Policies & Procedures

ST MABYN PRE-SCHOOL

POLICIES

Policy/Procedure Date

Admissions May 12

Behaviour management May 12

Callout Procedure Illness Apr 12

Child Protection Oct 08

Complaints procedure Apr 12

Complaints proc. for Staff 11

Confidentiality Apr 12

Equality & Diversity Oct 08

Equipment & Resources Jan 09

Food & Drink 11

Health & Safety 11

ICT Use of Multimedia Computers 11

Non-collection of children Jan 09

Outings & visits March 09

Parental Involvement Jan 09

Payment of Fees Sept 07

Professional Conduct Policy Apr 12

Settling in March 11

Sick Child Policy 11

Staff Sickness Policy 11

Staffing and employment Jan 09

Student placement Apr 12

Training & Dev. May 09

Whistle Blowing July 08

Alcohol and other Substances Policy 11

Children in Care 11

Special Educational needs/disability Policy 12

Lost Child Policy May 12

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St Mabyn Pre-school

Admissions Policy

Statement of intent

It is our intention to make St Mabyn Pre-school accessible to children and families.

Aim

We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the Pre-school through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.

Method

In order to achieve this aim, we operate the following admissions policy.

Our waiting list is set as follows:

Children who already attend St Mabyn Pre-school requiring additional days
3/4 year olds who are in receipt of nursery education funding and 2 year olds in receipt of Education Funding
Priority to brothers/sisters who are currently attended the setting
All others

We ensure that the existence of the Pre-school is widely advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.

We ensure that information about our Pre-school is accessible in written form, and where appropriate, in different languages. Where necessary, we will try to provide information in Braille, or through signing or an interpreter.

We describe our Pre-school and its practices in terms which make it clear that it welcomes both parents, members of the extended family and child carers.

We ensure that St Mabyn Pre-school, in its practices, treats all individuals equally and fairly, regardless of their gender, special educational needs, disabilities, background, religion, ethnicity or competence in spoken English.

We describe our Pre-school and its practices in terms of how it enables children with special needs/disabilities to take part in the life of the Pre-school.

We monitor the gender and ethnic background of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place.

We make our Equal Opportunities Policy widely accessible to all staff and parents.

We consult with families about the opening times of the pre-school to avoid excluding anyone.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Behaviour management policy
Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school believes that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.
Aim

We aim to teach children to behave in socially acceptable ways and to understand the needs and rights of others. The principles guiding management of behaviour exist within the programme for supporting personal, social and emotional development.
Methods

Our designated staff that have overall responsibility for our programme for supporting personal, social and emotional development, including issues concerning behaviour is SARAH FIELD. We require the named person to:

Keep herself up to date with legislation, research and thinking on promoting positive behaviour and on handling children’s behaviour where it may require additional support;
Access relevant sources of expertise on promoting positive behaviour within the programme for supporting personal, social and emotional development; and to
Check that all staff have relevant in-service training on promoting positive behaviour. We keep a record of staff attendance at this training.

We recognise that codes for interacting with other people vary between cultures and require staff to be aware of – and respect – those used by members of the setting.
We require all staff, volunteers and students to provide a positive model of behaviour by treating children, parents and one another with friendliness, care and courtesy.
We familiarise new staff and volunteers with the setting’s behaviour policy and its guidelines for behaviour.
We expect all members of our setting – children, parents, staff, volunteers and students – to keep to the guidelines, requiring these to be applied consistently.
We work in partnership with children’s parents. Parents are regularly informed about their children’s behaviour by their key person. We work with parents to address recurring inconsiderate behaviour, using our observation records to help us to understand the cause and to decide jointly how to respond appropriately.

Strategies with children who engage in inconsiderate behaviour

We require all staff, volunteers and students to use positive strategies for handling any inconsiderate behaviour, by helping children find solutions in ways, which are appropriate for the children’s ages and stages of development. Such solutions might include, for example, acknowledgement of feelings, explanation as to what was not acceptable, and supporting children to gain control of their feelings so that they can learn a more appropriate response.
We acknowledge considerate behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share.
We support each child in developing self-esteem, confidence and feelings of competence.
We support each child in developing a sense of belonging in our group, so that they feel valued and welcome.
We avoid creating situations in which children receive adult attention only in return for inconsiderate behaviour.
When children behave in inconsiderate ways, we help them to understand the outcomes of their action and support them in learning how to cope more appropriately.
We never send children out of the room by themselves.
We never use physical punishment, such as smacking or shaking. Children are never threatened with these.
We do not use techniques intended to single out and humiliate individual children.
We use physical restraint, such as holding, only to prevent physical injury to children or adults and/or serious damage to property.
Details of such an event (what happened, what action was taken and by whom, and the names of witnesses) are brought to the attention of our Manager and are recorded in the child’s personal file. The child’s parent is informed on the same day.
In cases of serious misbehaviour, such as racial or other abuse, we make clear immediately the unacceptability of the behaviour and attitudes, by means of explanations rather than personal blame.
We do not shout or raise our voices in a threatening way to respond to children’s inconsiderate behaviour.

Children under three years

When children under three behave in unacceptable ways we recognise that strategies for supporting them will need to be developmentally appropriate and differ from those for older children.
We recognise that very young children are unable to regulate their own emotions, such as fear, anger or distress, and require sensitive adults to help them do this.
Common inconsiderate or hurtful behaviours of young children include tantrums, biting or fighting. Staff are calm and patient, offering comfort to intense emotions, helping children to manage their feelings and talk about them to help resolve issues and promote understanding.

Rough and tumble play, hurtful behaviour and bullying

Our procedure has been updated to provide additional focus on these kinds of unacceptable behaviours.
Rough and tumble play and fantasy aggression

Young children often engage in play that has aggressive themes – such as superhero and weapon play; some children appear pre-occupied with these themes, but their behaviour is not necessarily a precursor to hurtful behaviour or bullying, although it may be inconsiderate at times and may need addressing using strategies as above.

We recognise that teasing and rough and tumble play are normal for young children and acceptable within limits. We regard these kinds of play as pro-social and not as problematic or ‘aggressive’.
We will develop strategies to contain play that are agreed with the children, and understood by them, with acceptable behavioural boundaries to ensure children are not hurt.
We recognise that fantasy play also contains many violently dramatic strategies – blowing up, shooting etc., and that themes often refer to ‘goodies and baddies’ and as such offer opportunities for us to explore concepts of right and wrong.
We are able to tune in to the content of the play, perhaps to suggest alternative strategies for heroes and heroines, making the most of ‘teachable moments’ to encourage empathy and lateral thinking to explore alternative scenarios and strategies for conflict resolution.

Hurtful behaviour

We take hurtful behaviour very seriously. Most children under the age of five will at some stage hurt or say something hurtful to another child, especially if their emotions are high at the time, but it is not helpful to label this behaviour as ‘bullying’. For children under five, hurtful behaviour is momentary, spontaneous and often without cognisance of the feelings of the person whom they have hurt.

