We meet the statutory requirements of the Revised Code of Practice which include Kent’s ‘Local Offer.’ You can view the Local Authorities offer here.
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 education needs or disabilities?
Children develop at their own rates, and in their own ways
– Taken from Development Matters in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
Families sometimes raise concerns with practitioners at Scalliwags and most of the time we can allay their fears and explain how this is part of a normal wide range of development. If you have any concerns about your child’s development, however minor, you can raise it with your child’s Keyperson. They will then share this concern with the settings’ SENCOs who will work with your child’s Keyperson to monitor, investigate and react to the situation, implementing well developed strategies. The Keyperson will communicate with the parent any updates or developments. This may result in Support Plans being compiled, or engagement of outside agencies such as the Talking Walk-ins for Speech and Language, Health Visitor, Early Years Quality and Childcare Adviser, or SEND Support and Inclusion Practitioner, Outreach and Specialist Teaching services through the PRG process and Early Help. Any of the above would always be done in consultation with the family.
We also keep track of each child’s personal development through using guidelines from the EYFS. The Keyperson really gets to know their key children, makes observations, plans their next staps completes a Progress Tracker three times a year. If any of these highlight an area of concern the Keyperson will speak to the family and suggest activities that could be encouraged at home and at the setting to develop this area of progress.
How will the early years setting support my child?
Through ongoing observations as well as the completion of the Progress Trackers the Keyperson will quickly notice if a child is not developing in any area. With children under the age of three years we are particularly concentrating on the three Prime Areas of development, their Personal, Social and Emotional Development, their Communication and Language and their Physical Development. If all these areas progress within the very wide range that is considered ‘normal’ in the EYFS, then other Specific areas, i.e. Literacy, Mathematics, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design, will develop naturally as the child grows.
Our daily activities continuously encourage the use of language and listening, sharing with, and learning to empathise with their peers and understanding their bodies and their physical abilities. The individual planning carried out by the Keyperson is based on the recent observations of your child so that there is a continuous circle of Observation, Assessment and Planning.
Should the Progress Tracker indicate that a child is not progressing for their age/stage range then the Keyperson/SENCO will arrange to speak to the family so that together, we can help your child by putting specific strategies in place.
How will the curriculum be matched to my child’s needs?
Through the Progress Tracker and the Individual Planning, the Keyperson will devise activities around your child’s interests. They will share this information with other practitioners so that everyone has the same expectations and your child can grow in confidence.
Your child’s Tapestry Journal (or paper Learning Journal) will indicate their successes and give examples of observations and their creative work. All the Progress Trackers will be uploaded in this journal so you can see their progress and discuss any entries with their Keyperson at any time. The individual planning for your child is based on recent observations so that there is a continuous circle of Observation, Assessment and Planning.
How will both you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child’s learning?
A combination of Parents’ Evenings, Reports, Tapestry uploads (or Learning Journals) and Class Dojo posts supplement the regular communications at drop off and pick up. Scalliwags operates an open-door policy, parents are welcome to come into the setting at any time to discuss their child’s progress or any concerns they may have. We also welcome family members into the setting for our celebratory stay and plays such as Christmas and Mother’s and Father’s day which is an opportunity to observe your child within the setting.
Our weekly Class Dojo posts outline the topics that will be focused upon during the next week, as well highlighting what we have been up to that week. You can then help to support your child by incorporating these topics in your home activities/play should you wish to.
Parents are very welcome to speak to staff at any time be it at drop off, pick up or on the phone during the session.
What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?
Scalliwags has a strong family ethos and from your first visit we will want to hear about your child and your family, their needs, and interests, so that we can start to get to know each other and plan for your child’s learning. Most importantly, we want you all to be happy and confident in our service, progress will then follow.
A Manager will go through your completed registration form with you, ensuring that all the relevant information about his/her needs and preferences are passed onto the right persons. ‘All about Me’ forms give your Keyperson detailed information about your child’s likes and dislikes and is key in helping ensure that your child settles well at Scalliwags. Where possible, your child’s Keyperson will be there at your ‘meet and greet’ session. Medical Care Plans, Allergy Forms and Intimate Care Plans will be completed together so that we can be sure that we are administering treatment according to any medical specialist instructions or your wishes and routines regarding Intimate Care Plans.
