Parent/Carer Information

Parent/Carer Information

Special Education Needs and Disabilities ( SEND) 
"Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) can affect a child or young person’s ability to learn. They can affect their:

Extract taken from www.gov.uk 

You may here professionals using some of these terms when speaking to you. If a term is used that you don’t understand, please ask.

SEND: Special Educational Needs and Disability

SENDCo: Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-Ordinator.

ASD: Autism Spectrum Disorder

DLA: Disability Living Allowance. 
This may be given to families to help with any additional costs related to caring for the child because of their disability. 

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children: How to claim - Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Early Help: Providing support as soon as a problem emerges, at any point in a child’s life

EHCP: Education, Health and Care Plan if for children up to the age of 25 who need more support than is available through special educational needs support. The EHCP identifies the educational, health and social needs and sets out the additional support to meet those needs. The EHCP places an legal obligation on to Education Providers to meet the needs of the child as set out in the plan. 

We recognise and value that it is important for all children to develop at their own pace and have time to explore and deepen their interests. The team are skilled in observing children so they can support the development of learning in an effective way. 

What does this mean for my child?

This means that your child will have access to a range of activities throughout the setting. They will also attend small group sessions led by an adult. All group learning is planned and sequenced to ensure children make progress in one or more area of learning. The team carry out careful observations, which they will share with you on Tapestry. This open dialogue allows you to see what their interests are and what their next steps in learning and development are. Equally, insights from home can be shared via Tapestry allowing continuity of care and promoting holistic development. 

We will observe potential barriers to your child’s learning and help them find ways to overcome, or minimise, these. Your child’s key person and SENDco will work closely with you to ensure that your child has access to the resources and experiences they need in order to develop to their full potential. They will also support you by working in partnership with any external professionals that may be involved with your child’s learning and development. The team at Shotley Kidzone will always make time for you to discuss any concerns that you may have, and involve you in your child's learning journey. If you feel you would benefit from peer support, please follow the link below to Suffolk Parent Carer Forum Suffolk Parent Carer Forum (suffolkpcf.co.uk)  
 For further information and support regarding SEND please consult SENDIASS at:  Home - Suffolk SENDIASS

At Shotley Kidzone we have adopted the Graduated Approach with four stages of action 

The Graduated Approach is a four-part continuous cycle that includes the use of a four-part cycle of ‘Assess, Plan, Do and Review’. 

The four stages are :

Assess – use a range of assessment strategies to identify the specific support needs of the child.
Plan – starting from the assessment, co-produce and share a plan, detailing the provision to be put in place. 
Do – implement the agreed provision. 
Review – monitor the learner’s progress and evaluate the success and impact of the support given. 

Tapestry

We use Tapestry to complete your child’s Learning Journey.  This is an online program, which instantly uploads reports, photos and observations.   Our staff will upload a daily snapshot of what the children have been doing in the setting, along with some in-depth observations on each individual child throughout each term.

Tapestry is also used to update parents on important announcements and events taking place in the setting.

To get the full benefit of the Learning Journey, you can download the free Tapestry app from the App Store.  This app allows you to look at photos, comment and upload your own observations from home. We encourage families to upload as much as possible to input into their child’s Learning and Development Journal.

The Key Person System

The Early Years Foundation Stage acknowledges the importance of a key person. This helps a child to feel familiar within a setting and to feel confident and safe within it. When children feel safe and secure, they are more confident to explore, learn, play and grow.

We use the key person approach to develop and build a strong relationship between your child and our staff.

We believe a supportive adult will aid and scaffold your child’s learning. Each child is allocated a key person when starting within our setting. This key person will work closely with your child, developing their learning skills and basing their planning and next steps around each individual child’s interest.

Your child is introduced to their key person on their first session. Before your child starts, we ask parents to complete a short ‘About Me’ document. This helps the key person to learn more about them as an individual and be able to meet the child’s individual needs.

Throughout your child’s time in our setting, we always strongly encourage a strong relationship between parents and your child’s key person. You are always welcome to have a chat with your child’s key person, at any time. We do offer an informal parents evening so that you can discuss your child’s progress with their key person.