We recognise that young children behave in hurtful ways towards others because they have not yet developed the means to manage intense feelings that sometimes overwhelm them.
We will help them manage these feelings, as they have neither the biological means nor the cognitive means to do this for themselves.
We understand that self-management of intense emotions, especially of anger, happens when the brain has developed neurological systems to manage the physiological processes that take place when triggers activate responses of anger or fear.
Therefore we help this process by offering support, calming the child who is angry as well as the one who has been hurt by the behaviour. By helping the child to return to a normal state, we are helping the brain to develop the physiological response system that will help the child be able to manage his or her own feelings.
Our way of responding to pre-verbal children is to calm them through holding and cuddling. Verbal children will also respond to cuddling to calm them down, but we offer them explanation and discuss the incident with them to their level of understanding.
We recognise that young children require help in understanding the range of feelings experienced. We help children recognise their feelings by naming them and helping children to express them, making a connection verbally between the event and the feeling. ‘Adam took your car, didn’t he, and you were enjoying playing with it. You didn’t like it when he took it, did you? It made you feel angry, didn’t it, and you hit him’.
We help young children learn to empathise with others, understanding that they have feelings too and that their actions impact on others’ feelings. ‘When you hit Adam, it hurt him and he didn’t like that and it made him cry’.
We help young children develop pro-social behaviour, such as resolving conflict over who has the toy. ‘I can see you are feeling better now and Adam isn’t crying any more. Let’s see if we can be friends and find another car, so you can both play with one.’
We are aware that the same problem may happen over and over before skills such as sharing and turn-taking develop. In order for both the physical development and cognitive development to take place, children will need repeated experiences with problem solving, supported by patient adults and clear boundaries.
We support social skills through modelling behaviour, through activities, drama and stories. We build self-esteem and confidence in children, recognising their emotional needs through close and committed relationships with them.
We help a child to understand the effect that their hurtful behaviour has had on another child; we do not force children to say sorry, but encourage this where it is clear that they are genuinely sorry and wish to show this to the person they have hurt.
When hurtful behaviour becomes problematic, we work with parents to identify the cause and find a solution together.

Bullying

Bullying involves the persistent physical or verbal abuse of another child or children. We take bullying very seriously. If a child bullies another child or children:

We intervene to stop the child harming the other child or children;
We explain to the child doing the bullying why his/her behaviour is inappropriate;
We give reassurance to the child or children who have been bullied
We make sure that children who bully receive praise when they display acceptable behaviour;
We do not label children who bully;

When children bully, we discuss what has happened with their parents and work out with them a plan for handling the child’s behaviour;

When children have been bullied, we share what has happened with their parents, explaining that the child who did the bullying is being helped to adopt more acceptable ways of behaving.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Callout Procedure In Case Of Staff Illness

If a member of staff is unwell, or cannot attend work for another reason, they need to inform their line manager in good time: i.e. at least an hour before he or she is due to start his or her work that morning or afternoon.

The line manager will then endeavour to find cover for the staff member. This could be in the form of: a. another member of staff, b. a committee member or parent with a CRB check, or c. another parent volunteer, depending on the setup that day (see below).

The law states that:

There must be at least 2 adults on duty in the Pre-School setting at any time when children are present.
At least one member of staff must hold a full and relevant Level 3 qualification (as defined by CWDC).
At least half of all other staff must hold a full and relevant Level 2 qualification (as defined by CWDC).
Staff/volunteers/students under the age of 17 cannot count towards the ratios and should be supervised at all times.
Individuals aged 17 and over who are on long-term placements may be included in ratios if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.

The Secretary of the committee must maintain:

An accurate and up-to-date list of parents with CRB checks (marked as such), with their phone numbers. This list should be distributed to staff to bring home with them so they have a list by the phone.
A list of the parents and their phone numbers for the Chairman.

The procedure that must be followed is:

If the Pre-School Assistant is ill

First he/she calls: Pre-School Manager

The Manager calls:

Any other staff or CRB checked parents to try to arrange cover, using the list provided at the beginning of each term by the secretary.
If cover cannot be arranged through these calls, a committee member is called. Together the committee member and supervisor decide whether the session can go ahead, and cancel it if appropriate and legal cover cannot be obtained.
If the session is cancelled, the manager calls the parents using the pre-school phone.

If the Deputy Supervisor is ill

First he/she calls: Pre-School Manager

The Manager calls: Any other staff or CRB checked parents to try to arrange cover, using the list provided at the beginning of each term by the secretary.

If cover cannot be arranged through these calls, a committee member is called. Together the committee member and manager decide whether the session can go ahead, and cancel it if appropriate and legal cover cannot be obtained.
If the session is cancelled, the manager calls the parents using the pre-school phone.

If the Manager is ill

First call: Chairman or deputy manager; if unavailable, then any other committee member

The Chairman or deputy manager calls:

Any other staff or CRB checked parents to try to arrange cover, using the list provided at the beginning of each term by the secretary.
If adequate cover cannot be arranged through these calls, the session is cancelled.
If the session is cancelled, the Chairman calls the parents using the list provided by the Secretary.

St Mabyn Pre-school

CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school will work with children, parents and the community to ensure the safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.

The key commitments of the Pre-school Learning Alliance policy for safeguarding children.

The Alliance is committed to building a ‘culture of safety’ in which children are protected from abuse and harm in all areas of its service delivery.

The Alliance is committed to responding promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns of abuse that may occur and to work with statutory agencies in accordance with the procedures that are set down in ‘What to do if you are worried a child is being abused’ (DfES 2006).

The Alliance is committed to promoting awareness of child abuse issues throughout its training and learning programmes for adults. It is also committed to empowering young children, through its early childhood curriculum, promoting their right to be strong, resilient and listened to.

Aims

Our aims are to carry out this policy by:

Promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to by creating an environment in our setting that encourages children to develop a positive self image, which includes their heritage arising from their colour and ethnicity, their languages spoken at home, their religious beliefs, cultural traditions and home background;

Promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to by encouraging children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence;

Promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to by enabling children to have the self confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches;

Helping children to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers, and with other adults; and

Working with parents to build their understanding of and commitment to the principles of safeguarding all our children.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Complaints procedure

Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve our setting and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of the setting. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns.

Aim

We aim to bring all concerns about the running of our setting to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved.
Methods

To achieve this, we operate the following complaints procedure. All settings are required to keep a ‘summary log’ of all complaints that reach stage 2 or beyond. This is to be made available to parents as well as to Ofsted inspectors. A full procedure is set out in the Pre-school Learning Alliance publication ‘Complaints Summary Record’. This publication acts as the ‘summary log’ for this purpose.

Making a complaint

Stage 1

Any parent who has a concern about an aspect of the setting’s provision talks over, first of all, his/her worries and anxieties with the Pre-School Manager (or the Chairman if the complaint is about the manager).
The Pre-school Manager or Chairman will give the parent a copy of our “Complaints Procedure”.
Parents should be encouraged to maintain confidentiality of their complaint so as to uphold the good reputation of the Pre-School.
Most complaints should be resolved amicably and informally at this stage.

Stage 2

If this does not have a satisfactory outcome, or if the problem recurs, the parent moves to Stage 2 of the procedure by putting the concerns or complaint in writing to the Manager and the Chair of the Pre-School Committee.
For parents who are not comfortable with making written complaints, there is a template form for recording complaints in the above-mentioned publication; the form may be completed with the person in charge and signed by the parent.
The setting stores written complaints from parents in the child’s personal file. However, if the complaint involves a detailed investigation, the manager may wish to store all information relating to the investigation in a separate file designated for this complaint.
St Mabyn Pre-School will investigate all written complaints as soon as possible and always within 28 days of having received the complaint.
When the investigation into the complaint is completed, the manager or chairman meets with the parent to discuss the outcome.
When the complaint is resolved at this stage, the summative points are logged in the Complaints Summary Record.

Stage 3

If the parent is not satisfied with the outcome of the investigation, he or she requests a meeting with the manager and the chair of the management committee. The parent should have a friend or partner present if required and the leader should have the support of the chairperson of the management committee present.
An agreed written record of the discussion is made as well as any decision or action to take as a result. All of the parties present at the meeting sign the record and receive a copy of it.
This signed record signifies that the procedure has concluded. When the complaint is resolved at this stage, the summative points are logged in the Complaints Summary Record.

Stage 4

If at the Stage 3 meeting the parent and setting cannot reach agreement, an external mediator is invited to help to settle the complaint. This person should be acceptable to both parties, listen to both sides and offer advice. A mediator has no legal powers but can help to define the problem, review the action so far and suggest further ways in which it might be resolved.
Staff or volunteers within the Pre-school Learning Alliance are appropriate persons to be invited to act as mediators.
The mediator keeps all discussion confidential. S/he can hold separate meetings with the setting personnel (setting leader and chair of the management committee) and the parent, if this is decided to be helpful. The mediator keeps an agreed written record of any meetings that are held and of any advice s/he gives.

