send local offer

Busy Bees Pre-School

SEND Local Offer

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?
At Busy Bees all children have a ‘key-worker’ who is a named member of staff that takes particular

interest in that child and their family. This enables strong relationships to develop between the

children, their families, and the key-worker. During session times staff make individual observations of

the children which are recorded into each child’s learning journal folder. Additionally the keyworker

regularly asks parents/carers to update information about their child at home, to include the child’s

interests and new skills, which allow the keyworker to have a more complete picture of the individual

child. Each term staff use these observations and their knowledge of their key children to assess and monitor the progress that each child has made. Where there is a concern about a lack of progress,

whether in one area such as communication or across all areas, staff will sensitively discuss their

concerns with the parent, and with the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo).

Where a parent has concerns we encourage them to discuss their concerns with

their child’s key worker, (or any other member of staff), who may then suggest further discussion with

the SENCo for advice.

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

If special educational needs or disabilities are identified, the key-worker and the SENCo will discuss

support with the child’s parents. The support may involve a ‘Play Plan’ being written by the SENCo and keyworker which sets out appropriate and specific focussed targets for staff to work on with the child. Additionally the keyworker and SENCo may work with other professionals to support the child to meet

his/her needs; depending on the particular child and their individual need this could include speech

therapists, Local authority Early Years advisory teachers that advise and support settings, educational

psychologists, and physiotherapists etc who may become involved. The particular support for a child with an additional need will depend on the type and severity of that additional need – Busy Bees views all the children as unique and individual and therefore the support that one child

needs would be different from that needed by a different child, even with the same diagnosis.

Once support has been discussed and agreed the SENCO, manager, and key-worker will ensure the

support is put into place, whether it is particular resources, strategies for managing the additional need some one-to-one support etc.

The SENCO and manager both oversee the implementation of support, with at least one being available each session as a member of staff to ensure effective provision for all children.

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

Busy Bees has an observation, assessment and planning process for all the children whereby staff

make notes and observations that are recorded in each child’s learning journal, which are used for

assessment and planning purposes. Each child’s keyworker will plan next steps that are individual to

each child to extend their learning, based on their current achievements and interests.

These individual next steps enable the learning to be differentiated according to the child’s current

developmental stage. Where a child has a special educational need or disability the SENCO and

key-worker may also devise a ‘play plan’ for that child, focusing on specific areas relating to the child’s

individual additional need. Evidence relevant to the play plan is then gathered and recorded on the

play plan over the following weeks; after a term this is reviewed and the play plan updated to further

support the child.

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?

Approximately half a term after starting at Busy Bees each child (under 3years of age) will have a

2year old progress check completed by their keyworker, enabling staff to have an initial idea of how

each child is developing. Following this every child then has their progress recorded and next steps

planned each term in their learning journals, thus ensuring progress is monitored. Parents are given

their child’s learning journal folder to take home on completion of the next steps being planned to

enable parents to support their child’s learning at home. Parents are welcome to take their child’s

learning journal home at any time to look through. Parents may also chat with any staff at the

beginning or the end of a session. Where a child has a difficulty with communication, and therefore

may be unable to inform the parent of what they have been doing that session, Busy Bees can provide a home/school book that staff record the activities that the child has participated in that session along with any specific achievements made.

5. What support will there be for my child’s overall well-being?

The staff at Busy Bees are welcoming, friendly and sensitive to all children, maintaining a positive and

consistent approach. For personal care a member of staff is allocated each session to check and

change nappies, and support those needing help with toileting. If medication is required this can be

administered with parental consent - forms will be signed by staff detailing the times any medications

are given and counter signed by the parent at the end of the session.

Busy Bees has a visual timetable to aid a child’s understanding of the session, and the routines are

flexible to adjust to the differing needs of all children. The freeflow approach to the majority of the

session time enables children to access resources independently and to make their own choices

regarding their play. There are a variety of emotions resources to discuss feelings and emotions with

children; and plenty of calm areas such as dens and cosy cushion areas to provide a relaxing space for the children.

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

setting?

With parental permission Busy Bees staff are able to access support from the WSCC Early Childhood Service Inclusion team.

Busy Bees have advised some families to use the speech and language drop in clinics at local

children’s centres.

