At Toddington Childcare each child has a Key Person. The Key Person role is to carry out on going observational assessments which are linked to the Early Years Foundation Stage Guidance (EYFS) of age appropriate norms of development. In some cases this will help identify if a child has additional needs. If observations show that a child has potential learning delay or additional needs, the Key Person will discuss their findings with the settings SENDCo's (Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators) who are Rachel Turner and Marisa Perrini. Therefore it is important that each of our children’s Key People work in partnership with parents/carers to help build trusting and sensitive relationships with both parents/carers and their children to enable respectful sharing of information. This information is used to help discuss a plan to support your child's learning and development. 

If you have any concerns regarding your child's learning and development or feel they may have additional needs, please speak to your child's key person or one of our settings SENDCo’s in the first instance, to make an appointment for time to discuss this matter in private at a mutually convenient time to both parties.

All children at some time are seen by Health Care professionals, these being the child's Health Visitor, a Speech and Language Therapist or their GP who may identify or raise concerns of your child's individual needs. They should provide you with information in some form, through conservation, assessment or report. We welcome parents/carers and professionals to share these reports in order to plan appropriate strategies to meet your child’s individual needs.

Toddington Childcare’s SENDCO's will offer support and advice to your child's Key Person and other staff in the setting. They will also liaise with other professionals to seek advice and support in identifying individual needs if necessary. Toddington Childcare will seek advice from the Early Years Support Team, the SEND Advisory Teachers or the Educational Psychologist with your permission.

When your child starts at Toddington Childcare Forest School, our Administrator Danielle Mulligan will provide you with a 'New Starter Pack' which includes a prospectus, registration forms and a child information form for you to complete about your child. The child information form can be completed in partnership with your child’s Key Person at your initial induction meeting with your child in the setting. We also encourage a ‘Home Visit’ with your child’s Key Person and either our Setting Manager/Lead SENDCo or SENDCo within the first two weeks of joining our setting. This helps us gather a wealth of information to help us understand your child's needs, interests, family background and strengths and helps us to establish starting points in your child’s learning and development.

 We also encourage parents to complete an ‘All About Me’ booklet with their child at home, using text, drawings and/or photographs to build a more personalised picture of children’s interests. For children who are also looked after by childminders, we have a ‘My Childminder and Me’ booklet too. Children's individual needs are paramount to Toddington Childcare Forest School and we will work closely with you to support your child together, ensuring that we listen to your views and desired outcomes for your child at all times, as well as listening to your child's views too (if they are able to contribute to their Plan). Our SENDCo's will explain how children's individual needs can be met by planning in partnership with parents/carers and other professionals through a SEND Support Plan, which will be reviewed by all involved in the child's plan, through telephone conservations, meetings or reports. The plan will outline your child's needs and strategies will be put into place to support your child's learning and development. The child's Key Person will continue to observe, assess and evaluate all observations carried out on your child and these will contribute towards their SEND Support Plan. 

Your child's Key Person will be in the sessions your child attends and they will foster a caring relationship and an understanding of your child. If at times this is not possible, our settings SENDCo's will be present to ensure continuity. Our Manager/SENDCo Rachel Turner will maintain an overview of your child’s progress and will work with all staff to ensure we are providing the relevant and appropriate support to all children.

Toddington Childcare has two main assessments, the first being your child's 2 year old progress review and the second being their transition document (point of leaving) to their new school/setting. We have a robust on-going observational, assessment, evaluation and tracking system in place, where your child’s Key Person observes their learning and development through carefully planned activities and experiences linked to their individual needs, interests and next steps to learning. These are assessed against the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) ages and stages of development guidance and recorded in your child’s Learning Journey. There are seven areas of learning and development. These include three prime  areas of development; 

(Personal, Social and Emotional Development), (Communication and Language) and (Physical Development) and four specific areas of development; 

(Literacy), (Mathematics), (Understanding the World) and (Expressive Arts and Design).

If your child has a SEND Support Plan, you will be invited to attend regular review meetings. This will give you the opportunity to see how your child is developing and for you to share your views and feedback. 

If your child has a SEND Support Plan, you will be invited to attend regular review meetings. This will give you the opportunity to see how your child is developing and for you to share your views and feedback. 

We encourage you to be involved from the very first visit to pre-school. During your induction meeting with your child at our setting, we like to discuss your child's needs, interests, likes and dislikes, as this helps us to make the settling in process go smoothly for all parties. Toddington Childcare Forest School are fully aware that parents/carers know their child better than anybody else and that you hold a wealth of information regarding your child. We also encourage our parents to book a Home Visit within the first two weeks of joining our setting. Our Setting Manager and/or SENDCo will attend with your child’s Key Person. This gives us an opportunity to gather information, starting points and observe your child in their home environment, which also helps our children settle in to Toddington Childcare Forest School.

We work in partnership with our parents in identifying needs, information sharing, identifying targets and next steps to focus on at home and in our setting, and reviewing progress towards these targets at SEND Plan Review meetings. 

Your permission will be sought before involving outside agencies, and you are able to volunteer to help in sessions if you like.