Stage 5

When the mediator has concluded her/his investigations, a final meeting between the parent, the manager and the chair of the management committee is held. The purpose of this meeting is to reach a decision on the action to be taken to deal with the complaint. The mediator’s advice is used to reach this conclusion. The mediator is present at the meeting if all parties think this will help a decision to be reached.
A record of this meeting, including the decision on the action to be taken, is made. Everyone present at the meeting signs the record and receives a copy of it. This signed record signifies that the procedure has concluded.

The role of the Office for Standards in Education, Early Years Directorate (Ofsted) and the Area Safeguarding Children Committee.

Parents may approach Ofsted directly at any stage of this complaints procedure. In addition, where there seems to be a possible breach of the setting’s registration requirements, it is essential to involve Ofsted as the registering and inspection body with a duty to ensure the National Standards for Day Care are adhered to.
The address and telephone number of our Ofsted regional centre are:

The National Business Unit, OFSTED, Piccadilly Gate, Stone Street, Manchester, M12 WD

Telephone No. 0300 1231231
These details are displayed on our pre-school’s notice board.
If a child appears to be at risk, our setting follows the procedures of the Area Safeguarding Children Committee in our local authority.
In these cases, both the parent and setting are informed and the manager works with Ofsted or the Area Safeguarding Children Committee to ensure a proper investigation of the complaint, followed by appropriate action.

Records

A record of complaints against our setting and/or the children and/or the adults working in our setting is kept, including the date, the circumstances of the complaint and how the complaint was managed.
The outcome of all complaints is recorded in the Complaints Summary Record which is available for parents and Ofsted inspectors on request.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Complaints procedure for Staff

If staff feel that they have issues with their job or the Pre-school that are not being addressed, they should undertake the following procedure:

Discuss the matter verbally with the Pre-School Manager, or if you feel unable, discuss the matter verbally with the Chairperson or another member of the Core Committee (Treasurer or Secretary).
If no acceptable action or change comes from this, the staff member should submit his or her complaint in writing formally to the Pre-School Manager. The Manager should follow up with appropriate action and log what they have done. This log should be kept on file, together with the original complaint.
If no acceptable action or change comes from this, the staff member should submit his or her complaint in writing formally to the Pre-School Committee. The Chairperson should follow up with appropriate action and log what they have done. This log should be kept on file, together with the original complaint.
If the issue is still unresolved, the staff member should petition for a third party to meet with him/her and the Committee to act as a third party intercessor. The Pre-school Learning Alliance is a first-stop resource for this (contact details held in filing cupboard).

St Mabyn Pre-school

Confidentiality policy

Statement of intent

It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their parents and carers, while ensuring that they access high quality early years care and education in our setting.

Aim

We aim to ensure that all parents and carers can share their information in the confidence that it will only be used to enhance the welfare of their children.

Methods

We keep two kinds of records on children attending our setting:

1. Developmental records

These include observations of children in the setting, samples of their work, summary developmental reports and records of achievement.
They are usually kept on the stage during Pre-School sessions, and in the filing cabinet when not in use, and can be accessed, and contributed to, by staff, the child and the child’s parents.

2. Personal records

These include registration and admission forms, signed consents, and correspondence concerning the child or family, reports or minutes from meetings concerning the child from other agencies, an ongoing record of relevant contact with parents, and observations by staff on any confidential mater involving the child, such as developmental concerns or child protection matters.
These confidential records are stored in a lockable file or cabinet and are kept secure by the person in charge in an office or other suitably safe place.
Parents have access, in accordance with the access to records procedure, to the files and records of their own children but do not have access to information about any other child.
Staff will not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs. Staff induction includes an awareness of the importance of confidentiality in the role of the key person.

Other records

Issues to do with the employment of staff, whether paid or unpaid, remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions.
Students on Pre-school Learning Alliance or other recognised qualifications and training, when they are observing in the setting, must adhere to our Confidentiality Policy and are required to respect it.

Access to personal records

Parents may request access to any records held on their child and family following the procedure below.

Any request to see the child’s personal file by a parent or person with parental responsibility must be made in writing to the Manager.
The Manager informs the chairperson of the management committee and sends a written acknowledgement.
The setting commits to providing access within 14 days – although this may be extended.
The Manager and Chairperson of the management committee prepare the file for viewing.
All third parties are written to, stating that a request for disclosure has been received and asking for their permission to disclose to the person requesting it. Copies of these letters are retained on the file.
‘Third parties’ include all family members who may be referred to in the records.
It also includes workers from any other agency, including social services, the health authority, etc. It is usual for agencies to refuse consent to disclose, preferring the individual to go directly to them.
When all the consents/refusals to disclose have been received these are attached to the copy of the request letter.
A photocopy of the complete file is taken.
The Manager and Chairperson of the management committee go through the file and remove any information which a third party has refused consent to disclose. This is best done with a thick black marker, to score through every reference to the third party and information they have added to the file.
What remains is the information recorded by the setting, detailing the work initiated and followed by them in relation to confidential matters. This is called the ‘clean copy’.
The ‘clean copy’ is photocopied for the parents who are then invited in to discuss the contents. The file should never be given straight over, but should be gone through by the Manager, so that it can be explained.
Legal advice may be sought before sharing a file, especially where the parent has possible grounds for litigation against the setting or another (third party) agency.

All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the setting, which is to the safety and well-being of the child. Please see also our policy on child protection.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Equality and diversity policy

Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school is committed to valuing diversity by providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families.

Aim

We aim to:

Provide a secure environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are valued;
Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality and diversity;
Provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and people with disabilities;
Improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of anti-discriminatory practice, promoting equality and valuing diversity; and
Make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the setting.

The legal framework for this policy is:

Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
Sex Discrimination Act 1986
Children Act 1989
Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001
Every Child Matters 2004
Disability Discrimination Act 1995
The Human Rights Act 1998
EYFS Framework 2012

Methods

Admissions

Our setting is open to all members of the community.

We advertise our service widely.
We reflect the diversity of members of our pre-school in our publicity and promotional materials.
We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.
We base our admissions policy on a fair system.
We ensure that all parents are made aware of our equal opportunities policy.
We do not discriminate against a child or their family, or prevent entry to our setting, on the basis of colour, ethnicity, religion or social background, such as being a member of a travelling community or an asylum seeker.
We do not discriminate against a child with a disability or refuse a child entry to our setting because of any disability.
We develop an action plan to ensure that people with disabilities can participate successfully in the services offered by the setting and in the curriculum offered.
We take action against any discriminatory behaviour by staff or parents. Displaying of openly racist insignia, distribution of racist material, name-calling, or threatening behaviour are unacceptable on or around the premises and will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

Employment

Posts are advertised and all applicants are judged against explicit and fair criteria.
Applicants are welcome from all backgrounds and posts are open to all.
The applicant who best meets the criteria is offered the post, subject to references and checks by the Criminal Records Bureau. This ensures fairness in the selection process.
All job descriptions include a commitment to equality and diversity as part of their specifications.
We monitor our application process to ensure that it is fair and accessible.

Training

We seek out training opportunities for staff and volunteers to enable them to develop anti-discriminatory and inclusive practices, which enable all children to flourish.

We review our practices annually to ensure that we are fully implementing our policy for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Curriculum

The curriculum offered in the setting encourages children to develop positive attitudes about themselves as well as to people who are different from themselves. It encourages children to empathise with others and to begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.

