Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

Just a gentle reminder that we have our Father’s Day breakfast here, 8am – 9am this Friday, June 13^th.  If you would like to join us please could you advise a staff member in your child’s room.

On July 3^rd we shall be holding a graduation party for our school leavers (3pm – 5pm).  The school leavers will be presented with their certificates and will have a party tea, including a bouncy castle.  The children who normally attend on this day who are not leaving for school this year will join in the fun.  If there are any school leavers who do not attend on Wednesdays but would like to join in, they are more than welcome providing that they are accompanied by an adult.  Again, please could you advise the pre school if you would like to attend.

We would like to advise parents that the new schedule for those attending forest school the next six weeks is Tuesday morning for our 2-3’s age group and Tuesday afternoon and Thursday morning for our pre school groups.

Policies

Please find attached our Admissions procedure and inclusion policy for children with special needs and/or disabilities.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week will continue to be ‘Summer’. The children will have the opportunity to explore dry sand and be encouraged to dig holes.   Creative activities, this week, water play, painting using colours associated with summer and mark making, using chalks, on the paving in the garden.

Planned activities within the Snails surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

 

Alisha –  Day off Friday  Leanne – Annual leave all week

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on ICT and rhyme books to encourage the children to do the actions to popular children’s songs.  The books of the week will be the children’s family books. Creative activities, this week, include finding hidden objects in the sand, retrieving objects dropped into the water tray and painting using different mediums.

Planned activities within the Caterpillars surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off Jamie – Monday          Tara  - Tuesday /Annual leave - Friday    

Ladybirds

The current interests in the ladybirds continue to be dinosaurs, role pplay and dancing.  This week the children will go ‘on a bear hunt’ using apparatus in the garden.  The children will be encouraged to dance to familiar songs and the children will have a teddy bear’s picnic on Monday, in the garden.  Creative activities this week, include, decorating dinosaur masks animal feet painting and  box modelling. The book of the week is’ Harry and the bucket full of dinosaurs’. 

Planned activities within the ladybirds surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   Abi – Monday      

Bumblebees

This week the children will be encouraged to practice using scissors, with adult support, mixing paints to make different colours and name basic shapes. Creative activities include crayon rubbing on different surfaces, bubble play, hand & feet painting and chalk drawing. The children will have the opportunity to bathe, dress and feed the babies in the role play area.

 Planned activities within the Bumblebees surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning which is now displayed on the large notice board outside the Bumblebees room.

Days off    Jenni – Thursday     Jani – Tuesday     Amy training - Tues, Wed, Thurs

 

Butterflies                       

 This week the focus shall be ‘Science’.   The children will experiment with the concept of floating and sinking and will be encouraged to make predictions.  The children will have the opportunity to make wax paintings with ‘secret messages’.  Other experiments include water & cup pressure, ice block lightening and static electricity. 

Planned activities within the Butterflies surround each child’s current interest in conjunction with supporting and extending their development.  To find out what activities are planned for your child for this week, please see your child’s keyworker who will be happy to take you through the planning.

Days off   Stani – Friday   Tracy – Tuesday

Admissions procedure for children with Special Needs and/or Disabilities

Aim of policy

To make clear how we follow admissions of children with Special Needs and/or Disabilities in a sensitive and appropriate manner.

Points to consider

Prior to a place being offered, all children and their respective needs will be considered.  Our ability to provide appropriate facilities for the welfare of the child will be taken into consideration. This policy works with the Disability discrimination Act (1995), Equality Act 2010 and Every Child Matters (2003). Also refer to our inclusion policies. 

From September 2014 parents will be able to see what we offer all children including those with SEND on Surrey County Councils Local Offer website.

The local offer puts all the information in one place, about health and social services, education, leisure activities and support groups available in the area for children and young people aged 0–25, with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). It also explains the additional or different provision provided for children who have SEND. The local offer will enable parents, carers, children, young people and practitioners/professionals to see clearly which service(s) and support across education, health and social care, are available locally for all children and young people from birth to 25 years with SEND, and how and when they can be accessed.

Castle Daycare and Preschool will aim to do this by:

The nursery manager will:

• In consultation with the parent/carer of the child jointly assess the extent of the additional support requirement to meet the special need/ abilities of the child.

 

• Where external agencies are already engaged in the care and development of that child, the nursery manager will consult with those agencies on the extent of the additional support requirement and the appropriateness of the nursery to meet those requirements.

 

• When the nursery manager does not feel able to conclude her/his assessment of the setting’s ability to meet the needs of that child, the manager will, with support from appropriate professionals, obtain additional professional advice/guidance from the appropriate agencies.

 

When a child with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities is admitted, the nursery manager and special needs co-ordinator will:

 

• Agree a schedule of additional support with the parent/carer of the child to be signed and dated by the manager and the parent/carer.

 

• Allocate a suitably experienced key person.