Busy Bees have experience in working closely with outside professionals including speech therapists,

portage, educational psychologists and occupational therapists.

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

Busy Bees has a designated 2 members of staff to work in partnership as SENCos. They support other staff in working with children with SEND as well as developing strategies and play plans

for individual children. The SENCos attend SENCo network meetings on a termly basis, to discuss changes and issues around SEND, and update their training as required.

At Busy Bees the provision and support for children with special educational needs is the responsibility of all staff. For this reason many Busy Bees staff have undertaken a variety of training specific to

special educational needs or disabilities in recent years. This includes at least one staff member

(often more) having attended:

Signalong training.
Autism Awareness training.
Manual handling training to understand how to support and lift children with additional needs or disabilities.
Achieving positive behaviour training.
Speech and language training.
English as an additional language training.
One staff member currently being advised in using the PECS visual system.
Paediatric first aid

In addition the manager has completed a foundation degree in Early Years, seven staff have level 3 qualifications in childcare, and 2 members of staff are currently studying for their level 3 diplomas.

8. How will my child be included in activities outside the early years setting including trips?

Busy Bees has an annual fun morning for all children with their parents/carers that includes a treasure hunt around the local park. All children are welcomed to attend this morning with their parent/carer.

9 How accessible is the early years setting environment (indoors and outdoors)?

The building that Busy Bees is set in is a 13th century church hall with a modern extension.

It consists of a large main hall, a smaller hall, and a corridor leading to a toilet area and an enclosed

outside area.The whole building is ground level with large, wide doors at the entrance and between the halls, thus providing good access to all. There is a disabled toilet facility, and we provide an area

that we use for the changing of nappies - which is screened off to allow privacy - for those children

requiring nappy changes.

The entrance foyer has information boards which include a staff picture board to enable parents to

know the staff names (including the manager and SENCO), information leaflets regarding local

children centres, and general information about the setting.

Inside the setting there is a visual timetable, as well as pictures for activities such as snack time,

and toilets.

10.How will the early years setting prepare and support my child to join the setting, transferto a new setting/school?

Parents are welcome to visit the setting for settling in sessions with their child as many times as they wish in the time leading up to their child starting with us. When a special educational need or disability is already known about, a meeting is arranged with the parent,

SENCo and key-worker prior to starting at the setting to address their needs and to begin putting

support in place.

When initially starting at Busy Bees parents are welcome to stay for a while to assist settling in.

When transferring on to school we work closely with the teachers at the local schools, inviting teachers into our setting to meet the children, and when applicable, arranging transition meetings attended by

the keyworker, parent, and school staff to discuss in detail more complex needs.

10.How are the early years setting resources allocated and matched to children’s special

educational needs?

There is an extensive choice of resources at Busy Bees that the key-worker can plan to use with any

child as planned for in their next steps or on a play plan; this takes into account their current interests and abilities.

Busy Bees can also apply for additional inclusion funding. If this funding is approved it can be used to

provide extra staffing support for the child with SEND.

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

Decisions are made according to the individual needs of the particular child. These will be based on

information arising from observations of the child, discussions with parents and any other

professionals involved in the care (eg Early Years Inclusion Team, Speech therapists etc), current progress, and play plans. All decisions and subsequent actions will be

reviewed regularly.

13. How are parents involved in the early years setting? How can I be involved?

Parents are involved through the relationships developed between the key-worker, child, and parent.

Parents can discuss their child with the keyworker (or any member of staff) at the beginning or end of any session, and learning journals are regularly given out to parents to look through. Parents are

welcome to stay and play / volunteer at Busy Bees – please speak to Jane Langton regarding this.

14. Who can I contact for further information?

The manager of Busy Bees is Jane Langton, who oversees the day-to-day running of the

preschool and is the main point of contact regarding arranging a place for a child to begin at Busy Bees.

The SENCOs are

Kate Willmont and

Claire Dopson,

who oversee the support given to children with additional needs or disabilities.

When a child has a place at Busy Bees they are allocated their key-worker, this enables the keyworker

to introduce themselves at the beginning as the main point of contact and as the person most closely

involved with your child. Parents are however free to discuss their child with any member of staff if

they wish to.