Prestwich Early Years Local Offer
How will the setting help my child settle in?
We have a thorough settling-in process for children, the first settle is called an ‘induction’, during this first hour, key persons will focus on forming a positive relationship with the child as parents are asked to complete an ‘all about me’ form which helps us to gather important information about each child, from their likes and dislikes, to dietary requirements, sleep times and who is special to them.
Once this information is collected, we encourage the child to complete their own pathway of settles dependent on their individual needs. At this point we work with parents to discuss whether they feel their child is confident enough to be left at nursery on their own, there is an option of an extra settle session where the parent can stay if needed.
We then begin the child’s independent settles where they spend increasing periods of time at nursery without their parents, ranging from one hour to three hours. These settles are usually over key periods of the day such as mealtimes and sleep times to ensure all elements of the child’s day at nursery are secured before they start with us.
We provide children and their family with a welcome pack for each room, this contains an overview of the room, including photographs of the room and staff, as well as a short bio of each member of staff, an overview of the routine and answers to key questions.
For babies and younger children, we encourage parents to help us create a memory box to help their child settle, this may contain comforting items such as a parent’s piece of clothing or a blanket from home.
Who can I contact for further information?
Kerry Sharples - Nursery Manager - kerry.sharples@kidsadventures.org.uk
Sarah Hamson - Deputy and SENCO
Kids Adventures Prestwich- 0161 798 7465
How does the setting know if children need extra help?
We have a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-Ordinator who works in partnership with parents and key persons to help highlight any areas where children show they are emerging in their development, enabling measures of support to be put in place to narrow gaps in development.
A parent baseline assessment is completed as part of the induction process and a starting points/baseline assessment is completed after four weeks of a child starting. This is a basis for the staff to understand a child’s typical range of development across the EYFS curriculum and how their individual learning needs can be facilitated and supported.
Further support will be put into place if a child is emerging in their development, staff will form a support plan, which includes how we are going to support the child with targeted interventions. Assessments are completed every four months after the starting points assessment. These are shared with parents at the earliest opportunity.
Between 24-36 months, a two-year check will be carried out, a copy of this will be supplied to parents to take to a child’s two-year check appointment. This is also shared with a child’s health visitor should we feel they need additional support.
We have excellent partnerships with Bury local authority and work harmoniously with external support agencies to ensure the highest level of support for each child is obtained. We attend Bury SENCO clusters regularly to keep up to date with local and legislative changes and access core training to ensure we are supporting children’s individual needs effectively.
How will the setting support my child?
SENCO will have regular working in partnership meetings with a child’s parents and key persons to ensure everyone is working collaboratively and consistently. We work in partnership with the local authority and any external agencies that are supporting a child and their family. We will invite other professionals in to support in observing and assessing a child to ensure a full understanding of their development is collected.
If any external support is in place, we will begin to create a support plan for a child, where we plan, do, assess and review every six to eight weeks alongside any other assessments being completed.
All information is shared and agreed with parents to ensure they have a clear understanding of their child’s learning and development. If there is a specific diagnosis of special education need or a disability, staff will work with local authority and/or health services to undertake training to support children within the setting from professionals who have worked with or understand the specific needs of a child.
We have undertaken staff training for medical conditions and will make reasonable adjustments to our setting and practice to support a child’s individual need, e.g. support plans, adapting environment layouts and use of visual resources.
How will I be involved in my child’s learning?
From the initial stage of settling in, we ensure parents complete the ‘all about me’ forms during the induction settle, we hold quarterly parents evenings to discuss each child’s development, parents can also request a working in partnership meeting at any time to discuss their child’s progress.
If any assessments or support plans have been completed, these will be shared with parents at the earliest opportunity. We encourage parents to email their weekend news to nursery. This gives us an overview of what children are doing and learning at home which is added to their learning journey and is collated to support key persons to create a full overview of their development when completing assessments. Parents can support their child by attending parent events/training evenings; such as potty training or preparation for school events, as well as attending trips or outings.
How will the setting support my child at times of change, such as moving to a new setting or starting school?
We have transition co-ordinators, who oversee and support room-to-room transitions.
Parents are included in the decision of their child’s transition. Staff will discuss with parents when transitions to older rooms are planned and this can be delayed for a little longer if parents feel their child isn’t quite ready, unless deemed detrimental to a child’s progression.
Any external agencies involved are given the opportunity to contribute to the child’s transition assessment which is given to the new setting.
Children who transfer to our preschool provision at Forest school are supported through settling in sessions to ensure they feel comfortable and confident. Our older Children take part in Forest school sessions with one of our Forest School staff to ensure they have secure relationships with staff and have developed a basic understanding of keeping themselves safe before transitioning to an outdoor learning environment.