 

• Review on a regular basis (subject to the extent of the additional support requirement but at least monthly) the nursery’s performance in meeting the needs of the child.

 

When a child with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities is not admitted, the nursery manager will:

 

• Inform the parents of the decision and provide valid reasons as to why the nursery is unable to meet the additional support requirements of the child

 

Inclusion policy –  Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities

 

Aim of policy

 

Castle Daycare & Preschool is committed to the integration of children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities at all of their nurseries.  We believe that provision for children in the early years and assessment of their needs are of paramount importance and will give the best long term benefits to children, families and the whole community.

Points to consider

 

We recognise that all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities have the same rights to development, care and play.  All children attending our nurseries will be offered the same opportunities with support and assistance available to overcome any disadvantage they may have to face.  We will help and encourage every child, regardless of individual needs to reach their full developmental potential. 

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aim to achieve this by:

 

• All our nurseries will have an appointed Special Needs Co-ordinator who has knowledge of the Code of Practice (2001) and the Equality Act 2010 in relation to special needs.

 

• We promote positive images of those with special needs.

 

• We offer wheelchair access where possible.  Where appropriate, ramp and lift access will also be provided.

 

• Where appropriate our nurseries will assess each child’s needs in terms of access, where appropriate our nursery will be adapted to accommodate the child/ren.

 

• We will provide suitable bathroom, toilet and changing facilities.

 

• By ensuring play areas will be accessible to all children.

 

• By treating all children as equals and encourage all children to participate in nursery activities, e.g. garden, music and movement.  When outings/visits are organised, children with special needs will always be included with appropriate travel and care arrangements made.

 

• By ensuring resources including, play equipment, toys and books will be used to support all children’s understanding of ability and children’s individual needs.

 

• By planning activities to include all children and ensuring children with special needs have full access to those activities.

 

• By maintaining accurate records based on appropriate observation.

 

• We will endeavour to employ members of staff who are experienced in the care of children with generic special needs.  The training needs of all staff will be identified.  Appropriate staff training and development will be a priority.

 

• Staff will work closely with parents/carers as partners to give day-to-day care for the child.

 

• Support will be offered to parents/carers by the staff team and/or referrals will be made or suggested.

 

• By ensuring that staff, parents/guardians/carers are aware of the policy and procedures.

 

• By ensuring confidentiality at all times

 

Inclusion policy- diversity

 

Aim of policy

Castle Daycare & Preschool is committed to providing all children in our care every opportunity to achieve to the highest standards of their ability. This policy helps to ensure that this happens for all the children at our setting regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment or background.

 

Points to Consider

Our setting aims to be an inclusive setting. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for our children. We make this a reality through the attention we pay to the different groups of children within our setting:

·   girls and boys;

·   minority ethnic and faith groups;

·   children who need support to learn English as an additional language;

·   children with special educational needs;

·   gifted and talented children;

·   Any children who are at risk of disaffection or exclusion.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aims to achieve this by:

 

·   setting suitable challenges for children;

·   responding to children’s diverse needs;

·   overcoming potential barriers to the access to and development of individuals and groups of children within the setting;

·   Providing other support to meet the needs of individuals or groups of children. (This may include accepting advice from a range of professionals.)

·   Celebrating all children as individuals and ensuring a sense of belonging at Castle Daycare & Preschool.

 

We achieve inclusion by continually reviewing what we do, through asking ourselves these key questions:

§ Do all our children achieve as much as they can?

§ Are there differences in the achievement for different groups of children and if so what are the reasons for these differences?

§ What are we doing for those children who we know are not achieving their best?

§ Are our actions effective?

 

 

We aim to give all our children the opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential. When planning for them, practitioners take into account the abilities of and differences between all of their children.

 

For some children we use strategies that may normally be appropriate for children of a different age group dependent of the individual needs of the child. This is done to ensure that all children are able to make progress at their own level and at appropriate different rates of development.

 

When the attainment of a child falls significantly below the expected level practitioners will enable the child to succeed by planning work that is in line with that child’s individual needs.

Where we have these concerns they will be highlighted to our SENCO who is

 

                                                            Jennifer Smyth

 

 

Practitioners are familiar with the relevant equal opportunities legislation covering race, gender and disability discrimination.

 

All Practitioners ensure that children:

·   feel secure and know that their contributions are valued;

·   appreciate and value the differences they see in others;

·   take responsibility for their own actions;

·   participate safely in clothing that is appropriate to their religious beliefs;

·   are taught in groupings that allow them all to experience success;

·   use materials that reflect a range of social and cultural backgrounds, without stereotyping;

·   have a common curriculum experience that allows for a range of different learning styles;

·   have challenging targets that enable them to succeed;

·   Are encouraged to participate fully, regardless of disabilities or medical needs.

In our setting the play, learning, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every child is important. We follow the necessary regulations to ensure that we take the experiences and needs of all our children into account when planning activities for the children.