We do this by:

Making children feel valued and good about themselves;
Ensuring that children have equality of access to learning;
Recognising the different learning styles of girls and boys, making appropriate provision within the curriculum to ensure each child receives the widest possible opportunity to develop their skills and abilities;
Positively reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources;
Avoiding stereotypes or derogatory images in the selection of books or other visual materials;
Celebrating a wide range of festivals;
Creating an environment of mutual respect and tolerance;
Helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are hurtful and unacceptable;
Ensuring that the curriculum offered is inclusive of children with special educational needs and children with disabilities;
Ensuring that children learning English as an additional language have full access to the curriculum and are supported in their learning; and

Valuing diversity in families

We welcome the diversity of family lifestyles and work with all families.
We encourage children to contribute stories of their everyday life to the setting.
We encourage parents/carers to take part in the life of the setting and to contribute fully.
For families who speak languages in addition to English, we will develop means to ensure their full inclusion.
We offer a flexible payment system for families of differing means and offer information regarding sources of financial support.

Food

We work in partnership with parents to ensure that the medical, cultural and dietary needs of children are met.
We help children to learn about a range of food, and of cultural approaches to snacks, and to respect the differences among them.

Meetings

Meetings are arranged to ensure that all families are able to make suggestions about the day-to-day aspects of the setting.
Information about meetings is communicated in a variety of ways – written and verbal – to ensure that all parents have information about and access to the meetings.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Equipment and resources policy

Statement of intent

We believe that high quality early years care and education are promoted by providing children with safe, clean, attractive, developmentally appropriate resources, toys and equipment.

Aim

We aim to provide children with resources and equipment that help to consolidate and extend their knowledge, skills, interests and aptitudes.

Methods

In order to achieve this aim we:

provide play equipment and resources that are safe and – where applicable – conform to the BSEN safety standards or Toys (Safety) Regulation (1995);

provide a sufficient quantity of equipment and resources for the number of children;

provide resources that promote all areas of children’s learning and development, which may be child or adult led;

select books, equipment and resources that promote positive images of people of all colours, cultures and abilities, are non-discriminatory and avoid racial and gender stereotyping;

provide play equipment and resources that promote continuity and progression, provide sufficient challenge and meet the needs and interests of all children;

provide made, natural and recycled materials that are clean, in good condition and safe for the children to use;

provide furniture that is suitable for children and furniture that is suitable for adults;

store and display resources and equipment where children can independently choose and select them;

regularly check all resources and equipment that are available at each session and ensure they are put away at the end of each session. We repair and clean, or replace, any unsafe, worn out, dirty or damaged equipment;

provide adequate insurance cover for the setting’s resources and equipment.

use the local library and toy library to introduce new books and a variety of resources to support children’s interests; and

plan the provision of activities and appropriate resources so that a balance of familiar equipment and resources and new exciting challenges is offered.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Food and drink policy

Statement of intent

This setting regards snack and meal times as an important part of the setting’s session. Eating represents a social time for children and adults and helps children to learn about healthy eating. The Pre-school Learning Alliance promotes healthy eating through our campaign ‘Feeding Young Imaginations’.

Aim

At snack times, we aim to provide nutritious food, which meets the children’s individual dietary needs. We aim to meet the full requirements of the EYFS statutory framework on Food and Drink.

Methods

Before a child starts to attend the setting, we find out from parents their children’s dietary needs and preferences, including any allergies.
We record information about each child’s dietary needs in her/his registration record and parents sign the record to signify that it is correct.
We regularly consult with parents to ensure that our records of their children’s dietary needs – including any allergies – are up to date. Parents sign the up-dated record to signify that it is correct.
We display current information about individual children’s dietary needs so that all staff and volunteers are fully informed about them.
We implement systems to ensure that children receive only food and drink that is consistent with their dietary needs and preferences as well as their parents’ wishes.
We plan menus in advance, involving children and parents in the planning.
We display the menus of snacks for the information of parents.
We provide nutritious food for snacks, avoiding large quantities of saturated fat, sugar and salt and artificial additives, preservatives and colourings.

We include foods from the diet of each of the children’s cultural backgrounds, providing children with familiar foods and introducing them to new ones.
We take care not to provide food containing nuts or nut products and are especially vigilant where we have a child who has a known allergy to nuts.
Through discussion with parents and research reading by staff, we obtain information about the dietary rules of the religious groups to which children and their parents belong, and of vegetarians and vegans, and about food allergies. We take account of this information in the provision of food and drinks.
We require staff to show sensitivity in providing for children’s diets and allergies. Staff do not use a child’s diet or allergy as a label for the child or make a child feel singled out because of her/his diet or allergy.
We organise snack times so that they are social occasions in which children and staff participate.
We use snack times to help children to develop independence through making choices, serving food and drink and feeding themselves.
We provide children with utensils that are appropriate for their ages and stages of development and that take account of the eating practices in their cultures.
We have fresh drinking water constantly available for the children. We inform the children about how to obtain the water and that they can ask for water at any time during the session.
In order to protect children with food allergies, we have rules about children sharing and swapping their food with one another.
For children who drink milk, we provide whole pasteurised milk.

Packed lunches

Where settings cannot provide cooked meals and children are required to bring packed lunches, we:

ensure perishable contents of packed lunches are refrigerated;
inform parents of our policy on healthy eating;
inform parents of whether we have facilities to microwave cooked food brought from home;
encourage parents to provide sandwiches with a healthy filling, fruit, and milk based deserts such as yoghurt or creme fresh (petit filou) where we can only provide cold food from home. We discourage sweet drinks and can provide children with water or diluted fresh fruit juice;
discourage packed lunch contents that consist largely of crisps, processed foods, sweet drinks and sweet products such as cakes or biscuits. We reserve the right to return this food to the parent as a last resort;
provide children bringing packed lunches with plates and cups and cutlery; and
ensure staff sit with children to eat their lunch so that the mealtime is a social occasion.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Health and safety policy

Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school believes that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance. We make our setting a safe and healthy place for children, parents, staff and volunteers.

Aim

We aim to make children, parents and staff aware of health and safety issues and to minimise the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment.

Methods

The member of staff responsible for health and safety is DI WESTLAKE – PRESCHOOL MANAGER,. She is competent to carry out these responsibilities. She has undertaken health and safety training and regularly updates her knowledge and understanding. And also BETHANY GILLESPIE – CHAIRPERSON. We display the necessary health and safety poster on the Parent’s Notice Board.

Risk assessment

Our risk assessment process includes:

Checking for hazards and risks indoors and outside, and in our activities and procedures. Our assessment covers adults and children;
Deciding which areas need attention; and
Developing an action plan that specifies the action required, the timescales for action, the person responsible for the action and any funding required.

We maintain lists of health and safety issues, which are checked:

Daily before the session begins;
Weekly
Annually - when a full risk assessment is carried out.

Insurance cover

We have public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance. The certificate for public liability insurance is displayed on the Parent’s Notice Board.

Awareness raising

Our induction training for staff and volunteers includes a clear explanation of health and safety issues so that all adults are able to adhere to our policy and understand their shared responsibility for health and safety. The induction training covers matters of employee well-being, including safe lifting and the storage of potentially hazardous substances.
As necessary, health and safety training is included in the annual training plans of staff, and health and safety is discussed regularly at staff meetings.
We have a no smoking policy.
Children are made aware of health and safety issues through discussions, planned activities and routines.

Children’s safety

We ensure all staff employed have been checked for criminal records by an enhanced disclosure from the Criminal Records Bureau.
Adults never supervise children on their own, except in an emergency.
Adults supervise all children at all times.
Whenever children are on the premises at least two adults must be present.

