Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

A child may come to us with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities already identified, in which case we will liaise closely with you and professionals already involved to ensure that appropriate support and training is put in place ready for the child’s arrival. 

The progress and development of all children is monitored regularly by their Key Person and the Room Leader, so that when a child is not making expected progress in a particular area of learning, including their emotional development, we can quickly identify the need for additional support. This will always take account of the child’s individual circumstances and the wishes of the family will be at the heart of any steps that are taken. 

If families have concerns about the progress or well-being of their child, or think their child has Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, they are encouraged to speak to their Key Person, Room Leader, our SENDCo or any other member of staff with whom they feel most comfortable. We will discuss their concerns, and agree with them on what will happen next.

The environments at Katey’s House has been developed to support all the children, for example the use of pictures/symbols, timelines and Makaton. Children with SEND will often benefit from these to an even greater extent and may enable them to participate alongside their peers independently. 

When the need for additional intervention has been identified, the families will be involved in planning the best way to provide that support. 

If needed, a Support Plan will be created, detailing the areas in which the child needs additional support and how that will be delivered. 

Where it is felt that additional professional support is required, referrals will be made with the agreement of the families. 

We will monitor the progress of all children receiving additional support to ensure that the provision we have put in place is having the impact we are expecting. 

The SENDCo and management work alongside the whole team to ensure children are reaching their full potential. 

We make reasonable adjustments to enable children to access their learning; which may look different for different children. 

Our curriculum is based on children’s current interests and needs of the individual child, to which families are encouraged to contribute. Activities and resources reflect the children’s experiences and current age and stage of development to better motivate and support their learning. 

Differentiation is planned for groups and individuals according to their needs: for example, for a child who has speech, language and communication needs, practitioners will use simplified language, Makaton and/or pictures to support them to understand. 

We follow the Graduated Response Approach for all children and as part of this we complete observations, regularly monitor and assess each child’s progress (Assess, Plan, Do, Review). 

Daily handovers, regular assessments and parent talks spread across the year, give all families regular feedback on their child’s learning and any behavioural, emotional or social strengths or difficulties. 

Families are encouraged to share their child’s interests, achievements and special events along with any concerns that they may have either by talking to a staff member during handover, or by having a more formal meeting with a relevant staff member (either at their or our suggestion). 

If a child has a Support Plan, families will be encouraged to support the targets at home. Strategies will be discussed at regular review meetings and second copies of any resources required, for example visuals, will be provided for use outside of the setting. Where outside professionals are involved, they will be asked to attend review meetings or to provide feedback on progress and to input into targets and strategies. 

If there are a variety of professionals involved we may attend Team Around the Child (TAC) meetings together to discuss their progress or consider a need for an Early Help Assessment and Plan (EHAP). 

The well-being of all of the children is paramount to us. They are supported with their social and emotional development throughout their sessions, both through group activities and by giving them the opportunity and security to share their feelings on a 1:1 basis. 

We believe that providing support to families is at the heart of supporting the children. Through our services, we aim to equip families with the skills and confidence that they need to better support their children to develop and thrive. 

Our Behaviour and Attitudes Policy supports our belief that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and when they know how they and others are expected to behave. 

Relevant staff members are trained to support medical needs, and in some cases all staff members receive training. We have a Sickness, Allergies and Medication Policy in place. 

We endeavour to seek the views of the children in everything that we do and respond to individual needs. 

We regularly invest time and money in training our staff to improve provision for all children and to develop enhanced skills and knowledge to deliver individualised support and interventions. 

All appropriate staff receive regular training to best support our children with SEND, for example, specific to different needs such as; autism, speech and language and hearing impairment. 

Staff have access to different training such as local authority face-to-face training sessions and online platforms such as Noodle Now and Virtual Learning. 

We have a settling-in process for children starting at our setting, which is tailored to reflect individual needs, circumstances and personalities. 

We have good relationships with the settings that most of our pupils move on to and we share information to support children’s well-being at transition. Personalised transition plans are developed for children who will benefit from this additional support which include transition photo albums, additional visits and multi professional meetings. 

Further support is provided as necessary for those with SEND including additional visits to the new setting by the child and parents; visits to our setting by new teachers, and visits to the new setting by Key People where needed. 

We are a child and family centred setting, so families will be involved in all decision making about their child’s support. 

We work in partnership with families to support each child’s well-being, learning needs, progress and aspirations. We recognise that families are the first educators. 

We operate an open-door policy to allow families to contact their child’s Key Person and/or other appropriate staff members with ease.

Families are encouraged to talk to the member of staff with whom they feel most comfortable; usually their Key Person in the first instance. For children with SEND, further information and support can be obtained from the SENDCo, the Room Manager or a member of the Management Team. 

These are other services that could provide more support: 

• Health Visitor 
• GP 
• Children Centre 
• SEND and You – https://www.sendandyou.org.uk/ 

Local Offer – Hounslow https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/send-local-offer 

Local Offer – Kingston & Richmond https://www.afcinfo.org.uk/local_offer 

Local Offer – Surrey https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/support-and-advice/local-offer