Cublington Nursery School Special Needs Policy:

SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS POLICY

This SEN policy is written in response to the Code of Practice on the Identification and Assessment of Special Education Needs.  Cublington Nursery School has regard to this Code and has written this policy outlining our practices and procedures.

• We believe that all children should have equal access to appropriate learning opportunities at Cublington Nursery School regardless of their individual needs.  We will take into account the views, opinions, likes and dislikes of each child.  This will be achieved by discussions with the child and/or observations of them taking part in different activities/situations.

• Cublington Nursery School recognises that a child has a Special Education Need’* if he/she has a learning difficulty, which calls for special educational provision to be made for him/her, i.e. working with an adult 1:1, in small groups of children or the use of a visual timetable.

• In our setting Anne Bottomley is our SENCO (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) – she has attended the Buckinghamshire Three-day SENCO Training Course – and was appointed in September 1998.  Anne completed her Advanced SENCO training in September 2006.  She also attends Link Group and Cluster Group meetings and works closely with other groups and local schools as and when necessary.

• The SENCO is the nominated person who has overall responsibility for information gathering, ensuring clear communication with parents/carers, monitoring and record keeping and liasing with outside agencies and the Local Education Authority.

• The SENCO will also support and be a reference point for colleagues on all SEN matters including identifying and working with children who have SEN.

• Anne, after consultation with relevant staff, will inform parents as soon as possible of any concerns regarding their child’s development and progress.  Any concerns will be dealt with sensitively and in confidence.

• A meeting will be arranged as soon as possible, at a mutually convenient time between parents and the SENCO.  We undertake to share all information with parents and we encourage parents to share any information with us.  We also encourage parents to be involved in planning and implementing a programme appropriate for their child.

• It is the SENCO’s responsibility to maintain and update the child’s individual record and ensure that accurate minutes are kept of meetings with parents and outside agencies.  Only appropriate staff members will have access to children’s confidential records.

• At Cublington Nursery School we keep and update regularly the Buckinghamshire Record of Achievement for every child from which we will devise a structured programme to meet the child’s needs (IEP – Individual Education Plan).  Progress of each child will be monitored and recorded through observation and IEP’s Reviews will take place termly with parents, relevant staff and if necessary outside agencies.

•  Through the parents we will welcome contact with outside agencies to enable the sharing of information for children who are Early Years Action and Action+.

• We acknowledge support from and liase with the LEA as a member of the EYDCP.  Anne will attend Cluster Group meetings each term.  She will also continue to attend training courses and feed back information to staff.  The staff will support Anne in her role and endeavour to cater for the implications of supporting a child with SEN wherever possible.  All staff will have due regard to confidentiality.

• Children with Special Educational Needs are admitted to Cublington Nursery School with due regard to our Admissions Policy and Health and Safety Policies.  In exceptional circumstances and where spaces allow and with consultation with staff we may admit a child as a priority.   Cublington Nursery school will monitor the gender, ethnic background and special needs of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place.  We will also make our Equal Opportunity and Diversity Policy and our Complaint’s Procedure Policy widely known.

From the Code of Practice 2001