SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY POLICY

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1 SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY POLICY The Little School House is committed to the inclusion of all children. All children have the right to be cared for and educated to achieve the best possible outcomes, to share opportunities and experiences and develop and learn alongside their peers. We provide a positive and welcoming environment where children are supported according to their individual needs. We recognise that some children may have additional needs that may require particular help, intervention and support. These needs may be short-lived for a particular time in the child s life or may require longer-term or lifelong support. At all times we will work alongside each child s parents and any relevant professionals to share information, identify needs and help the child and their family access the support they need. In accordance with our admissions policy, we are committed to providing a childcare place, wherever possible, for children who may have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities according to their individual circumstances, and the nursery s ability to make any reasonable adjustments in order to provide the necessary standard of care. All children will be given a full settling in period when joining the nursery according to their individual needs. Where we believe a child may have learning difficulties and/or a disability that has not previously been acknowledged, we will work closely with the child s parents and any relevant professionals to establish the child s needs and to secure any action that may be required. We recognise that children with disabilities may not have SEN but may need the nursery to make reasonable adjustments to enable them to make full use of the nursery s facilities. Where we have emerging concerns about a child and/or where a child has identified additional needs or a disability, we will find out as much as possible about the needs of the child and any support the child or family may need to ensure the child makes the best progress in their learning and development. We do this by: liaising with the child s parents observing each child s development and monitoring such observations regularly liaising with any other relevant professionals engaged with the child and their family seeking any specialist help or support

2 researching relevant publications/sources of help reading any reports that have been prepared attending any assessment or review meetings with the local authority/professionals. Legal framework and definitions The relevant legislation underpinning this policy includes: Special Educational Needs and disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years The Children and Families Act 2014, Part 3 The Equality Act 2010 Special Educational Needs and Disability Regulations 2014 Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (from September 2014) Working Together to Safeguard Children 2013 We use the definitions set out in the law to describe SEN and disabilities. A child has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for them. A learning difficulty or disability means that a child of compulsory school age has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of other children of the same age; and/or has a disability which prevents or hinders them from making use of the sort of facilities generally provided for others of the same age. For children aged two or more, special educational provision is educational provision that is additional to or different from that made generally for other children of the same age. For a child under two years of age, special educational provision means educational provision of any kind. A child under compulsory school age has SEN if he or she is likely to have a learning difficulty or disability when they reach compulsory school age or would do so if special educational provision was not made for them. A disability is defined in the Equality Act 2010 as a physical or mental impairment which has a long-term and substantial adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term is defined as a year or more and substantial is defined as more than minor or trivial. This definition includes sensory impairments such as those affecting sight or hearing, and long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, and cancer. Children with such conditions do not necessarily have SEN, but there is a significant overlap between disabled children and those with SEN. Where a disabled child requires special educational provision they are also be covered by the SEN definition.

3 Aims The nursery has regard to the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0 to 25 years (2014). We have clear arrangements in place to support children with SEN and disabilities. We aim to: Recognise each child s individual needs through gathering information from parents and others involved with the child on admission and through our procedures for observation and assessment Ensure all staff understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and disabilities and have regard to the guidance given in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 Plan, provide or help parents to obtain any additional help or support for any needs not being met by the universal service provided by the nursery Include all children and their families in our provision, making reasonable adjustments where needed Provide well-informed and suitably trained practitioners to help support parents and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities Identify any emerging concerns that might suggest a child has special educational needs and/or disabilities at the earliest opportunity and plan for those needs through a range of strategies Share any information received and assessments made by the nursery with parents and support parents in seeking any help they or the child may need Seek any additional help needed including requesting an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment where the nursery s own actions are not helping the child to make progress Work in partnership with parents and other agencies in order to meet the individual children's needs, including health services and the local authority, and seek advice, support and training where required Monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments and seek specialist equipment and services if needed Ensure that all children are treated as individuals/equals and are encouraged to take part in every aspect of the nursery day according to their individual needs and abilities Ensure that gifted and talented children who learn more quickly are also supported Encourage children to value and respect others Challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices Promote positive images and role models during play experiences of those with additional needs wherever possible Celebrate diversity in all aspects of play and learning. Methods We will: Develop and maintain a core team of staff who are experienced in the care of children with additional needs. Staff will be provided with specific training to

