Website Designed by Alex Trevor

Links:

Acorn Pre-school’s prime intent is to provide wide ranging and appropriate learning opportunities for all children in a caring, welcoming environment where all children are supported to reach their full potential. For a child with special educational needs we shall seek to do this within the framework of the Code of Practice published by the Government’s Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and appropriate guidelines for our type of provision but always with the individual child’s needs as the highest priority.

We will provide a balanced, purposeful early-years curriculum which is both inclusive and, where appropriate, differentiated according to individual need.

Aims
We aim to:
· welcome all children to participate in our pre-school
· help support children with special educational needs (SEN) and their parents
· identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and develop strategies accordingly
· work in partnership with parents and other agencies in meeting the needs of every child
· monitor and review our practice and provision and make adjustments where needed

Methods
· We ensure that parents and other carers are introduced to the member of staff who is our designated specialist Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), whose name will also always be published in the List of Designated Officers that forms part of our Policies Manual.
· We draw on the knowledge and expertise of the child’s parents and other carers in planning his or her participation in pre-school activities.
· Responsibility for inclusion and appropriate provision is shared by all members of the setting.
· Our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity.
· We ensure that our physical environment is, so far is as possible, suitable for children of all abilities and encourage all children to take the fullest possible part in all pre-school activities.
· Our observation and record-keeping system, which is operated in conjunction with parents and carers, enables us to monitor children’s needs and progress on an individual basis. In addition, the needs and progress of children with special educational needs will be monitored by the SENCo, in partnership with the child’s keyworker and any special support staff who may be involved.
· There will be close liaison with parents and carers of children with special educational needs to create and maintain a positive partnership.
· Parents are kept informed at all stages of assessment, planning, and review of their child's provision, progress and achievements.
· We provide parents with information on sources of independent advice and support.
· We liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and their families in order to enhance our planning and implementation. We offer assistance in transfer arrangements to other settings and schools.
· We provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all children but ensure that where appropriate the curriculum is differentiated to meet individual needs and abilities.
· We use the graduated response system for identifying, assessing and responding to children's special educational needs.  Once a child’s needs have been identified our Early Years Action procedure (which forms part of this Policy) is brought into action.
· We use a system of planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing individual educational plans (IEPs) for children with special educational needs.
· If a child’s needs indicate that additional physical or human resources will be needed, additional funding will be sought to ensure the appropriate level of support.
· We ensure the privacy of children with special educational needs when intimate care is required.
· We provide in-service training for practitioners and volunteers.
· We raise awareness of appropriate specialisms the setting has to offer.
· We regularly review the effectiveness of our special educational needs provision for each child and as a whole taking into account information from a range of sources including IEP reviews, staff and management meetings, parental and external agencies views, inspections and complaints.
· We provide a complaints procedure.
· Our policies are constantly monitored and reviewed in the light of experience.
· We will endeavour to make information available in media other than the printed word if required.