Special Educational Needs &/or Disability policy

Little Lambs Pre-School offers an inclusive environment, aiming to cater for all needs of both children and their families, adapting the routine, layout or equipment as necessary and liaising with outside agencies. The four areas of Special Educational Needs are:

1. Communication and interaction

2. Cognitive and learning

3. Social, emotional and mental health

4. Sensory and/ or physical

Opportunity is given at the initial meeting for parents/ carers to discuss their children’s needs and behaviour to the keyperson. If the child already has special educational needs or disabilities, every effort is made to contact other professionals involved and hold a Team Around the Family (TAF) meeting in order to move forward in the best interests of the child. During the first term at Little Lambs, the keyperson and parent/ carer of all children, meet to discuss how the child has settled in and any concerns that may be apparent from observations of the child. Early intervention is vital. Referrals can be made to outside agencies for support and diagnosis.

The keyperson will explain the procedure that will follow which is in line with the Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) Code of Practice (2014):

A graduated system of assess, plan, do, review is used to identify and meet individual’s needs

Assess – To identify a child as needing SEN support and carry out an analysis of the child’s needs.

Plan – Where it is decided to provide SEN support, the key person and SENCo should agree in consultation with parents the outcomes they are seeking, the interventions and support to be put in place, in the form of a ‘My Plan’ using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic & Timebound) targets

Do – Support and strategies will be implemented and overseen by the child’s Keyperson with support from the SENCo.

Review – The effectiveness of the support and the impact on the child’s progress will be reviewed every 6-8 weeks.

Some children will remain on this cycle for the duration of the time at Little Lambs, unless it is agreed that an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC plan) would be beneficial for the child. An EHC plan ensures all the above services work together for the best possible outcomes for the child. If this is the case, staff and parents work together to complete a form to request to assess the child’s EHC needs (EHCNA), which is sent to the panel. A decision is made within six weeks. If it is felt to be in the best interest for child to hold an EHC plan, all professionals involved, submit evidence to support the case and the assessment and plan will be completed within 20 weeks.

Professionals (eg; Speech & Language Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Drumbeat Outreach etc...) will need to come into the setting to observe the child and discuss concerns with parents and staff. Due to Covid 19, telephone consultations, Zoom meetings and video clip observations will sometimes be shared with professionals instead.

Before a child with SEND moves on, the Keyperson / SENCo will arrange a Transitional meeting with the new teacher where an agreement plan would be made so the child can have a better experience of moving onto the new setting, it can also prepare the new setting , ensuring they are able to meet the child’s needs.

There is a designated SENCo (Special Needs Co-ordinator) who ensures that all children with SEND have their needs catered for by the Keyperson.

All information will be shared with their new provision and where possible, ‘pupil participation’ (depending on maturity and capabilities) may contribute with decisions on their education.

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