SEND policy, including LIFT referrals

[Mouseketeer]

To back her up we were all sent emails from our area senco asking for deputy senco name, date of training, date of practice inclusion, contact email.....like we magically put this in place overnight.

 

Maybe the rest of your counties won't follow suit :-/

[finleysmaid]

I need a deputy Senco......fully trained at that,

 

What training?????????!!!!!!!!

haven't had any training for senco's in this area for the last 2 years! (apart from some rubbish direction about EHCP's)last time we went my senco spent most of the session doing the training for the trainer!

[sunnyday]

To back her up we were all sent emails from our area senco asking for deputy senco name, date of training, date of practice inclusion, contact email.....like we magically put this in place overnight.

 

Maybe the rest of your counties won't follow suit :-/

Well - I will look forward to it!

[Cait]

EY adviser has today informed me that I need a deputy Senco......fully trained at that, why don't I just get my deputy a deputy gggrrrrr

Deputy everything these days eh!

[eyfs1966]

well I don't have a deputy senco....

[sunnyday]

well I don't have a deputy senco....

Will you be getting one?!

[Mouseketeer]

I'm going to email back and tell them we are a small team who would all know how to support any SEN children in our setting if Senco was absent and as it is not a statutory requirement at present as well as the financial cost to an already stretched budget we won't be having one ( and hope they don't ask to see accounts) .....I don't have an Enco so I don't want a deputy senco either !

[sunnyday]

I'm going to email back and tell them we are a small team who would all know how to support any SEN children in our setting if Senco was absent and as it is not a statutory requirement at present as well as the financial cost to an already stretched budget we won't be having one ( and hope they don't ask to see accounts) .....I don't have an Enco so I don't want a deputy senco either !

Go for it Mousie! :1b

 

I'm thinking that I did SENCO training many moons ago and my deputy took over the role and has the more up to date training + we don't currently have any children with identified SEN or even suspected SEN - so I reckon that's enough for us for now if they decide to try this on in our area

 

Oh and edit to say we are all Ican trained so that has speech 'covered'! :1b

Edited September 11, 2015 by sunnyday

[eyfs1966]

Will you be getting one?!

 

What do you reckon! NOOOOOOOOOOOO. As someone has previously posted show me the requirement in the SEN Code of Practice, or show me the requirement in the EYFS stautory framework, and I will then think about it!

[eyfs1966]

"As someone has previously posted show me the requirement in the SEN Code of Practice, or show me the requirement in the EYFS stautory framework, and I will then think about it! "

 

Oh yes, that was you Sunnyday!!

[sunnyday]

"As someone has previously posted show me the requirement in the SEN Code of Practice, or show me the requirement in the EYFS stautory framework, and I will then think about it! "

 

Oh yes, that was you Sunnyday!!

It sure was!!!

[Panders]

Well... I have been "grooming" my Deputy, taking her along to a couple of LIFT meetings etc., hoping to raise more than a spark of interest, think they need to know 'enough' to get by.

[Guest]

I might have been a bit pushy but I have asked Deborah Lynch, Senior Equality & Inclusion Adviser, to review my new policy.

 

I have received a reply today. I love Equality & Inclusion team. Aren't they brilliant? What would we do without their support?

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Suggested amendments in blue text

Supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) (This is a Statutory Policy)

 

Policy statement

In the early years there is a strong focus on early identification and intervention as being key to improving outcomes for children with SEND. The SEND Code of Practice encourages us to look at three sets of requirements together: the SEN requirements, the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and the duties under The Equality Act 2010. These requirements, taken together, strengthen the importance of high quality early years provision for all children.

 

Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years (2015)

 

This is statutory guidance for organisations who work with and support children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

The leaders of early years settings, schools and colleges should establish and maintain a culture of high expectations that expects those working with children and young people with SEN or disabilities to include them in all the opportunities available to other children and young people so they can achieve well

DfE and DH (2015) SEN and disability code of practice: 0-25 years, para 1.31

 

The Code requires:

· early identification and an early response to SEND

· identification of SEND with parents

· a graduated approach to responding to SEND

· a cycle of assess, plan, do, review

· the involvement of specialists where a child continues to make less than expected progress

 

 

At Little Acorns we recognise that all children have the right to access a broad and balanced curriculum, allowing them to progress and learn at a pace and level reflective of their individual abilities. The pre-school believes that all children have a right to gain experience and develop their knowledge and understanding alongside their peers no matter what their individual needs, and are committed to the inclusion of all children.

