As the Special Needs Co-ordinator, I feel privileged to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. Part of this is to support them to integrate into our settings which are fully inclusive, and this is something Quaggy Development Trust is committed to. We believe all children have the right to be educated and develop to their full potential alongside each other and are entitled to an education that enables them to achieve the best possible outcomes and become confident young learners and are ready to make the transition into compulsory education. Part of my role is to liaise with staff who work hard to identify any barriers that might stop a child learning and joining in and to ensure that we consider their individual needs and ensure we have systems in place to plan, implement, monitor, review and evaluate our support. We always ensure plans and records are shared with parents/carers and the children’s abilities are celebrated and provide information on local sources of support and advice e.g. Local Offer. We have very good relationships with other agencies where we can receive advice, support, and training and one such service is the Greenwich Early Years Co-ordination Team who support us to ensure that pre-school children have access to services as early as possible and ensure that their needs are identified prior to starting formal education.

It is such a positive experience for the children to be able to share the same opportunities and overcome any difficulties together and very rewarding for us all.

Georgina