Early Years Local Offer Response

1. What recent SEND specific training has been completed by practitioners in the setting?

Supporting Children with Speech, Language and communication needs - 28 Feb 2020

I am about to attend Positive Behaviour management for change and young people with additional needs - 28 March 2020.

2. How are parents involved at the setting and how can I be involved?

Parents are a huge part of my setting.  I meet with parents at least once before their child begins, during these meetings I spend time getting to know parents and their children.  I ask parents to complete forms to help me get to know their child as well as I can before I begin caring for them.  This helps to give me an idea of what a child is interested in, what they can currently do, if they need any additional support, what support is already in place, what their daily routine is like. 

I have an open-door policy in my setting, parents are welcome to come in and see what we have been playing and exploring each day.  I like to have a brief chat with parents before and after sessions to swap information on how their child is that day and how they have been while in my care.  

I ask parents to fill in a communication book if they have anything they wish to share about their child.  I share reports, and profiles with parents and ask them to add any comments and developmental milestones.  

I ask parents to share any important celebrations or experiences their child or family has had so we can also chat about them and do activities around them in my setting.  Parents are welcome to come in and share stories, rhymes and so on. with the children.

3. How will practitioners work with me to share information about my child's progress? What is additional for children with SEND?

I communicate often with parents and other professionals supporting each individual child I work with.  I do this through a range of ways including, learning journeys, communication books, verbally and report writing.

4. What specialist services and expertise are available at, or accessed by the setting?

As a childminder I work and am supported within the Early Years service at the Council.  I am able to gain information and advice from this service.

5. How accessible is the setting's environment (indoors and outdoors)?

My setting is based on the ground floor of my home.  I am very happy to make reasonable adaptations necessary to accommodate a child such as adding ramps onto steps or rearranging movable items of furniture when required. 

6. What are the transition arrangements for supporting children and families?

I aim to ensure each child feels happy and secure in my setting when they begin, I do this by arranging when possible multiple visits to my setting before the child starts. When I can I also visit children in their home before starting to begin to build the bond they will need to feel happy and safe with me. 

I ask parents to fill out a starting point questionnaire which gives me lots of information on where each child is at developmentally as well as whether they have any allergies or medical information which is important for me to know about and also what their likes and dislikes are.

I ask parents to send me a few pictures of the important people and animals in a child's life and I laminate and add these to our family board.  These are attached with Velcro and available to children at all times so the children can look at them and carry them with them whenever they like. 

7. What future plans does your setting have for developing its SEND?

To attend further training to enhance my practice and skills working with and supporting children and families.