 

The policy is reflective of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practise 0-25 years which came into place from September 2014 which is a product of the Statutory Guidance on duties, policies and procedures relating to part 3 of the Children’s and Families Act 2014.

 

We aim to support and enhance the learning for children with Special Educational Needs (SEND) and Additional Educational Needs (AEN) through our policies and practises where we aim to promote inclusion in the widest possible sense.

 

At Little Acorns we can make provision for every kind of frequently occurring special educational need without a statement of special educational needs / Education, Health and Care Plan, for instance speech and language needs, autism, asperger’s syndrome, learning difficulties and behaviour difficulties etc. There are other kinds of special educational need which do not occur as frequently and with which the pre-school is less familiar, but we can access training and advice so that these kinds of needs can be met. ( I would suggest that this paragraph needs to be less specific with regards to naming conditions i.e. aspergers syndrome, children attending an early years setting may not have been given a diagnosis at this stage in their development) You could say: At Little Acorns we welcome all children and make provision of every kind to meet children’s individual needs. Our staff team are experienced in support children with a range of needs and can access additional training, advice and support from outside specialist agencies.

 

We regularly monitor the progress of all children to review their progress. Early identification of children with SEN is a priority. The pre-school will use appropriate screening and assessment tools, and ascertain children’s progress through:

· evidence obtained by practitioners’ observation, assessments and reports;

· the non-statutory Early Years Outcomes guidance as a tool to assess the extent to which a young child is developing at expected levels for their age (the guidance sets out what most children do at each stage of their learning and development, these include typical behaviours across the seven areas of learning);

· ECaT assessment;

· Leuven scale of well-being and involvement;

· information from parents;

· Records from previous settings.

 

We aim to offer support according to the different strengths and needs of individual children and their families, by:

 

Identifying a child who may have a SEND or an AEN through our admission procedure or by the regular observation, planning and evaluation process we have within the pre-school, in conjunction with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Best Practise Guidance which will identify whether a child is a universal child, a child who may need some targeted support or whether a personalised targeted plan will need to be in place to support the child.

 

The new Special Educational Needs Code of Practise states that children, will be monitored under four main areas which are:

• Social, Emotional and Mental Health

• Cognition and Learning

• Communication and Interaction (including speech, language and communication needs, Autism Spectrum Condition)

• Physical Impairment.

 

When a child has been identified with parents/carers as having a SEND or AEN then the key person will discuss with the nursery Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) on how additional support can be put in place for the child, and what level of support is required, this will then be implemented on the enhancement and planning sheets for the child.

 

Alongside this the key person and/or SENCO they will discuss with the parents and carer’s additional support which is needed for the child, as well as the support which may be needed for the staff within the nursery to the support the child. If it is deemed necessary a member of the Local Authority, Equality and Inclusion Team, who will then be requested to visit the nursery providing an Early Years Inclusion Request Form is sent off and approved. When they visit the nursery they will offer advice on whether a Local Inclusion Forum Team (LIFT) referral is required, during this visit all parties involved with the child will meet to discuss the way forward during this meeting permission is obtained from the parent or carer, to progress forward. (You can make a direct referral to LIFT your selves)

 

If speech or language is identified as being delayed and a hearing test has been undertaken, then a Speech and Language referral form can be completed with the parent and sent direct to the local speech and language team. A child with English as an additional language will not be regarded as having a learning difficulty solely because the language or form of language taught them at home, but will be identified on the AEN register to ensure they are fully supported within the nursery.

 

All collated observations, referral information and development tracking grids will then be taken to the LIFT meetings for the individual child to be discussed and a plan of support is put in place for that child, which may include other agencies becoming involved at that point, this is then discussed fully with the parent/carer to ensure their full involvement, and cooperation.

