SEND | elsworth-preschool

Your Child’s Progress and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)

Every Child Is Unique

At Elsworth Pre-School, we believe every child is unique. We build positive relationships and provide a stimulating, inclusive environment where children can learn, play and thrive. Our activities and resources are guided by each child’s interests, with practitioners supporting and extending their learning through play. We spend quality time getting to know every child, understanding their individual needs, interests and abilities. We work closely with parents and carers because we believe that sharing information between home and pre-school is essential to giving every child the best possible start.

We share daily updates with families and provide a weekly newsletter highlighting our activities and experiences. Each term, we offer parent update meetings to discuss observations, celebrate progress and agree on next steps together.

Monitoring Your Child’s Growth and Development

Every child has an individual profile containing written and photographic observations of their learning and development. These are shared with families through the Famly app, and we welcome observations and photographs from home too.

Our experienced practitioners use these observations to plan meaningful activities based on your child’s interests and developmental stage. We support children through the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning: playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically.

As children approach school age, we prepare a Learning and Development Summary to celebrate their progress and support their transition to primary school. Parents and carers contribute to this process, helping ensure their child’s next setting understands their achievements and ongoing needs.

Supporting Children with SEND

We recognise that some children may need additional or more personalised support. Our trained Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), Sophie and Bex, have experience using a range of strategies to support children with emerging or identified additional needs.

We aim to identify barriers to learning early and work with families to develop appropriate support. Our curriculum is flexible and adaptable, allowing us to make adjustments so children can access activities, participate fully and make progress at their own pace.

We provide additional support where needed, including targeted interventions and individual support at appropriate times. Our consistent routines and positive relationships help children feel safe, secure and confident.

Working in Partnership with Families and Professionals

We believe supporting a child means supporting the whole family. We hold regular meetings to review progress, discuss concerns and agree on strategies that can be used both at home and at pre-school.

Where appropriate, we arrange Team Around the Family (TAF) meetings and work with professionals such as speech and language therapists, health visitors, paediatricians and specialist teachers. We welcome professionals into our setting so that we can work together to support your child’s development.

We regularly review individual targets and plans with families, ensuring that support reflects each child’s changing needs. We also welcome feedback and encourage parents to contact us whenever they need advice, reassurance or an update.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you know if my child needs extra help?
We observe children from the start and discuss their development, strengths and needs with parents and carers. If you have any concerns, please speak to us. We value your knowledge of your child and will work with you to decide on appropriate next steps.
How will staff support my child?
We provide support according to each child’s individual needs. Our team works together to offer consistent, positive interactions, clear routines and additional help where appropriate.
How will the curriculum meet my child’s needs?
Our curriculum is flexible and inclusive. We adapt activities, resources and approaches to help children overcome barriers to learning and participate meaningfully.
How will I know how my child is progressing?
We share observations through the Famly app and offer regular parent meetings. We also review progress, individual targets and next steps with families. You are always welcome to request an additional conversation.

Get in Touch

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s development or would like to discuss SEND support, please contact us. We are here to listen, offer guidance and work alongside your family.