We exchange information with a new or previous setting, by phone or email to ensure there are strong links between providers and a wealth of information sharing. This helps us to identify any further areas of support that may be needed. If a child attends multiple settings, we will work in partnership to support the child holistically, sharing assessments and other information, this will happen roughly every three to four months.
What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
We have a robust key person system that ensures children feel well supported and their individual needs are fully met. We have a wealth of company policies and procedures to ensure children’s wellbeing is paramount throughout their time with us.
Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities policies and procedures ensure all staff are aware of how to support a child and their family. We have policies and procedures that will help us to plan for early intervention and seek help from external agencies.
Staff complete mandatory induction training within their first three months, from learning how to keep everyone safe through courses such as childhood illnesses, introduction to child protections and diversity awareness. All staff have full paediatric first aid training and senior management team also additionally hold emergency first aid. All staff hold a certificate valid for three years, although an online refresher course is completed every year as per company policy.
Staff are invited for regular one-to-one’s and supervisions where they are encouraged to discuss any concerns or worries they may have, whether it be about a child or how they can support a child further.
We have behaviour management policies in place and have a behaviour management co-ordinator who works with staff to ensure children’s behaviour is managed effectively, they ensure that staff are able to find the right approach to deal with a situation and staff use effective strategies to deal positively with any challenges, whilst children are not excluded.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting? What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had?
We have a SENCO and a newly appointed Co-SENCO who has a wealth of experience of working with children who have additional needs, they attend regular SEND forums organised by Bury council to keep up to date with any changes to practice. Our SENCO’s are working towards their Level 3 Award for SENCO’s in EY settings.
We have strong links with our Area SENCO from the Local Authority and SALT who visit us to support children who require additional support. Staff have accessed external courses such as ADHD level 1&2 and Understanding Autism to support children.
We work with external agencies and medical professionals to ensure we have the tools and knowledge to support a child. Our SENCO’s have accessed local authority training to ensure highly targeted interventions for children in line with the Bury policies and procedures.
How will my child be included in activities outside the room including physical activities and visits?
All children have accessed to a fully enclosed outdoor area on the ground floor, this gives children space to express themselves freely. Children are encouraged to take part in activities that promote their physical development daily to stay healthy. Reasonable adjustments can be made to ensure all children can participate.
How accessible is the setting environment?
The setting is built across two floors, with two base rooms on the ground floor and one on the first floor with access via stairs. Reasonable adjustments can be made to support children’s physical needs where possible.
Forest School Early Years Local Offer
How will the setting help my child settle in?
We have settling-in process for children. The first settle is called an ‘induction’, during this first hour settle, key persons will focus on forming a positive relationship with the child as parents are asked to complete an ‘all about me’ form. This helps us to gather important information about each child, from their likes and dislikes, to dietary requirements and who is special to them. We then encourage the child to complete their own pathway of settles dependent on their individual needs, at this point we work with parents to discuss whether they feel their child is confident enough to be left, there is an option of an extra settle session where the parent can stay if needed. We then begin the child’s independent settles where they spend increasing periods of time at Forest School without their parents, ranging from one hour to three hours, these settles are usually over key periods of the day such as mealtimes to ensure all elements of the child’s day are secured before they officially start with us. We provide children and their family with a welcome pack, this contains an overview of Forest School, including photographs of the setting and staff; as well as a short bio of each member of staff, an overview of the routine and answers to some key questions parents may require.
Who can I contact for further information?
Kerry Sharples - Manager
Zoe Gunther - Assistant Manager and SENCO
Kids Adventures Forest School- 0161 792 5448
How does the setting know if children need extra help?
We have a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-Ordinator team who work in partnership with parents and key persons to help highlight any areas where children show they are emerging in their development, enabling measures of support to be put in place to narrow gaps in development. A parent baseline assessment is completed as part of the induction process and a starting points/baseline assessment is completed after four weeks of a child starting. This is a basis for the staff to understand a child’s typical range of development across the EYFS curriculum and how their individual learning needs can be facilitated and supported.
Further support can be put into place if a child is emerging in their development, staff will form a support plan, which includes how we are going to support the child with targeted interventions. Assessments are completed every four months after the starting points assessment. These are shared with parents at the earliest opportunity. We have formed excellent partnerships with the local authority and work with external support agencies to ensure the highest level of support for each child is obtained. We attend SENCO clusters regularly to keep up to date with local and legislative changes and access core training to ensure we are supporting children’s individual needs effectively.
How will the setting support my child?
SENCO’s have regular working in partnership meetings with a child’s parents and key persons to ensure everyone is working collaboratively and consistently. We work in partnership with the local authority and any external agencies that are supporting a child and their family.
We invite other professionals in to support in observing and assessing a child to ensure a full understanding of their development is collected. If any external support is in place, we will begin to create a support plan for a child, where we plan, do, assess and review every six to eight weeks alongside any other assessments being completed.
