My child has SEND. I would like to look around. What do I need to do?

We are contactable via telephone, email or through our Facebook page. Key information can be found on our club’s website and any prospective family at the club is welcome to request our club handbook which we can email to you prior to your visit. We are an out of school care setting and operate between the hours of 7.30am to 8:40am and 3:10pm (2:00pm on Fridays) to 5:30pm. We operate an open door policy at Smiles of Quorn so you can pop in at any time; however, if you wish to visit our setting, it is helpful that you contact us and arrange a convenient time for both parties to ensure there is a member of our staff ready to welcome you when you arrive and be available to talk with you and your child throughout your visit.

How will my child and I be made to feel welcome and how will you get ready for my child coming?

We constantly strive to make sure every family feels welcome at Smiles of Quorn and have worked hard to ensure we create a warm and inviting atmosphere at our club.

We encourage all families to visit the club with their child shortly before they are due to start. This gives the children the opportunity to look around the club, meet some of the other children and staff at the club and ask any questions they may have. It also gives parents/carers the opportunity to complete the necessary paperwork for registration with the club if this has not yet been done. All children are asked to fill out an ‘all about me’ form so we can get to know as much as possible about your child and their family life. Additionally, as part of the welcome pack you will receive plenty of information about our staff, key policies and procedures and other information that will support your family in settling in. You will also have the opportunity to provide us with all the relevant information we will need to allow us to offer your child the high-quality childcare we aim for.

We will assess the individual needs of each child in consultation with their family prior to their child attending and we will make all reasonable adjustments to ensure all children can access our services whilst feeling happy, safe and welcomed. Where one-to-one support is required, we will support parents/carers in accessing the funding required to provide the additional care. We will put a plan in place to offer complete reassurance to the child’s family that when they start at the club each child’s individual needs will be cared for in our safe, happy, secure and stimulating childcare environment.

How accessible are your premises?

We believe every child and their family must have full access to the services Smiles of Quorn offers. Our setting, The Deep End, is a purpose-built school setting which has facilities accessible to everyone. Our accessible facilities include, but are not limited to, a full wheelchair/pushchair access ramp and low-level handrails, a disabled toilet, wide corridors for wheelchair/pushchair access and a very large and spacious main room. For more information regarding the accessibility of our premises, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help.

How will you keep my child safe?

Smiles of Quorn is committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in which all the children in our care are protected from any form of harm or abuse. We have comprehensive policies and procedures in place to protect the welfare of all children and these are reviewed annually and updated as required.

Smiles of Quorn is dedicated to ensuring all our staff are suitable to work with children. All staff are subject to robust safe recruitment checks prior to starting at the club which includes an enhanced DBS check and references. Staff are also, periodically, requested to complete a staff suitability check.

The is always a member of staff with a current certificate of completion of paediatric first aid training and this is renewed every three years. Our owner and manager, Rachel, has up to date designated safeguarding lead training which is renewed regularly. All staff receive various in-house and external training including a level 1 safeguarding qualification and basic prevent training to ensure they hold all the knowledge they need to keep the children in our care safe.

We have numerous written risk assessments which are completed and reviewed regularly. Visual daily environment checks are completed before each session by the member of staff on duty. We have comprehensive emergency evacuation plans and we conduct regular fire drills to ensure all the children and staff know what to do in the event of a fire. Our main fire exit from our room is fully ramped and accessible.

We are proud of the excellent facilities Smiles of Quorn has to offer. Our site is very secure and access to our building is protected using automatic locks which require a pin or fingerprint to unlock. The door to the main room where the children are is alarmed and only staff and families of children attending the club are granted access to this room. All children who leave the room do so under supervision of a member of staff. We also have access to outstanding secure and gated outdoor provision including a 3G pitch, field, tennis courts and an outdoor learning/den building centre.

Our setting is regulated and inspected by Ofsted to ensure that we meet all the requirements which includes our duty to keep children safe and protected against any form of harm.

How will you communicate with me what my child has done, enjoyed and learnt?

At Smiles of Quorn we recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents/carers to ensure that every child is happy, healthy and safe whilst in our care. We therefore aim to keep parents/carers fully informed of policies, events and activities at the club, by sharing information with them, answering questions and addressing any concerns, and by encouraging them to participate in the life of the club.

Staff will always be there to talk to parents/carers when you drop off or collect your child. We also have a warm and welcome meeting room available at all times should apparent/carer want to talk to our staff in private.

We also provide communication books for all early years children and for children where a need for one is identified. These are kept in the children’s book bags and are easily accessible to the children’s family and feeder school class teacher to encourage open communication and ensure the continuity of care.

Parents/carers will receive a newsletter at the end of each half term which will include information, updates, reminders and news on the events and activities the children have been getting involved with over the past few weeks. You can also look on our club website or Facebook which will include updates on what the children at Smiles of Quorn have been getting up to.

Feedback from one of our parents/carers was that “all of the staff are chatty, supportive and so welcoming”.

How do you work with other professionals?

Smiles of Quorn enjoy a close working relationship with St. Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School in order to ensure continuity of care, and to maintain good communication links.

We will also work with professionals from multiple different agencies to provide the very best care we can to each child. We share information with other agencies, we welcome them to come and visit our setting and we listen to their advice and take guidance from them. Our club owner/manager attends local events and meetings with other childcare professionals such as the EYFS 3i (Information, Inspiration, Interaction) event and SEND Drop in Events organised by the local Early Years Inclusion and Childcare Service.

What training have you/your staff had in SEND?

Rachel has a breadth of experience of working with children with various additional needs and has worked alongside numerous other professionals such as speech and language therapist, physiotherapist, OTP and other SENDCos. In addition, Rachel holds a relevant Level 3 qualification. Our club SENDCo, Rachel, has also attended training on Schemas, Making Sense of Autism, ECAT, Basic Inclusion, English as an Additional Language (EAL), Speech and language support for under 5s, Promoting Positive Behaviour, Supporting Individual Children and also holds many more relevant qualifications for working with children.

How will you adapt play opportunities for my child?

Our club recognises that some children have additional needs or physical disabilities that require particular support and assistance and we are committed to offering an inclusive service, accessible to all children in the community.

At Smiles of Quorn all play activities are fully evaluated to ensure they will meet each child’s individual needs and can be adapted where necessary without limiting the original intentions of the play activity. The environment at Smiles of Quorn is easily adaptable and always being reviewed to meet the needs of every child.

How will you get ready for my child going to his/her new school?

Smiles of Quorn offers a programme of activities which meets the needs of each child, promoting their physical, intellectual, emotional and social development, enabling them to become confident, independent and cooperative individuals. We encourage children to take responsibility for themselves and their actions as well as encouraging children to develop positive attitudes and respect for themselves and others, in an environment free from bullying and discrimination. All of this works on developing and building key personal skills and qualities that are vital for any child during any transition such as starting a new school.

We also support children with any transitions by working in partnership with other care providers involved in the child’s education/care provision to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible for the child and their family.

How will you and I know how my child is doing and how will you help me to support my child's learning?

We ensure each child feels happy, safe and secure, allowing them to learn and develop freely in a play centred environment. We aim to complement the curriculum/programmes of study that are offered at our feeder school and make available play opportunities that will enrich the learning the children do in school. Staff at Smiles of Quorn will always communicate effectively with parents /carers, and discuss experiences, progress and any difficulties that may arise. Activities and events that the children have participated in will be included in our newsletters and advertised on our Facebook for parents/carers to see. Parents/carers are always welcome to contact us at any time with any questions or arrange a meeting with our staff.