Your child will be safe. In Paddock Wood, the garden is fenced to a height of over 6 foot, with a securely locked gate. In East Peckham, the garden is a secure fenced in area with locked gates. The front door is locked (with a movement sensor alarm in East Peckham) and only opened by a senior member of staff who will then question the visitor if they are not recognised. Your child will only be allowed to leave with you or another adult that you have named on your Registration form, and only then if they can give us the correct password.
Please ask to see policies on safeguarding, medication, staff training. Our Policies can also be viewed here.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the early years setting?
We are proud of the level of staff expertise and experience at Scalliwags. Over the last couple of years, we have built on our knowledge of SEND, collaborating closely with the Specialist Teaching Services, the Talking Walk-ins for Speech and Language and SEND Support and Inclusion Practitioner. Our SENCOs have a wealth of experience in compiling Support Plans with the individual’s Keyperson and have completed and submitted several EHCPs.
Staff at the setting have experience in PECS/books/ communication boards stage 1 and 2 and the use of visuals for individual children, as well as the visual timetable used for all children. All staff are informed of any SEND updates at our regular team meetings and specific guidelines for individual children are shared between staff as they occur. By working together as a team, the best possible care, development and integration can be found for your child.
What training have the staff, supporting children with SEND, had or are undergoing?
The Scalliwags’ team includes three experienced Primary School teachers with QTS, our SENCOs and Early Years Managers attend regular training updates and workshops. Our Executive Manager is an experienced TEFL teacher, specialising in the Early Years age group. The rest of the practitioner team are qualified as Early Years Educators at Level 3 with one team member in training and our midday supervisor in Paddock Wood holds a Level 2 Early years qualification. All staff working directly with our children are qualified Paediatric First Aiders and all have undergone Child Protection training. We take full advantage of local training courses and staff have been on courses for Behaviour Management, specialist courses for 2-year olds, Social Story creation, ADHD Awareness in Early Years, ASD awareness in Early Years, Reluctant Speakers, EAL in the Setting, Portage and courses to develop early communication. Staff are experienced in using PECS, communication boards stage 1 and 2, visuals, and Makaton.
In addition to training courses, we have 6-weekly staff meetings. These meetings enable the team to discuss individual children, sharing best practice and ideas, ensuring that we can get the best results possible for each child.
How will my child be included in activities outside the early years setting including trips?
In Paddock Wood we sometimes take children off site for walks, making the most of the fabulous Memorial Field ground on our doorstep, or to places of interest in the town (e.g. library); we keep a note of which children go so that we can include all children over a period of time. All trips off site are thoroughly risk assessed. These outings are very dependent on having sufficient staff and other adults to be able to accompany the children to ensure everyone’s safety. We usually go out with ratios of one adult to two children.
If we feel that a child’s safety can only be ensured through one-to-one attention, then we would only be able to take that child if enough adults were available. Parents are always very welcome to join the outing and supervise their child.
In East Peckham we follow the same procedures, sometimes using the grassed area adjacent to the premises for a nature walk. Forest School at the Primary School is generally only available to any children once they are settled at the setting.
How accessible is the early years environment? (Indoors and outdoors)
An individual’s needs would be accessed on an individual basis with full consultation with the family to ensure that our building is suitable and that we are able to provide the right expertise. Risk assessments would be undertaken by trained staff and the settings’ suitability for the individual child be discussed with the family. Practitioners would access specialist courses at the earliest possibility if this were advised by other professionals involved in a SEN child’s care.
Both Scalliwags’ sites are single storey buildings with an accessible toilet in each, the enclosed gardens are on one level and both have direct access from the classrooms with no steps. Once inside the building everything is on one level and doorways are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair.