4 help them make any special educational provision needed and meet the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 2014 Identify a member of staff to be our Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) and share their name with parents (see below for an explanation of their role) Provide a statement showing how we provide for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and share this with staff, parents and other professionals Ensure that the provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is the responsibility of all members of staff in the nursery Ensure that our inclusive admissions practice includes equality of access and opportunity Ensure that our physical environment is, as far as possible, suitable for children and adults with disabilities Work closely with parents to create and maintain a positive partnership which supports their child(ren) Provide differentiated activities to meet all individual needs and abilities to give a broad and balanced early learning environment for all children including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities Ensure that parents are consulted with and kept informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their child's care and education, including seeking any specialist advice Ensure that children s views are sought and listened to Use a graduated approach (see explanation below) to identifying, assessing and responding to children who have emerging difficulties, suggesting they may have special educational needs or a disability that requires a different approach When planning interventions and support, agree the outcomes and the expected impact on progress and a date for review Hold review meetings with parents at the agreed times and agree any changes or adjustments to support Seek any further advice or support needed including multi-agency approaches, Early Support and requesting an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment where the nursery s own actions are not helping the child make progress Liaise with other professionals involved with children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and their families, including transfer arrangements to other settings and schools. We work closely with the next school or care setting and meet with them to discuss the child s needs to ensure information exchange and continuity of care Provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support Keep records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities Provide resources, in so far as we can (human and financial), to implement our SEN/disability policy Ensure the privacy of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities when intimate care is being provided

5 Provide in-service training for practitioners and volunteers Raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff Ensure the effectiveness of our SEN/disability provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. assessment information, targeted plans and outcomes, staff and management meetings, parental and external agencies views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually Provide a complaints procedure and make available to all parents in a format that meets their needs e.g. braille, audio, large print, additional languages Monitor and review our policy annually. The role of the Special Education Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) The role of the SENCO is to provide a lead for staff in relation to SEN and disabilities and to make sure procedures are followed, appropriate records kept and parents are involved. The child s practitioner (key person) will normally remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis and for planning and delivering an individualised programme. The particular responsibilities of our SENCO are: ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEN and the setting s approach to identifying and meeting SEN advising and supporting colleagues ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting Graduated approach In line with requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice, we take a graduated approach to working with children with emerging concerns and their families. This approach includes: An analysis of the child s needs including whether we should seek more specialist help from health, social services or other agencies An agreement about the interventions and support needed and the expected impact on progress and a date for review Implementation of the interventions or programmes agreed, including assessing the child s response to the action taken A review of the effectiveness of the support and its impact on the child s progress by the key person, SENCO, the child s parent(s) and the views of the child, including any agreed changes to outcomes and support Revisiting this cycle of action in increasing detail and frequency including seeking further specialist help to secure good progress until the SENCO, key person, the child s parent(s) and any other professionals involved agree intervention is no longer needed or decide to request an education, health and care needs assessment (see below).

6 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment and Plan If the help given through the nursery s graduated approach is not sufficient to enable the child to make satisfactory progress, we may request, in consultation with the parents and any external agencies already involved, an assessment of the child s needs by the local authority. This is called an Education, Health and Care (EHC) assessment. The assessment will decide whether a child needs an EHC assessment plan. This plan sets out in detail the education, health and social care support that is to be provided to a child who has SEN or a disability. The local authority will consult with parents and let them know the outcome of the assessment. Early help assessment If we believe a child and their family would benefit from support from more than one agency, for example where a child may have difficulties linked to poor housing or difficult domestic circumstances, we may request or carry out an inter-agency assessment to get early help for the family. This early help assessment aims to ensure that early help services are co-ordinated and not delivered in a disjointed way. In our nursery we use the EHAT. Early Support Where children have disabilities we may seek additional help and resources through the Early Support Programme which co-ordinates health, education and social care support for the parents and carers of disabled children from birth to adulthood. There is more information on the Council for Disabled Children website: Responsibility for coordination of SEND provision The main responsibilities listed in this policy fall within the role of the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENC0). The SENCO for The Little School House is Debbie Stuart. Assistant SENCO is Deana Harrison The SENCO role is outlined as follows: Developing an inclusive approach within The Little School House, particularly to learning and development Overseeing the day to day operation of the SEND policy Coordinating provision for children with SEND Liaising with and advising all key persons. Managing and coordinating the work of all key persons Overseeing the records of all children with SEND. Liaising with parents/carers of children with SEND. Contributing to CPD/ training within The Little School House, particularly the induction of new staff. Liaising with and drawing upon the advice of external agencies and LA. Ensuring Individual Play Plans (IPPs) and Individual Behaviour Plans (IBPs) are in place and regularly reviewed. Assessing the progress of pupils with SEND by using all available data to ensure that the progress of vulnerable groups is carefully tracked.

