator and may also include the professional that has visited.

Each child is an individual with differing needs. Whenever possible, curriculum will be adapted in ways appropriate to your child, ensuring they are able to progress at a rate and level that is suitable for their development. An Early Years Inclusion Plan will be written for your child, outlining your child’s current strengths and how we intend to support their progress and learning.

Often children with additional needs find visual learning reassuring. We therefore, often use visual aids when teaching children with additional needs. We will use a visual timetable and a now and next timetable, when we feel this is benificial. We also use a variety of visual cards to assist children in choosing/moving between activities and dealing with emotions and social interactions. Key persons will plan appropriate activities to enable children to work towards/achieve the targets set for them in their Individual Learning Plan.

Advice may be sought from the Local Education Authority Inclusion Advisor and where it is felt necessary, the child will be provided with an additional support worker, if funding for this can be obtained. We may also seek advice and support from other outside agencies, such as Speech and Language Therapy, an Occupational Therapist or Educational Psychologist.

We have a staff member who has multi linguistic skills, for assisting some children for whom English is an additional language.

Your child’s progress and development will be constantly monitored by their Key person, to ensure that they are making progress and to plan next steps to facilitate further development. A new Individual Learning Plan will be drawn up each term, with new objectives being set where necessary.

We use Language Trackers for all children, enabling us to assess, monitor and review individual language development.

For those children joining us at the age of two years, we will carry out a Two Year Progress Check.

You will be invited to a Formal meeting once per term, where all information we have collated over the term will be shared with you. Other informal meetings will be held as and when necessary.

Children will be given extra support where needed to enable participation in all areas of the curriculum. Where necessary an activity will be adapted to ensure that all children are able to participate.

Our building is on ground level and there are no steps to the main entrance or to our classroom and only one small step to our outdoor area. 

There is an accessible toilet within the building, with plenty of space provided for a wheelchair. Our classroom is all on one level; however, there is slightly limited space for movement within our setting.

Our Special Education Needs Co-Ordinator will arrange Transition Meetings with your child’s new setting, to which you will be invited. At these meetings plans will be made as to how both settings can ensure a smooth transition for your child. Teachers from local schools may attend our setting once places have been issued, to introduce themselves to the children joining them the following term. All relevant information thought to be of assistance in ensuring a smooth transition will be shared with the new setting/school.

For new children entering our setting, we will provide a welcome book after their visits, showing all staff members, stating the name of their key person and showing areas of play.

During regular staff meetings it will be discussed as to whether the Special Educational Needs provisions in place are still current and effective.

Our policies and procedures with regards to special educational needs and disabilities are reviewed annually and amended whenever necessary. 

Parents will be invited to give feedback during parent’s afternoon, our Annual General Meeting or at any other time if deemed appropriate. 

we believe that the best assessment for the effectiveness of our practice happens through monitoring the progress the individual child is making. This allows us to see the effectiveness of the strategies we use and adapt them when needed, as no two children's needs are exactly the same. 

You can contact our setting manager, either by telephone: 07867 565811 or email: maidenerlegh@weycp.org.uk

We will arrange for you to visit our setting and discuss your child’s needs.

The Pre-school is run by a committee, made up of current/past parents. These parents work with the manager and staff to ensure the smooth running of the pre-school and let all those involved in the setting have a voice.

Key persons form good relationships with the parents of their key children, thus encouraging open dialogue from both sides.

The setting has a ‘Compliments and Complaints Procedure’, which is included in our prospectus, presented to all parents upon them excepting a place at pre-school.