Security

Systems are in place for the safe arrival and departure of children. The times of the children’s arrivals and departures are recorded.
The arrival and departure times of adults – staff, volunteers and visitors – are recorded.
All doors are locked when everyone is inside the building.
Our systems prevent unauthorised access inside our premises and a member of staff will always leave the building to see and speak with any visitor before allowing them into the building.
Our systems prevent children from leaving our premises unnoticed.
Staff must be informed if any unlisted person will be collecting a child, in which case the collector will be provided with a password via the parent, which they must give to the Pre School staff upon collection of the child. This password will change every time for extra security.
Staff must be informed if there are any family issues where the child should be prevented from being collected by a listed person.
The personal possessions of staff and volunteers can be securely stored in a locked cupboard during sessions.

Windows

Low-level windows are made from materials that prevent accidental breakage or are made safe.

Floors

All surfaces are checked daily to ensure they are clean and not uneven or damaged.

Kitchen

Children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen.
All surfaces are clean and non-porous.
There are separate facilities for hand-washing and for washing up.
Cleaning materials and other dangerous materials are stored out of children’s reach.
When children take part in cooking activities, they:

Are supervised at all times;
Are kept away from hot surfaces and hot water; and
Do not have unsupervised access to electrical equipment.

Electrical/gas equipment

All electrical/gas equipment conforms to safety requirements and is checked regularly.
Our boiler/electrical switchgear/meter cupboard is not accessible to the children.
Electric sockets, wires and leads are properly guarded and the children are taught not to touch them.
There are sufficient sockets to prevent overloading.
The temperature of hot water is controlled to prevent scalds.
Lighting and ventilation is adequate in all areas including storage areas.

Storage

All resources and materials from which children select are stored safely.
All equipment and resources are stored or stacked safely to prevent them accidentally falling or collapsing.

Outdoor area

Our outdoor area is securely fenced. However, members of the public do have access to use the public toilets, therefore children are supervised at all times.
Our outdoor area is checked for safety and cleared of rubbish before it is used.
Adults and children are alerted to the dangers of poisonous plants, herbicides and pesticides.

Where water can form a pool on equipment, it is emptied before children start playing outside.
All outdoor activities are supervised at all times.

Hygiene

We regularly seek information from the Environmental Health Department and the Health Authority to ensure that we keep up to date with the latest recommendations.
Our daily routines encourage the children to learn about personal hygiene.
We have a daily cleaning routine for the setting, which includes play room(s), kitchen, rest area, toilets and nappy changing areas.
We have a schedule for cleaning resources and equipment, dressing-up clothes and furnishings.
The toilet area has a high standard of hygiene including hand washing and drying facilities and the disposal of nappies.
We implement good hygiene practices by:

Cleaning tables between activities;
Checking toilets regularly;
Wearing protective clothing – such as aprons and disposable gloves – as appropriate;
Providing sets of clean clothes;
Providing tissues and wipes; and

Activities

Before purchase or loan, equipment and resources are checked to ensure that they are safe for the ages and stages of the children currently attending the pre-school.
The layout of play equipment allows adults and children to move safely and freely between activities.
All equipment is regularly checked for cleanliness and safety and any dangerous items are repaired or discarded.
All materials – including paint and glue – are non-toxic.
Sand is clean and suitable for children’s play.
Physical play is constantly supervised.
Children are taught to handle and store scissors and gardening tools safely.
Children learn about health, safety and personal hygiene through the activities we provide and the routines we follow.

Food and drink

Staff who prepare and handle food receive appropriate training and understand – and comply with – food safety and hygiene regulations.
All food and drink is stored appropriately.
Adults do not carry hot drinks through the play area and do not place hot drinks within reach of children.
Snack times are appropriately supervised and children do not walk about with food and drinks.
Fresh drinking water is available to the children at all times.
We operate systems to ensure that children do not have access to food/drinks to which they are allergic.
Safer Food better Business procedures have been introduced. Paperwork completed each session and reviewed monthly during term time.

Outings and visits

We have agreed procedures for the safe conduct of outings.
Parents sign a general consent on registration for their children to be taken out as a part of the daily activities of the setting.
Parents always sign consent forms before major outings.
A risk assessment is carried out before an outing takes place.
We encourage all parents to attend outings. Parents who do attend are fully responsible for their own children during the outing and any other children they bring with them.
When parents are unable to attend, named children are assigned to individual staff to ensure each child is individually supervised and to ensure no child gets lost and that there is no unauthorised access to children.

Staff take a mobile phone on outings, and supplies of tissues, wipes, pants etc as well as a mini first aid pack, a snack and water. The amount of equipment will vary and be consistent with the venue and the number of children as well as how long they will be out for.
Records are kept of the vehicles used to transport children, with named drivers and appropriate insurance cover.
A minimum of two staff should accompany children on outings and a minimum of two should remain behind with any children who remain at the Pre School.

Missing child

If a child goes missing from the setting

The person in charge will carry out a thorough search of the building and garden.
The register is checked to make sure no other child has also gone astray.
Doors and gates are checked to see if there has been a breach of security whereby a child could wander out.
Person in charge talks to staff to establish what happened
If the child is not found the parent is contacted and the missing child is reported to the police.

If a child goes missing from an outing where parents are not attending and responsible for their own child, the setting ensures that there is a procedure that is followed.

As soon as it is noticed that a child is missing, staff on the outing ask children to stand with their designated person and carry out a headcount to ensure that no other child has gone astray. One staff searches the immediate vicinity but does not search beyond that.
The person in charge is informed, if she is not on the outing she makes her way to the venue to aid the search and be the point of contact for the police as well as support staff.
Staff take the remaining children back to the setting.
The person in charge of the setting contacts the child’s parent who makes their way to the setting or outing venue as agreed with the person in charge.
The staff contact the police using the mobile phone and report the child as missing.
In an indoor venue, the staff contact the venue’s security that will handle the search and contact the police if the child is not found.
The person in charge contacts the chairperson of the management committee who comes down to the setting as soon as possible.

The investigation

The management committee chairperson carries out a full investigation taking written statements from all the staff present at the time, or who were on the outing.
The key person/ staff writes an incident report detailing:

The date and time of the report;
What staff/ children were in the group/outing;
When the child was last seen in the group/outing;
What has taken place in the group/outing since then; and
The time it is estimated that the child went missing.

A conclusion is drawn as to how the breach of security happened.
If the incident warrants a police investigation all staff co-operate fully. In this case, the police will handle all aspects of the investigation, including interviewing staff. Social Services may be involved if it seems likely that there is a child protection issue to address.
OFSTED is informed.
The Insurance Department at the Pre-School Learning Alliance is informed.

Animals

Animals visiting the setting are free from disease and safe to be with children, and do not pose a health risk.
Our setting’s pets are free from disease, safe to be with children, and do not pose a health risk.
Children wash their hands after contact with animals.
Outdoor footwear worn to visit farms are cleaned of mud and debris and should not be worn indoors.

Fire safety

Fire doors are clearly marked, never obstructed and easily opened from inside.
Smoke detectors and fire fighting appliances conform to BSEN standards, are fitted in appropriate high-risk areas of the building and are checked as specified by the manufacturer.
Our emergency evacuation procedures are approved by the Fire Safety Officer and are:

Clearly displayed in the premises;
Explained to new members of staff, volunteers and parents; and
Practised regularly at least once every six weeks.

Records are kept of fire drills and the servicing of fire safety equipment.
The designated Fire Meeting Point is at the front of the Memorial Hall

First aid and medication

At least one member of staff with current first aid training is on the premises or on an outing at any one time. The first aid qualification includes first aid training for infants and young children.

Our first aid kit:

Complies with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 and EYFS STATUTORY Requirements
Is checked monthly by a designated member of staff and re-stocked as necessary;
Is easily accessible to adults; and
Is kept out of the reach of children.

At the time of admission to the setting, parents’ written permission for emergency medical advice or treatment is sought. Parents sign and date their written approval.

Parents sign a consent form at registration allowing staff to take their child to the nearest Accident and Emergency unit to be examined, treated or admitted as necessary on the understanding that parents have been informed and are on their way to the hospital.

