Top Place Pre-School, Watford.
What we have to Offer children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities
(SEND) at Top Place Pre-School.
- How does Top Place Pre-School know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs?
Each child is assigned a key person as soon as he/she is registered at Top Place Preschool. The key person spends time with the child and if they notice any evidence of special educational needs, we will discuss our findings with you and put a plan in place to support the child. If you think your child may have special educational needs, we advise that you speak to the manager who is the SENCO officer. Once it has been identified that your child may have special educational needs, we will do the IAELD to see where there are gaps and set up an individual education plan (IEP), working in partnership with you. This plan is unique to your child and identifies the areas of support your child needs, we will provide the support and monitor its effectiveness.
Your child’s key person and SENCO will discuss the IEP with you and take your views into account.
2. How will Top Place support my child?
Top Place delivers high-quality care for young children by providing unlimited opportunities to learn and develop through play-based activities. We observe children through our play-based activities to find out if there are gaps and if they need extra support. The result from the observations will be used to complete an IAELD (Individual Assessment of Early Learning Development) to identify specific areas of need/s. We will seek parent/carer permission before completing the IAELD and explain what it entails. We will arrange a meeting with the parent/carer after completing the IAELD to discuss our findings and the best way forward for the child.
3. How will I know how my child is doing?
We welcome three parents’ evenings a year and provide the learning journey of each child using Tapestry. Parents have access to this online platform using their individual passwords to see what their child is doing at preschool. They can also contribute to their child’s learning and development using the platform. A summative report will be published on each child’s page at the end of every term for parents to see. Parents are welcome to talk about their concerns at drop off and pick up from the preschool each day. You are also welcome to make appointments to see your child/ren key person at any point during the term.
4. How will the learning and development provision be matched to my child’s needs?
We allocate a key person to each child when they start at preschool. The key person uses the EYFS curriculum to do regular observations with photographic evidence on each of their key child. This information forms our next steps which are used to plan future activities which the key person will adapt in challenging the child. We also work in partnership with the team around the child and put their advice, report etc into consideration while planning for the child’s next steps.
5. What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
At Top Place Preschool, the well-being of our children and their families is paramount to us. We build good relationships with families so that children feel comfortable and secure in our environment. Our staff have a positive approach to all children’s individual learning and development and are sensitive to their needs. We welcome parent/carer volunteers at the setting and encourage their contribution to their child’s learning and development. We provide healthy snacks twice a day and will support you and your child with toilet training and issues regarding eating. Children have access to the outdoor play areas and other activities to keep them active.
6. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by Top Place Preschool?
Top Place preschool has a good working relationship with many outside agencies. We work closely with the local Family centre, Speech and Language Therapists, Health Visitors, Educational Psychologists, Social Care, Specialist Teachers for Autism etc. We also work closely with the SEN team to ensure children get the correct support when leaving Top Place Preschool.
7. What training and or experience do the staff supporting children with SEND have?
Our SENCO designated person has a PGCE EYTS qualification with relevant SENCO training. She is assisted by another member of staff who has PGCE EYTS qualification and relevant SENCO training. The SENCo and her deputy attend SENCO cluster meetings regularly to update their knowledge of changes in the Early years. We are committed to the continuing professional development of all staff.
8. How will I be involved in discussions about and planning for my child’s learning and development?
We operate an open-door policy where parents can come in and discuss their concerns. The manager/deputy is always at the door every morning to receive the children and also in the afternoon to give feedback to parents on what their child had done each day. We work in partnership with parents and carers and would like you to feel involved in preschool. We welcome parent volunteers into our sessions. We will also keep you informed of general preschool news via our quarterly newsletters.
9. How accessible is the building environment?
Top Place preschool has a wheelchair facility. We advise that you make an appointment to see the space before deciding whether it would be appropriate to your child's needs and whether it could accommodate their equipment.
10. How will the setting prepare and support my child with transitions between home, setting and school?
When offered a place at Top Place preschool, you will be asked to bring your child for settling in. On your first settling in, you will be asked to fill the “All about me” with your child’s key person on Tapestry. This will enable us to gather detailed information about your child and the family. We may carry out a home visit before your child starts preschool if needed. A health care plan may also be completed and signed off at the meeting if need be. We call a meeting between the parent and the key person after six sessions or at most three weeks of your child starting at the preschool to discuss the progress of the child and plan the next step with the parent.
11. How will the setting resources be used to support children’s special educational needs?
If your child requires one to one support, we will need to apply to the Local Authority for funding. If our application is successful, the funding will be used to meet the additional staffing costs. There are occasions when only part-funding is agreed and therefore we will discuss with you, how best to support your child.
12. How will the Early Years curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Within the Early Years curriculum, your child’s key person and the SENCO will identify any areas that need to be adjusted in order to meet your child’s needs. To do this we may use alternative resources and request advice from external services.
13. How will my child’s progress and learning be monitored?
We will review your child’s IEP with you half termly and look at what the next step needs to be. We also have an open-door policy for parents and carers, so you will be able to speak to your child’s key person whenever the need arises. We will observe and assess your child’s development at regular intervals. Our observations and assessments will be available in the learning journal.
14. How will my child be included in activities outside the preschool, including school trips?
We take the ratio of adults to children very seriously and always make sure every outside activity is risk assessed with inclusion as focus. In order to ensure no child is excluded, therefore, we engage extra staff and involve parent volunteers on trips outside of the preschool premises.
Who can I contact for further information?
For further information about Top Place Pre-school please contact;
Rachael James (Pre-School Manager)
Tel: 07842519294/07944402240
Email: admin@topplace-preschool.co.uk
Website: www.topplace-preschool.co.uk
Address: Derby Road Baptist Church, Derby Road Watford. WD17 2LZ.
This offer is accurate at the time of this publication but services are regularly reviewed and could change.
All information will be updated as soon as possible to reflect any new service offer.
Date of publication: 01 June 2023