Toddington Childcare Forest School encourages all parents/carers to be involved and participate in visits off site.  We ensure all venues are fully inclusive and accessible to all.

Toddington Childcare Forest School's Health and Safety Officer  will carry out a risk assessment linked to the visit and ensure the needs of all children, parents/carers and staff participating are included within the assessments. The assessment is carried out prior to the visit taking place.

Toddington Childcare Forest School would also ensure all relevant care plans and medication are included and taken on visits off site. 

Transitions for any child can be unsettling and even more so for a child with additional needs.  Therefore it is paramount that Toddington Childcare Forest School has a good transition policy in place to ensure the move for your child is smooth and to ensure all strategies are in place to ensure continuity for them.

One of Toddington Childcare Forest School’s SENDCo's, your child's Key Person, parents/carers, other professionals and your child's new school or setting will be involved in your child's transition.  There will be a meeting with all involved to provide the new setting/school with as much information as possible and to ensure strategies are in place for your child.  Toddington Childcare Forest School can offer either school/setting visits with your child or produce with your child a transition book of their new school/setting with pictures and explanations of their meaning.

Toddington Childcare Forest School will ensure with parents/carers permission that all information relating to their child is shared with the new school/setting.  Toddington Childcare Forest School will also offer the new school/setting the opportunity to contact them at any time with any possible questions they may have to ensure your child transitions well into their new school learning environment.

If you are a parent/carer who does not have English as your first language, we can involve another family member who speaks English, or if possible arrange for an external interpreter.

Toddington Childcare Forest School has parent notice boards in all of our rooms for Panda, Zebra and Giraffe Room children's cloakrooms, where parents/carers drop off or collect their children for sessions. Any further information or questions can discussed with our Administrator in the office located in our Zebra Room cloakroom. 

At Toddington Childcare Forest School we use visual timetables like ‘Now and Next’ charts to support our children’s understanding of routines in the session and what is happening next.

Accessible toilets and changing facilities are available.

Access to the building and outside play is via ramps.

Multi-Sensory activities are part of our regular planning.

All staff at Toddington Childcare Forest School have accessed child development and Autism Awareness training, and have experience working within Early Years. Please view our Organisational Structure at Toddington Childcare Forest School for details.  

Our Manager/Lead SENDCo Rachel Turner holds a Level 4 Advanced Practitioner qualification and Level 4 SENDCo training. We have three members of staff who have accessed specific training in Speech and Language, and Marisa Perrini holds a Level 3 in SEND.

Toddington Childcare Forest School are proud to be able to deliver support to our children through our ‘Lift Off to Language’ programme. This is a language booster programme for 2-3 year old’s and 3-5 year olds, focusing on attention and listening skills, social communication and interaction, supporting understanding of language, building on vocabulary, expressive language skills and speech sounds. The small group sessions are run twice a week by our Communication Leads Lorraine Carney and Sue Hickmott, and each child follow a 5 week programme. 

Progress is monitored via observation throughout the programme and a written summary of progress is recorded for each child. Our Communication Leads at Toddington Childcare Forest School are Rachel Turner, Lorraine Carney and Sue Hickmott who all hold ‘Lift Off to Language’ Accreditations and CACHE Level 3 Qualifications in Supporting Children and Young People’s Speech, Language and Communication (QCF). 

In our Panda room for 1 -2 year olds, Haylee Richards & Jemma Carr hold a CACHE Level 3 Qualification in Work with Babies & Young Children to Promote their Learning & Development. 

Rachel Turner also holds a CACHE Level 4 Qualification in Coordinating Special Educational Needs Provision and regularly attends professional network meetings to ensure knowledge is up to date with the latest information and news.  It is also Toddington Childcare Forest School’s policy to ensure all staff continue to update their own professional development and knowledge by attending in house training, online and face to face training courses or embarking on new qualifications.

We have good links with our Health Team and local Children's Centres and we work in partnership to enable us to sign post you to support which is available to you and your child.

Your child's Key Person is your first point of contact if you would like to discuss your child's needs, although you can ask to see our settings SENDCo's if you would wish to. Toddington Childcare can provide you with information on services available, such as 'Parent Partnership'.  Our own Local Authority (Central Bedfordshire Council) have their own SEND 'Local Offer' which contains a wealth of information relating to professionals, activity sessions, local support specialist, groups and clubs as well as advice. 

Central Bedfordshire Council Local Offer details can be found at: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/localoffer

If at any time you are unhappy with any aspect of our provision or practice, we would ask that you come to us to discuss the matter to see if it can be resolved.  If you are still unhappy, our Complaints Policy is available on our website www.toddingtonchildcare.org.uk

Toddington Childcare Forest School's committee is responsible for enabling the Manager to create inclusive policies, ensure policies are in place and up to date, ensure staff are able to attend relevant training, ensure staff meetings take place to explore SEND and inclusion issues, ensure the environment is inclusive, and to provide information for parents/carers.

For any further information please contact us in person, phone or email, speaking to either Rachel Turner Manager/Lead SENDCo, Marisa Perrini SENDCo or Danielle Mulligan Administrator.