Our accident forms and file:

Are kept safely and accessibly in the Filing Cabinet;
All staff and volunteers know where it is kept and how to complete it; and
Is reviewed at least half termly to identify any potential or actual hazards.

Ofsted is notified of any injury requiring treatment by a hospital doctor, or the death of a child or adult.

When there is any injury requiring general practitioner or hospital treatment to a child, parent, volunteer or visitor or where there is a death of a child or adult on the premises, we make a report to the Health and Safety Executive using the format for the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences.

Dealing with incidents

We meet our legal requirements for the safety of our employees by complying with RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injury, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) 1995. We report to the Health and Safety Executive:

Any accident to a member of staff requiring treatment by a general practitioner or hospital; and
Any dangerous occurrences. This may be an event that causes injury or fatalities or an event that does not cause an accident but could have done, such as a gas leak.
Any dangerous occurrence is recorded in our Incident Book. See below.

Information for reporting the incident to Health and Safety Officer is detailed in the Pre-school Learning Alliance’s publication, Accident Record.

Our Incident Forms and File

We keep an incident file in the filing cabinet for recording incidents including those that that are reportable to the Health and Safety Executive as above.
These incidents include:

Break in, burglary, theft of personal or the setting’s property;
Fire, flood, gas leak or electrical failure;
Attack on member of staff or parent on the premises or near by;
Any racist incident involving a staff or family on the centre’s premises;
Death of a child, and
A terrorist attack, or threat of one.

In the incident file we record the date and time of the incident, nature of the event, who was affected, what was done about it – or if it was reported to the police, and if so a crime number. Any follow up, or insurance claim made, should also be recorded.
In the unlikely even of a terrorist attack we follow the advice of the emergency services with regard to evacuation, medical aid and contacting children’s families. Our standard Fire Safety Policy will be followed and staff will take charge of their key children. The incident is recorded when the threat is averted.
In the unlikely even of a child dying on the premises the emergency services are called, and the advice of these services are followed.
The incident file is not for recording issues of concern involving a child. This is recorded in the child’s own file.

Administration of medication

Only prescribed medication may be administered. It must be in-date and prescribed for the current condition.
Children taking prescribed medication must be well enough to attend the setting.
Children’s prescribed drugs are stored in their original containers, are clearly labelled and are inaccessible to the children.
Parents give prior written permission for the administration of medication. This states the name of the child, name/s of parent(s); date the medication starts, the name of the medication and prescribing doctor, the dose and times, or how and when the medication is to be administered.
The administration is recorded accurately each time it is given and is signed by staff. Parents sign the record book to acknowledge the administration of a medicine.
If the administration of prescribed medication requires medical knowledge, individual training is provided for the relevant member of staff by a health professional.

Sickness

Our policy for the exclusion of ill or infectious children is discussed with parents. This includes procedures for contacting parents – or other authorised adults – if a child becomes ill while in the setting.

We do not provide care for children who are unwell, have a temperature, or sickness and diarrhoea, or who have an infectious disease.
Children and staff who have had sickness or diarrhoea must not return back to the pre-school until 48 hours after the LAST episode of sickness or diarrhoea.
Children with head lice are not excluded, but must be treated to remedy the condition.
Parents are notified if there is a case of head lice in the setting.
Parents are notified if there is an infectious disease, such as chicken pox.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) may affect children or families attending the setting. Staff may or may not be informed about it.
Good hygiene practice concerning the clearing of any spilled bodily fluids is carried out at all times.
Ofsted is notified of any infectious diseases that a qualified medical person considers notifiable.

Safety of adults

Adults are provided with guidance about the safe storage, movement, lifting and erection of large pieces of equipment.
When adults need to reach up to store equipment, they are provided with safe equipment to do so.
All warning signs are clear and in appropriate languages.
The sickness of staff and their involvement in accidents is recorded. The records are reviewed termly to identify any issues that need to be addressed.

Records

In accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, we keep records of:

Adults

Names and addresses of all staff on the premises, including temporary staff who work with the children or who have regular access to them;
Names and addresses of all members of the management committee;
All records relating to the staff’s employment with the setting, including application forms, references, results of checks undertaken etc.

Children

Names, addresses and telephone numbers of parents and adults authorised to collect children from setting;
The names, addresses and telephone numbers of emergency contacts in case of children’s illness or accident;
The allergies, dietary requirements and illnesses of individual children;
The times of attendance of children, staff, volunteers and visitors;
Accidents and medicine administration records;
Consents for outings, administration of medication, emergency treatment; and incidents.

In addition, the following procedures and documentation in relation to health and safety are in place:

Risk assessment.
Record of visitors.
Fire safety procedures.
Operational procedures for outings.
Vehicle records including insurance.

Administration of medication.
Prior parental consent to administer medicine.
Record of the administration of medicines.
Prior parental consent for emergency treatment.
Accident record.
Sick children policy.
No smoking.

St Mabyn Pre-school

ICT and Use of Multimedia Computers Policy

St Mabyn Pre-school works to The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – a government prepared document which sets out what is expected for most children by the end of the foundation stage (the term after their fifth birthday) of their education.

One of the Areas of Learning and Development is ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World’ and in the EYFS it states:

‘Support children in using a range of ICT to include cameras, photocopiers, CD players, tape recorders and programmable toys in addition to computers’

We believe that for pre-school children familiarity with computers is important because:

The use of computers is widespread in the technological world and likely to grow
Computers are an important medium for learning and study at all educational levels.

By providing access to multimedia computers within the pre-school setting will provide all children the opportunity to become familiar with this technology, not just those fortunate enough to have it available at home.

In particular, for our pre-school children we believe the use of multimedia computers will aid the development of the following:

Thinking skills – The computer can stimulate children to perform tasks related to problem solving and planning.
Interactivity – Children have to make decisions about what they see and hear on the computer. These tools are self-motivating; children can learn at their own speed and be rewarded for their efforts. For example; by hearing some music or seeing a funny face.
Familiarity with everyday objects – we are happy to teach our children the name of objects around the kitchen or to let them switch on the TV and play videos, so why not the terms of computer equipment? E.g. computer, monitor, disk drive. Also in that way we teach children not to touch electricity cables in the home then we should teach them about safety around computers.
Social skills – Experiences on the computer can be shared as can a book or set of building bricks.
Numeracy & basic skills – Developing familiarity with shapes, numbers and letters in an interactive environment.
HAVING FUN!!!

Children will be allocated sessions of no more than 15 minutes each week. They will be supervised at the computer workstation at all times, and the supervisor to child ratio will be no more than 2:1 (i.e. there will be no more than two children at the computer at any one time). Children will be encouraged to take an interest in the computer, but no child will be forced to use the computer against their will – we aim to provide an environment which is fun and interesting at all times.

Below are responses to some of the most frequently asked questions about the use of computers in the pre-school setting:

Frequently asked questions

What is multimedia?

Multimedia is the interaction of people and computers using text, graphics, voice and video. A multimedia computer will have extra facilities included, such as, CD drive, speakers and microphone.
Isn’t pre-school age too young to be introducing computers to children?
St Mabyn Pre-school recognises that children at a young age are still developing basic social skills or basic educational skills – too much of one thing leads to a shortage in something else. The way that you would regulate the amount of TV your child watches, use of computers should be regulated.
Isn’t introducing computers at this age forcing children to behave like adults?
The use of computers in the home, in the pre-school should not be substituted for other forms of creativity or play. Children will not be forced to use the technology, and will only be encouraged to play on the computer when they show the interest in doing so.
What if I don’t want my child to use the computer?
That’s OK; your child will not be forced to do anything against theirs or your will. Please inform our Pre-school Supervisor, if you do not wish your child to use our computer.
My child has shown no interest at home on the computer. Will he/she be missing out?
Some children will take to computers and show interest (or lack of interest) more quickly than others. What is needed is lots of encouragement, lots of patience and no pressure.

