Phoenix Centre Specialist Pre School

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

All of the children who attend this setting have varying degrees of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children are wholly involved in a rich and varied range of activities, that are specifically geared to meet their individual needs. Children demonstrate that they are happy, secure, and exceptionally well cared for. They build close relationships with staff, who are attentive and perceptive at recognising what level of individual support children need to enable them to thrive.

All children receive consistently high levels of attention. Children who have more complex needs receive one-to-one support to provide them with the specialist care that they need and to enable them to take part in activities. The majority of activities are specifically introduced to enhance and stimulate children's senses. Children thoroughly enjoy feeling a range of different textures. Staff help children to place their hands in foam, custard, jelly and baked beans. They recognise from children's body language, smiles and squeals of delight their level of enjoyment, and adapt the activity to provide each child with the optimum experience. Children receive constant praise to raise their self-esteem and encourage them to persevere.

Children's behaviour is dealt with in a calm and thoughtful manner. Staff recognise children's trigger points and are vigilant to outside influences, such as lack of sleep, that may have an impact on the child's day. Children thoroughly enjoy the time that they spend outdoors. Staff have created sensory areas under willow tunnels, where children can experience fresh air as they watch shiny objects spin in the wind and listen to windchimes.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The pre-school benefits from a strong and highly skilled manager. The manager and her staff team are dedicated, passionate and totally committed to working and supporting children with SEND. They are highly trained and experienced to ensure that every child receives the very best care and learning.
• The curriculum is meticulously planned for each child and is specific to their personal circumstances, abilities and individual level of need. Staff closely monitor children's level of engagement in activities. They adjust activities, so that children's next steps of learning are tangible and provide children with a sense of achievement. Children's achievements, no matter how small, are revered and celebrated with great gusto by all staff. Children respond with smiles and laughter to demonstrate their happiness.
• Staff are proactive in ensuring that all children have a voice. The majority of children who attend are non-verbal. Staff are highly skilled at recognising even the slightest eye or hand movement that can indicate a child's personal choice. For example, they wait patiently to see which object a child looks at to indicate the song they would like to sing.
• Staff introduce a range of ways to support children's communication. They successfully use sign language, touch, pictures and props, alongside simple verbal communication. All children are provided with access to a push button communication switch which, when activated, allows children to say hello to staff and their friends. Staff patiently wait for children to think about pressing the switch and indicate their readiness before offering help.
• Staff are exceptionally competent and highly trained to meet children's individual medical conditions. They administer any care and support children need in a sensitive and courteous manner, while ensuring children's personal dignity is maintained at all times.
• All staff know key children and their families extremely well. They recognise the importance of working closely with families to gather any information that may have an impact on a child's day. Parents are exuberant in their praise for staff and the care and learning that their children receive.
• Staff work closely with other agencies and professionals involved with the children. This ensures that all children receive the very best level of support that they need, to enable their specific needs to be fully met and to help them make the progress they are capable of.
• Children thoroughly enjoy taking part in a 'senseology' session to heighten their senses. They lie on the floor and feel the beat of the music through their bodies. They gaze with awe and wonder as the lights are dimmed and staff exuberantly use torches, coloured fans, scarves, and other flashing objects to ignite children's interest and promote sensory experiences. Children demonstrate their engagement through eye movements, smiles and squeals of laughter.
• The level of support children receive when they move on to school is superb. If children go to mainstream school, staff go with them for the first few days, so that they are able to adjust to their new surroundings with support from a familiar adult. Teachers from specialist schools visit the setting on a regular basis and staff set up review meetings with all professionals involved with the child, to ensure that everyone is fully aware of the child's individual needs.