 

If it is deemed necessary for a specialist teacher to visit the setting to support the child or give guidance to staff, regarding Personalised plan or to suggest that funding for financial support for the setting can be applied for, the teacher will suggest that a Severe and Complex Accessibility and Resources Funding form (SCARF) be completed and sent off to the Local Authority for approval.

(Please note: The targeted plan will continue to be used at universal level as an active tool for planning and reviewing progress for individual children.

• Key person/SENCo/Manager must decide when it’s appropriate to introduce a targeted plan, this may be a result of discussions with parents, the two-year-old progress check or gaps in progress identified using the progress tracker or through general observation.

• In order to support children at a personalised level a new more detailed plan has been developed to give greater detail when children require SEN support. The personalised plan will need to be completed when bringing a child to LIFT.

• The new personalised plan will also support the EHC assessment process, which may result in an EHCP.

• Personalised plan can be downloaded from Kelsi

 

 

If despite this the setting having taken relevant and purposeful, action to support and aid the child to make some expected progress, then it may be necessary to complete an Education, Health and Care Plan Assessment, which is a formal request for a plan to be put into place for the child to secure the best possible outcomes for them, by bringing together, education, health and social care services who will work together to meet the child’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcome.

 

Throughout this process the SENCO and key person will ensure that the parent or carer is fully undated and involved in the decisions regarding their child’s wellbeing and development, and will aim to follow up any other concerns or worries they may have.

 

A register will be kept in the SENCO file to identify both children who have identified as being SEND or AEN, this will be regularly updated with the SENCO and individual Key Person, to ensure that the child is being fully supported to ensure that they are progressing and developing to their level of ability.

 

The SENCo at Little Acorns is Miss Xxxxxx Xxxxxx (the deputy manager), who is a qualified Level 3 practitioner and attended relevant SENCo training.

 

All our permanent staff have had the Paediatric First Aid and Safeguarding training. The manager has also attended 2 days SENCo training and regularly attends LIFT meetings.

 

Early Years Local Inclusion Forum Team (EY LIFT)

All referrals for advice and Specialist Teacher involvement come through the EY LIFT process with the expectation that BPG audits will accompany the referral. The purpose of the meeting is also to discuss issues around inclusion to ensure that settings are meeting the needs of all children. Our SENCo or a member of staff regularly attends LIFT meetings even when we do not have a child to discuss as this enables us to access support and share of good practice between practitioners. (New BPG audits have been introduced over the summer – download from Kelsi)

 

Our setting was allocated to a Tunbridge Wells 1 LIFT group which meets termly (please see the dates below).

 

The EY LIFT meeting does not replace the EY SENCo Forums.

 

Severe & Complex Accessibility & Resources Funding (SCARF)

The pre-school Severe and Complex Accessibility Resource Funding (SCARF), is a non-statutory agreement provided by Kent County Council to enable pre-school children with profound, severe and complex needs to access additional resource, when attending a Kent setting and living in the local authority area. For more information see SEN early years learning resource (SCARF) on KELSI website.

 

 

The pre-school liaises with outside agencies such as the Early Years Support Service, Educational Psychologists, Physiotherapists and Speech and Language Therapists to ensure that each child receives maximum support. Where one-to-one support is needed, every effort is taken to seek funding for ancillary support.

[Panders]

excellent stuff Oksana

[sunnyday]

Fantastic oksana!

[finleysmaid]

Oksana....can you actually say that you provide for every type of additional need?...are you fully wheelchair accessible? do you have hoists? can you change the building if you needed to to accommodate ALL eventualities?

I think this is where we have to be careful with policies. We will TRY to accommodate is often a more appropriate response. Training may not be available .

Just playing devils A...as I haven't finished mine perhaps I should shut up!

[Guest]

We will TRY to accommodate is often a more appropriate response. Training may not be available .

 

Agreed. Will change to TRY. Even though we have adapted the building to accommodate those needs, such as rump access, disabled toilet, lower sinks, wider corridors, etc, I totally agree that all possible scenarios impossible to predict.