What can a computer do for pre-school children?

Software for pre-school children should be intuitive with clear areas to click on, with buttons and controls that do what the child expects them to do. The best programs allow children to explore and experiment without a lot of rules. Good software will give positive reinforcement when the child answers a question correctly and should offer help and encouragement when they make a mistake. This builds confidence and positive attitudes towards learning.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Non-collection of children policy
Statement of intent

In the event that a child is not collected by an authorised adult at the end of a session, St Mabyn Pre-school puts into practice agreed procedures. These ensure the child is cared for safely by an experienced and qualified practitioner who is known to the child.
Aim

In the event that a child is not collected by an authorised adult, we will ensure that the child receives a high standard of care in order to cause as little distress as possible. We inform parents/carers of our procedures so that, if they are unavoidably delayed, they will be reassured that their children will be properly cared for.
Methods

Parents of children starting at the setting are asked to provide specific information which is recorded on our Registration Form, including:

Home address and telephone number – if the parents do not have a telephone, an alternative number must be given, perhaps a neighbour or close relative;
Place of work, address and telephone number (if applicable);
Mobile telephone number (if applicable);
Names, addresses, telephone numbers and signatures of adults who are authorised by the parents to collect their child from the setting, for example a childminder or grandparent;
Information about any person who does not have legal access to the child; and
Who has parental responsibility for the child.

On occasions when parents or the persons normally authorised to collect the child are not able to collect the child, staff must be advised of the person who will be collecting the child. We agree with parents how to verify the identity of the person who is to collect their child e.g. use of agreed password.
Parents are informed that if they are not able to collect the child as planned; they must inform us so that we can begin to follow back-up procedures. We provide parents with our contact telephone number. We also inform parents that – in the event that their children are not collected from St Mabyn Pre-school by an authorised adult and the staff can no longer supervise the child on our premises – we apply our child protection procedures as set out in our child protection policy.
If a child is not collected at the end of the session, we follow the following procedures:

Parents/carers are contacted at home or at work.
If this is unsuccessful, the alternative adults who are authorised by the parents to collect their child from the setting – and whose telephone numbers are recorded on the Registration Form – are contacted.
All reasonable attempts are made to contact the parents or nominated carers.
The child does not leave the premises with anyone other than those named on the Registration Form.
If nobody collects the child after one hour and there is nobody who can be contacted to collect the child, we apply the procedures for uncollected children.
We contact our Local Authority Social Care Department Tel No. 0300 1231116
The child stays at pre-school in the care of two staff members until the child is safely collected either by the parents or by a social worker;
Social services will aim to find the parent or relative if they are unable to do so, the child will be admitted into the care of the local authority.
Under no circumstances are staff to go to look for the parent, nor do they take the child home with them.
A full written report of the incident is recorded in the child’s file.
Ofsted may be informed – 03001231231

St Mabyn Pre-school

Parental involvement policy
We believe that children benefit most from early years education and care when parents and settings work together in partnership.

Our aim

Our aim is to support parents as their children’s first and most important educators by involving them in their children’s education and in the full life of the setting.

Method

In order to fulfil these aims we:

are committed to ongoing dialogue with parents to improve our knowledge of the needs of their children and to support their families.
inform all parents about how the setting is run and its policies through access to written information and through regular informal communication. We check to ensure parents understand the information that is given to them.
encourage and support parents to play an active part by being involved with the Pre-School Committee.
inform all parents on a regular basis about their children’s progress.
involve parents in the shared record keeping about their children – either formally or informally – and ensure parents have access to their children’s written developmental records.
provide opportunities for parents to contribute their own skills, knowledge and interests to the activities of the setting.
inform parents about relevant conferences, workshops and training.
provide information about opportunities to be involved in the setting in ways that are accessible to parents with basic skills needs, or those for whom English is an additional language.
welcome the contributions of parents, in whatever form these may take.
inform all parents of the systems for registering queries, complaints or suggestions and check to ensure these are understood. All parents have access to our written complaints procedure.
provide opportunities for parents to learn about the curriculum offered in the setting and about young children’s learning, in the setting and at home.

In compliance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, all policies and procedures are in place and reviewed annually or when a change occurs.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Settling in pre-school policy

Statement of intent

We want children to feel safe, stimulated and happy in St Mabyn Pre-school, and to feel secure and comfortable with staff. We also want parents to have confidence in both their children’s well being and their role as active partners with the pre-school.

Aim

We aim to make St Mabyn Pre-school a welcome place where children settle quickly and easily because consideration has been given to the individual needs and circumstances of children and their families.

Methods

Before a child starts to attend the pre-school, we use a variety of ways to provide his/her parents with information. These include written information (including our prospectus and policies), displays about pre-school activities available within the pre-school and any information days/evenings.
During the term a child is enrolled, we provide opportunities for the child and his/her parents to visit the pre-school.
When a child starts to attend, we work with his/her parents to decide on the best way to help the child to settle into the pre-school.
We allocate a key person to each child and his/her family, after she/he starts to attend; this will be the member of staff that the child forms the best relationship with from the start and feels the most comfortable around.
We use pre-start visits and the first session at which a child attends to explain and complete with his/her parents the child’s registration records.
Within the first term of starting we discuss and work with the child’s parents to create their child’s record of achievement.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Sick Child Policy

St Mabyn Pre-School is unable to care for a child who is unwell, as we need to consider all the children in our care, as well as the health of our staff.

If a child becomes unwell whist attending a session at the Pre-School, the manager will contact the next-of-kin, and parents must make arrangements for their child to be collected at the earliest opportunity in the interest of the child and the other children being cared for.

The 48-hour rule applies to any child who has suffered from sickness and/or diarrhoea. The child must be kept at home for at least 48 hours AFTER the last bout of sickness and/or diarrhoea.

Children who are suffering from any infectious condition must adhere to NHS and Infectious Controls in Schools and Settings guidelines. If they are unsure, parents are advised to discuss each individual case with the Pre-School Manager. Even if a child is kept off, parents are advised to inform the Pre-School if their child is suffering from an infectious condition so that, whilst maintaining confidentiality, other parents can be informed.

The Pre-School is happy to administer medication provided the appropriate consent forms have been signed. This medication MUST have been prescribed by a Doctor, Dentist or Practice Nurse, and the dosage of the medication MUST be checked by 2 members of the Pre-School staff prior to administration. It is imperative that the Pre-School Manager checks with the parent that the child has taken this medication before without any ill effects, so as to cut down the potential risk of an allergic reaction. All medications on the premises should be kept safely and out of the reach of children. We are not allowed to give a child Calpol, or other pain relief or shop bought medication.

It will be the responsibility of the Pre-School Manager to make any exceptions, depending on the individual circumstances. Each case will be discussed with parents.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Staff Sickness Policy

Staff sickness absence can have a significant impact on the running of St Mabyn Pre-School. The effects are likely to be:

Expenditure (this may include temporary staff costs)
Quality of the service, in terms of continuity
Morale of other employees

St Mabyn Pre-School has a staff sickness procedure that all staff members need to adhere to.

St Mabyn Pre-School is committed to allowing sick staff member’s absence from work; we are committed to maintaining confidentiality about any aspect of the illness that we are made aware of.

Short Term Illness

Employees need to contact their manager by phone as soon as they know they will be absent from work. Staff members are not to come into the pre-school to inform their manager of sickness. The manager must be aware of any absence before 8:00am the morning of absence. The ideal time that we encourage is the night before a session. The manager will record whenever a staff member phones in to report that she/he is unwell. They will record when the call was made, the stated reason for the absence and how long the employee expects to be absent. If the illness continues beyond that, the employee needs to contact their line manager again.

St Mabyn Pre-School will conduct a routine “return to work” interview each time an employee returns to work following a short-term absence. Members of Staff are required to complete a self-certification form on their return to work to accompany the interview.