All information is shared and agreed with parents to ensure they have a clear understanding of their child’s learning and development. If there is a specific diagnosis of special education need or a disability, staff will work with local authority and/or health services to undertake training to support children within the setting from professionals who have worked with or understand the specific needs of a child.
We have previously undertaken staff training for medical conditions and will make reasonable adjustments to our setting and practice to support a child’s individual need, e.g. support plans, adapting environment layouts where possible and use of visual resources.
How will I be involved in my child’s learning?
From the initial stage of settling in, we ensure parents complete the ‘all about me’ forms during the induction settle, we hold quarterly parents evenings to discuss each child’s development, parents can also request a working in partnership meeting at any time to discuss their child’s progress.
If any assessments or support plans have been completed, these will be shared with parents at the earliest opportunity.
We encourage parents to email their weekend news to us, this gives us an overview of what children are doing and learning at home which is added to their learning journey and is collated to support key persons to create a full overview of their development when completing assessments.
Parents can support their child by attending parent events/training evenings; such as potty training or preparation for school events, as well as attending trips or outings.
How will the setting support my child at times of change, such as moving to a new setting or starting school?
We have transition co-ordinators, who oversee and support school transitions. As part of our transition programme, future educators are invited to observe the children in the forest environment and observe their confidence and resilience, staff will liaise regarding children’s learning, development and support in place to ensure a robust handover of information and two-way communication.
Parents are included in the decision of their child’s transition. Any external agencies involved are given the opportunity to contribute to the child’s transition assessment which is given to the new setting. Children who transfer to our preschool provision at Forest school from our Prestwich site are supported through settling in sessions to ensure they feel comfortable and confident.
We exchange information with a new or previous setting, by phone or email to ensure there are strong links between providers and a wealth of information sharing. This helps us to identify any further areas of support that may be needed. If a child attends multiple settings, we will work in partnership to support the child holistically, sharing assessments and other information, this will happen roughly every three to four months.
What support will there be for my child’s overall wellbeing?
We have a robust key person system that ensures children feel well supported and their individual needs are fully met. We have a wealth of company policies and procedures to ensure children’s wellbeing is paramount throughout their time with us. Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities policies and procedures ensure all staff are aware of how to support a child and their family. We have policies and procedures that will help us to plan for early intervention and seek help from external agencies.
Staff complete mandatory induction training within their first three months, from learning how to keep everyone safe through courses such as childhood illnesses, introduction to child protections and diversity awareness.
All staff have full paediatric first aid training and senior management team also additionally hold emergency first aid and outdoor first aid. All staff hold a certificate valid for three years, although an online refresher course is usually completed every year as per company policy.
Staff are invited for regular one-to-one’s and supervisions where they are encouraged to discuss any concerns or worries they may have, whether it be about a child or how they can support a child further. We have behaviour management policies in place and have a behaviour management co-ordinator who works with staff to ensure children’s behaviour is managed effectively, they ensure that staff are able to find the right approach to deal with a situation and staff use effective strategies to deal positively with any challenges, whilst children are not excluded.
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting? What training have the staff supporting children with SEND had?
We have a SENCO and a newly appointed Co-SENCO, who are supported by the wider company group SENCO, who has a wealth of experience of working with children who have additional needs. They attend regular SEND forums organised by the local authority to keep up to date with any changes to practice. We have strong links with our Area SENCO and SALT who visit us to support children who require additional support. Staff have accessed external courses such as ADHD level 1&2 and Understanding Autism to support children. We will work with external agencies and medical professionals to ensure we have the tools and knowledge to support a child. Our SENCO’s have accessed local authority training to ensure highly targeted interventions for children in line with policies and procedures.
How will my child be included in activities outside the room including physical activities and visits?
All children have accessed to a fully enclosed outdoor area, this area is made up of a variety of rough terrains and is on various levels with no clearly defined paths or walkways, children have ample space to express themselves freely.
Our provision is a Forest School which means at least 95% of learning takes place outdoors. Children are encouraged to take part in activities that promote their physical development daily to stay healthy. Some reasonable adjustments can be made to ensure children can participate.
How accessible is the setting environment?
The setting is vastly outdoors on a variety of levels and rough terrains due to the nature of the forest school ethos, there is wheelchair access to the cabin with ramps, although the forest area and wetlands remain to be a variety of unpredictable levels and terrains, dependent on the weather and time of year. In line with the SEND code of practice and as part of our gradual admission process, we assess if the forest school environment is the right one for a child who may present with a physical disability, if on an extremely rare occasion, we feel we cannot keep the child safe or guarantee their health and wellbeing, we may work with parents to seek an alternate provision that can fully meet the child’s needs, this decision will not be made lightly and will be thoroughly risk assessed and discussed with parents or carers during the admission process.