Parent News

Dear Parents and Carers

A polite reminder that we are also holding our summer BBQ this Saturday, July 12^th (2pm – 5pm).  There will be a cake stall, raffle prizes, bouncy castle, face painting and much more.  This is an ideal opportunity for you busy parents to network and catch up with each other.  All proceeds shall be donated to the princess hair trust, a wig making charity for children suffering from the effects of cancer treatments.

If we have any budding Mary Berry’s out there donations for our cake stall will be greatly received.

Also if any of you work at companies who would like to contribute to our raffle prizes, all donations are welcome.

We would like to wish all of our school leavers the best of luck in their new learning adventure and would also like to wish our term time only children a happy summer holiday.

Please can I remind parents that our core hours are 8am until 18.00 pm.  We are experiencing more and more children being dropped off early.  If you would like to book an early start of 7.45am we require a 24 hour notice period and the cost is £2.50.

Policies

Please find attached our policy surrounding Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Special Needs procedure for previously unidentified needs.

Snails

The focus in the snails this week will be physical development. The children will be encouraged to pull themselves up to standing using the bar on the wall  mirror, for support, they will also be encouraged get mobile in the garden using the walkers. Creative activities, this week, include body painting and water play.  Our older babies will also be encouraged to use the shape sorters and push the buttons on the musical toys.

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   Wednesday                          Leanne – Day off Friday

 

Caterpillars

This week the Caterpillars team will focus on sensory play.   The children will continue to look at their own family books and have the opportunity to explore damp sand. The creative activities this week include, body painting, and transporting sand into different containers.

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 – Friday              Tara  - Tuesday      Tarnia Annual Leave all wk

Ladybirds

The current interests in the ladybirds are building structures and action songs.  This week the children will be encouraged to use the large building bricks to build on a grand scale.  Song times will include props to feed the children’s imagination and the book of the week is ‘Animal Bop’.   Creative activities this week include, cornflour play, playdough and car painting with small vehicles. 

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 – Friday    

Bumblebees

This week the children will develop their mathematic skills by drawing shapes and cutting them out (with adult support where needed), playing the ‘Ladybird’ game, counting their spots, singing number songs and finding the number bean bags in the garden.  To help the children develop their understanding of the world, the team shall support the children to use the CD player, water play with sea animals and the farm yard puzzles which will lead up to our farm trip next Friday. Activities to support creative development include water colour painting, chalking on different surfaces, painting using their hands and feet, soap and tissue play and sewing, but to name a few.

 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      

Jani – Wednesday            Jenni – Monday     Hannah – Annual leave all week

 

 

Butterflies                       

 This week the children’s interest is cooking.   The children will make rice krispie cakes, muffin pizzas and cakes for the cake stall at our summer BBQ this weekend. The children will practice writing simple words such as dog, hat and cat.  The children will be encouraged to make up nonsense nursery rhymes and to recollect their favourite stories. 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

 

 

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Policy

 

Aim of Policy

To clarify how we support children with SEND and their families. This policy works together with the Inclusion policy- Special educational needs and/or disabilities, the Special Needs procedure for previously unidentified needs and the confidentiality policy.

 

Points to Consider

When the Children and Families Bill becomes enacted in 2014 local authorities will be required to publish information about services available for Children and Young people with SEND aged 0-25. This is called the local offer and Castle Daycare and Preschool will be on the local offer register informing families how we support children with SEND.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aims 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.
• Using individual plans to support the child’s individual needs. The plans are created with the parents and other professionals who may be involved with the child and reviewed regularly.
• Attending training to support the needs of the child such as sign language training.
• Using the 2 year check, regular observations and CAF/Early Help Assessments to identify and record child’s needs.
• Having a SENCO who has attending training and regular SENCO forums to keep updated. The SENCO may also attend more specific training depending on the needs of the children.
• Working with other agencies to support the children and their families. This may mean we need to contact other professionals on behalf of the family, with their permission.
• Depending on the needs of the child we may be able to offer more staff support by having staff work 1:1 with the child. This will depend on the needs of the child and funding available.
• The nursery will also consult with the child about their wishes with regards to their support, this may be through observations or discussions depending on the child’s age and ability.
• Providing further information to the family about services they can use or contact for additional support.
• The SENCO at this Nursery is _______________Jenni Smyth________________

 

 

Special Needs procedure for previously unidentified needs

 

Aim of policy

 

To highlight how we support children and their families if we feel they may have an unidentified special need.

 

Points to consider

 

The children in our care are very young and whilst we want to support them fully, we do not wish to label children. When identifying Special Needs the practitioner must remain respectful and sensitive to the needs of the child and family and must adhere to additional policies such as confidentially policy.

 

Castle Daycare and Preschool aims to achieve this by:

 

If any member of staff reasonably believes that the development progress and/or behaviour of a child arises as a result of a special need, then that member of staff will:

 

• Inform the nursery manager about their concern providing examples of lack of development progress and/or behaviour which give rise to their concern. 

 

The nursery manager and/or special needs co-ordinator will:

 

• Ensure that the child is observed.
• Following a period of observation, and where appropriate, raise the concern about the child’s development progress/behaviour with parents to agree an appropriate course of action.  This may involve referral to appropriate external agencies.
• If a special/special educational need is identified, the procedure relating to special needs admissions will be employed.

 

If the parent/carer does not agree a special need exists, then the Nursery Manager and Special Needs Co-ordinator will ensure:

 

• The staff team continue to observe the child and record observations.
• Refer the position of the parent/carer to the area manager.
• After an appropriate period re-state the concern with the parent/carer with a view to agreeing an appropriate course of action.

 

If the parent/carer continues to ignore the concern being expressed, Castle Daycare & Preschool will:

 

• Write to the parent/carer requesting referral to an external professional agency to support special needs assessment.

 

• If not agreed, consideration will be given to referring the issue to the Surrey Safeguarding Board in accordance with the Castle Daycare & Preschool child protection policy.