Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) – Local Offer.

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery values each member of our community be they child or parent/carer. We are committed to providing each person access to a beautiful and natural environment which will foster everyone’s learning and development.

For more information, guidance and services offered in your local area, please see the West Sussex Local offer. https://westsussex.local-offer.org/

1. How does the early years setting know if children need extra help and what should I do if I think my child may have special educational needs or disabilities?

Each child will be assessed within their first month of starting at Rabbit Patch Day Nursery. This will be aided by a progress review which will help us identify any areas your child needs support in. You will meet with our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) to discuss this and develop a way in which we can fully support your child and their needs.

2. How will early years setting staff support my child?

Rabbit Patch Day Nurseries SENCO and your child’s key person will meet to discuss and develop a plan which may cover areas such as goal to achieve, how we will achieve them, liaisons with other health care professionals, regular meetings with you to foster effective communication and a regular review. The SENCO will work closely with your child’s key person throughout their time with us.

3. How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?

At Rabbit Patch Day nursery each child is at the centre of their own learning and will be supported by the adult. This process starts with your child’s interest’s eagerness to learn. Your child will be part of a small community of children and peers whom all have access to a qualified, passionate and eager adult who is ready to support their learning and take them further in to their own enquiries. Your child’s learning will be captured and documented on the online learning journal system called Tapestry at regular intervals. You will be able to access this system securely online from your own device. We have visual timetables and prompts to assist children who may be unsettled or do not speak English, this is to help them understand the routine.

4. How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?

Your child’s progress will be monitored on Tapestry where we can identify any gaps in their development. These will be reviewed by your child’s key person and discussed with yourself when needed. For children aged between 2 and 3 years of age we record their time with us on a day sheet which is handed over at collection time along with a detailed review of their day. Parents or carers who request this for the older children will be catered for too. We hold 2 parents evenings a year, this is a time where parents and key persons can have a in depth discussions of any concerns. We are also happy to schedule meeting throughout the year if required.

5. What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?

The support provided to a child is dependent on their individual needs. If medication is required, we will administer as stated on the child’s prescription from their doctor. If extra help is required we will look in to ways of accessing it, this may be through extra funding to get 1:1 care for your child.

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

Staff are sent on courses to develop their practice throughout their time with us.  Staff use Makaton (a form of sign language within Early Years).

Staff go through a 3-week induction period to familiarise themselves with policies and procedures and all staff hold at least a NVQ level 3, or are working towards gaining this qualification.

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

Rabbit Patch Day Nursery’s SENCO has received the specified training required to lead practice for children with Special Educational Needs, the rest of the staff attend specific training covering other areas of development and behaviour management, and first aid. We have a Designated Child Protection officer on site and staff attend safeguarding and child protection within 12 months of starting.

8. How will my child be included in offsite trips in the setting?

All parents are requested to sign an outings form for local visits. Any future trips which take us further afield, we will develop a more formal consent. Ratios will be tightened to 1 adult to 2 children and if needed volunteers or parents will be requested.

9. How accessible is the Early Years setting environment? (Inside and Outside)

Our building is based all on one level and has an accessible toilet, we have wide doors to the rooms and each room has a door that folds back completely on to a solid decked area outside. There is one small step which takes you down to the garden level and once there the majority of everything is on one level with a variety of surfaces. We will seek assistance in translation if parents/children do not speak English.

10. How will the Early Years setting prepare and support my child to join the Early Years setting, transfer to a new setting/school?

An enrolment form is filled out prior to children starting, stating need to know information allowing the setting to prepare accordingly. We then offer up to 4 settling in sessions, so parents and children can meet their key worker and observe the staff working and begin to build up trust and confidence. When children come to move to another setting or on to school we ask for a months’ notice, so we can begin to discuss this with the child and make contact with the new setting before hand to send files to them and make them aware of anything that child will need. This is done with the parents’ consent where possible we will try to send a member of staff to the new setting to take pictures or visit with the child. If transitioning to the older room in our setting the child has visits accompanied by the key worker to build up confidence in a new peer group and to be handed over to their new key worker.

11. How are the Early Years settings resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?

Our staff receive advice from other professionals working with the child about what resources we should be supplying. There will also be a budget set aside and made available, so we can access additional resources. We currently do not receive any additional funding for children in the setting but if required we will look in to this.

12. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?

Your child will be monitored through observations and links to the EYFS ages and stages development. These will be discussed fully with parents/carers. A decision will be made based on the available evidence and the views of all parties, including outside agencies if needed. The SENCO and key worker will communicate back to parents/carers how we will offer the level of support that has been decided upon and who will need to be involved.

13. How are parents involved in the Early Years setting? How can I be involved?

We value input from parents at any time and create events for them to come in and get involved with the setting. These are put on our social media page and advertised within the setting too. We will be developing a Parents committee in the future to get them even more involved within the setting. If parents would like to make any suggestions, we would be more than happy to try and accommodate these.