7 Following a graduated response to the assessment and provision of SEND with a clear focus on early identification. Ensuring a smooth transition into primary school and/or other educational settings. Ensuring that all additional interventions are monitored for their impact. Arrangements for coordinating SEND provision The SENCO has relevant training and qualifications. Main methods of provision made by the pre-school and coordinated by the SENCO are: Regular liaison with key person/s and parents Tailored intervention that is regularly evaluated for impact. In-house support with resources or specialised equipment. Support from specialists within the setting Provision from the Children s Centre providers on site Admission arrangements The Little School House believes that the admissions criteria should not discriminate against any child and has due regard for the practice advocated in the Code of Practice and The Equality Act 2010: The Equality Act 2010 prohibits schools from discriminating against disabled children and young people in respect of admissions for a reason related to their disability. (Code of Practice 1:28) It is unlawful to discriminate against a child, or prospective child, by treating them less favourably because of their: Sex race disability religion or belief sexual orientation gender reassignment pregnancy or maternity Specialist SEND provision Provision for children at The Little School House with special educational needs and/or disability is the responsibility of the setting as a whole. We adopt a graduated response to meeting special educational needs and/or disabilities. This requires the initial use of resources before bringing specialist expertise (if deemed necessary in the future). The SENCO will take the lead in coordinating additional or different provision within the pre-school to enable the child to learn more effectively. The SENCO will work closely with the parents/carers, key person and child and may produce an IPP, outlining specific, measurable targets and strategies to meet them. The child s progress will be carefully monitored and IPPs (if required) will be reviewed each term. Where a child s behaviour poses a risk to themselves or others in the setting, the SENCO will take the lead on writing an IBP to implement positive behaviour management strategies to support the child, in conjunction with parents or carers. For pupils whose progress continues to cause concern, the school may request support and advice from professionals through external. Referral to external agencies is made through completion of an Early Help Assessment Tool (EHAT). Advice on new targets and additional strategies received from agencies will be implemented by the SENCO and key person/s.

8 Inclusion and Facilities for vulnerable pupils and those with SEND At The Little School House we have taken all necessary arrangements to ensure all pupils regardless of any disabilities can fully access the building and extended facilities. Access is modified for disabled access. Identification and review of pupil needs Early identification of pupils with SEND is a crucial factor in overcoming barriers to learning and development. At The Little School House we use a number of indicators to identify children s special educational needs, such as: Following up any staff concerns. Following up parental concerns. Tracking individual pupil progress over time. Information from previous settings. Information from other services. This assists the SENCO and key persons to: support the child within the nursery environment; continually assess children to identify strengths and areas for development; provide regular feedback about the child s achievements and experiences to form the basis for planning the next steps; inform ongoing observation and assessment of each child; involve parents/carers in supporting children with the nursery and at home. IPPs and IBPs are reviewed at least once a term in consultation with key persons, SENCO and parents to ensure they are appropriate. The identification and assessment of the special educational needs of children whose first language is not English, requires particular care and attention. Where there is uncertainty about an individual child, the setting will link with parents (through interpreters if required) to ascertain whether the child is developing in their home language in line with peers and siblings. Parents/carers are invited to attend any Annual Reviews and have access to the SENCO through meeting as required or requested. All children in The Little School House have equal access to a broad and rich learning environment which is differentiated to enable all children to participate fully. This promotes self-esteem and confidence that will lead to children making relevant progress that is closely monitored. Working in partnership with parents/carers At all stages of the special educational needs process, the nursery keeps parents/carers fully informed and involved. Regular meetings are scheduled to share the progress of the children with parents/carers and take account of their views. It is hoped that this will assist in supporting children to reach their full potential. Parents and carers may request a copy of this policy at any time. CPD and training of staff All staff are encouraged to attend courses and training that assist them in acquiring the skills needed to work with pupils with SEND. The SENCOs provide and co-ordinate in-house training and targeted support to develop awareness of resources and practical support strategies for use with children with SEND.

9 Complaints procedure for parents/carers Any concerns/complaints should first be raised with the SENCO. If necessary a meeting will be arranged with the parents and directors to discuss the matter further. (See Complaints and Concerns Policy). Links to support services The Little School House works in partnership with outside agencies such as: Outreach support Health and Social Services Educational Psychology Educational Welfare. Speech and Language Key legislation informing this policy includes: Code of Practice (2015) The Equality Act (2010) Key Local and National Agencies who advise SENCOs or Parents: Parent Partnership Service (PPS)