Scalliwags welcomes families for whom English is an additional language (EAL). We take the time to ensure that the families have all the information that they need and can help them to contact other parents speaking the same language. Each family if given the KCC ‘Getting it Right from the Start’ form before their child starts with us. We also have a designated EAL and Inclusion Officer who plans events each term to celebrate diversity and recognise the traditions and festivals of all of our children. Parents of EAL children are invited into the session to help celebrate such festivals, to read a story to a group of children in their native tongue or to advise staff on pronunciation of key words in their child’s native language. We have a member of the Management Team qualified in TEFL who specialises in the Early Years age group.
How will the early years setting prepare and support my child to join the early years setting, transfer to a new setting/school?
All children are invited to spend time at the setting before they start, these visits can be extended to as many as needed depending on the individual child’s needs. The aim, before starting, is that we have all the information that we need about the child’s SEN, their diet and medication and the ways that they communicate. We will have allocated a Keyperson and by the time the child starts, we will have strived to build a relationship between the child and Keyperson and at least one other practitioner so that the child will accept ‘comfort’ when needed. It is vital that there is also a strong relationship bond between the Keyperson and the family, not just the child in our care.
When the time comes to move onto school, we will make contact with the school SENCO and FLO as soon as you have the school place confirmed by KCC. Together (school, pre-school and family) we will agree visits by the school to the pre-school and the child to the school, until we are all confident that all information has been shared and the child is ready to make the next move in their educational journey. Depending on your child’s particular needs, other professionals named on the child’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan may need to be involved in this transition.
In addition, the SENCOs from Scalliwags will happily share information with the school SENCO during the first school term, to answer any questions and offer any help to ensure that the transition is smoothly completed.
How are the early years setting’s resources allocated and matched to children’s special educational needs?
Since September 2014 there has been many changes in the ways in which early years settings can access resources to support SEN children. The reforms are set out in the Children and Families Act 2014, and the SEND Code of Practice: 0-25 years.
Scalliwags has experience in applying for SENIF (SEN Inclusion Fund) which provides a limited amount of additional funding to support a child with SEN in a mainstream stetting. If your child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, there is an additional one-off payment (DAF) which can also be applied for by the setting.
In both settings we have a separate room for when children need a quieter time, we have sensory toys for inside and out and staff above ratio for when children need more support. We promote consistent boundaries using timers for sharing and emotion cushions and cards to help explain how children are feeling.
How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child will receive?
As with all our children, progress will be judged through the keyperson observations and the Progress Tracker. The SEND Code of Practice allows for a revised system to identify, support and assess children’s needs. Your child’s Keyperson and the SENCOs at Scalliwags will work together with the family to agree ambitious outcomes for identified children and set clear progress targets and be clear in their planning about how agreed resources are going to support the child to reach the targets. The setting will work closely with outside agencies such as The Talking Walk-ins for The Talking Walk-ins for Speech and Language, Early Years Quality and Childcare Adviser and Specialist Teaching Services to ensure the appropriate levels of support are in place for your child.
How are parents involved in the early years setting? How can I be involved?
Scalliwags encourages parents to feel like they are part of the pre-school by facilitating special event days, parent-keyperson evenings, and regular parent questionnaires for parents and carers to put forward their views and ideas.
Parents join us for some pre-school outings and also come into Scalliwags to share interests or information about their jobs with the children, e.g. visits from a nurse, a police officer, and a parent to tell the children about Chinese New Year and other festivals and traditions.
Staff are always ready to listen to any concerns that you have or answer any questions. We want you to feel that you are truly part of Scalliwags.
Who can I contact for further information?
If you have any questions about Scalliwags and whether this might be the most suitable pre-school for your child, please contact the Executive Manager, Tracey. You will be invited along for a pre-visit with your child, where you will meet the Early Year’s Manager, Carly in Paddock Wood and Victoria in East Peckham. They will show you around and discuss your child’s needs or any worries you may have. Together we will agree whether we can fully meet your child’s needs and research the help that may be available. You can contact us at Scalliwags here.
Once your child has started at Scalliwags you will be able to speak to his/her Keyperson in the first instance or the Early Year’s Manager. Not all of our staff work 5 days a week, but there will always be someone available to speak to you about any concerns.