St Mabyn Pre-School is committed to identifying whether there are any other factors contributing to a staff illness (for instance family or work related stress). We will be supportive and sympathetic towards the staff member, but we will clearly explain that frequent absence from school on these grounds is unacceptable and will result in disciplinary action.

If absences due to sickness are frequent we will encourage a staff member to seek further medical advice. We will set reasonable targets and time-limits for improvement in attendance and we will ensure that the staff member is achieving them. We will provide written and verbal warnings of the consequences of continuing unsatisfactory attendance.

St Mabyn Pre-School will keep confidential records of all absences, discussions and medial certificates and make sure that the records clearly identify the reasons for an employee’s various absences.

The 48-hour rule applies to any staff member who has suffered from sickness and/or diarrhoea. The staff member must stay at home for at least 48 hours AFTER the last bout of sickness and/or diarrhoea.

Staff members who are suffering from any infectious condition must adhere to NHS and Infectious Controls in Schools and Settings guidelines. If they are unsure, discuss each individual case with the Pre-School Manager. Even if a staff member is kept away from the pre-school, they must inform the Pre-School if they are suffering from an infectious condition so that, whilst maintaining confidentiality, parents and other staff members can be informed.

If necessary and appropriate, members of staff are allowed to take medication whilst at work. This medication MUST have been prescribed by a Doctor, Dentist or Practice Nurse. All medications on the premises should be kept safely and out of the reach of children.

Long Term Illness

St Mabyn Pre-School will maintain supportive contact with the employee whilst they are off sick, keeping them up to date on any work issues as necessary.

We will ask the staff member’s permission to keep the pre-school informed on their condition, as staff members and committee members will be concerned about the welfare of their colleagues.

We will obtain up-to-date medical advice if necessary. We will keep the employee’s absence record under review, and we will meet with the employee to discuss the options and consider the employee’s views on continuing employment in conjunction with the medical advice taken.

St Mabyn Pre-School will provide a phased return to work, and will help them adjust to the workplace at a gradual pace if they are able to return. We will encourage colleagues to support the individual’s rehabilitation when they have returned.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Staffing and employment policy

Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school provides a staffing ratio in line with the requirements of the National Standards for Day Care to ensure that children have sufficient individual attention and to guarantee care and education of a high quality. Our staff are appropriately qualified or undertaking appropriate training and we carry out checks for criminal and other records through the Criminal Records Bureau in accordance with statutory requirements.

Aims

To ensure that children below school age and their parents are offered high quality early years care and education.

Methods

To meet this aim we use the following ratios of adult to child:

children aged two years of age: 1 adult : 4 children; and

children aged three – five years of age: 1 adult : 8 children.

A minimum of two staff/adults are on duty at any one time.

We use a key person system to ensure that each child has a named member of staff with whom to form a relationship and who plans with parents for the child’s well-being and development in the setting. The key person meets regularly with the family for discussion and consultation on their child’s progress.

We hold regular staff meetings to undertake curriculum planning and to discuss children’s progress, their achievements and any difficulties that may arise from time to time.

We work towards offering equality of opportunity by using non-discriminatory procedures for staff recruitment and selection.

All staff have job descriptions which set out their staff roles and responsibilities.

We welcome applications from all sections of the community. Applicants will be considered on the basis of their suitability for the post, regardless of marital status, age, gender, culture, religious belief, ethnic origin or sexual orientation. Applicants will not be placed at a disadvantage by our imposing conditions or requirements that are not justifiable.

Our Pre-school Manager holds the Level III NVQ in Childcare & Education qualification, working towards Level IV, our Pre-School Supervisor holds Level III, and our Assistant has Cache Level III.

We provide regular in-service training to all staff – whether paid staff or volunteers – through Cornwall Family Services, the Pre-school Learning Alliance and other external agencies.

Our setting budget allocates resources to training.

We provide staff induction training in the first week of employment. This induction includes our Health and Safety Policy and Child Protection Policy. Other policies and procedures will be introduced within an induction plan.

We support the work of our staff by holding regular supervision meetings and appraisals.

We are committed to recruiting, appointing and employing staff in accordance with all relevant legislation and best practice. It is the responsible of the Pre-School Manager to inform Ofsted of any changes of members of staff and committee.

We use Ofsted guidance on obtaining references and criminal record checks through the Criminal Records Bureau for staff and volunteers who will have substantial access to children.

Professional Conduct Policy for Students Working With the Pre-School

(a copy to be given to each student when they are accepted)

Welcome to St Mabyn Pre-School and we’re glad to have you with us. Your time spent working hands-on with children is an integral component of your professional preparation.

Even though you are technically only “helping out” and learning at this stage, your position still has responsibilities with regard to professional and ethical conduct. Please read through this so you know what our expectations of you are:

Familiarity with Pre-School Policies and Procedures

St Mabyn Pre-School is governed by policies that are reviewed every year by the Management Committee. The policies set everything down in writing, from how we discipline children to what we do when a child is not picked up by his parents.

These policies are kept in a folder called the Operational File which is stored in the filing cabinet and on our website www.stmabynpreschool.co.uk. We strongly recommend that you take the time to go through these and familiarise yourself with them. Ask the manager or a member of staff to show you where the book is kept.

Attendance and Punctuality

You are expected to be present and on time for your professional commitments. If you must be absent due to illness or an emergency, you must inform the Manager of your absence in good time. Recurring absences or tardiness may put your placement in jeopardy, unless arrangements have been made with the manager.

Confidentiality

Watching children play and interacting with them as they go on their pre-school day is an important part of your learning, but it is also subject to rules.

Just as teachers are expected to respect the privacy and dignity of the children and families with whom they work, so we expect you to use discretion. In casual conversations or social situations, do not relate stories from the pre-school that may be embarrassing to teachers or students or that include sensitive information about a child or family.

When discussing pre-school situations as part of your coursework, do so carefully. Use a fictitious name for the student involved if you need to include family or individual information in your explanation, or if the situation is particularly difficult.

When discussing teaching practice you have observed in the field, be mindful of maintaining a tone of professional courtesy.

Photographs/Videotapes/Audio tapes: Always ask permission of the Pre-School Manager to make photographs, videotapes, or audio tapes of children to use them in displays/portfolios.

Dress and Deportment

DRESS When you are at pre-school, you are expected to dress appropriately. You will be viewed and judged as another adult by students, parents, teachers and other people in the building. We suggest you wear comfortable and practical clothing and footwear which allows you to move freely, and which presents a modest and tidy appearance. Excessive jewellery or make-up is inappropriate and may be a health hazard.

DEPORTMENT The tone of the pre-school, which is an extremely important factor in the success of the setting both for children and parents, depends heavily on how the adults in charge behave. While undertaking your work experience you are encouraged to be cheerful, alert, professional and mature.

You are expected to be polite and considerate to both parents and other adults in the setting.

Alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs

Under no circumstances should a student drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes or use illegal drugs during a pre-school session. Students are expected to be free of the influence of such substances at all times while working at the Pre School and will be asked to leave by the manager if the manager believes that they are not.

Professional Communication

Professional education can be an intensely personal and challenging process. In your placement, you will be expected to give and accept constructive feedback and to react appropriately in stressful situations. You are also expected to take an active role in your learning and contribute to the learning of the children.

If you have concerns, problems, or questions about any aspect of your coursework or fieldwork, you should first address them to the supervisor. If the situation is not resolved at that level, you should request assistance from the chairman or a committee member.

Failure to comply with any of the above will result in a review of your progress and specific recommendations regarding your continued participation with the Pre-School.

Thank you for your attention to this and it only remains for me to welcome you on behalf of the staff and committee members of St Mabyn Pre-School.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Student placement policy
Statement of intent

St Mabyn Pre-school recognises that qualifications and training make an important contribution to the quality of the care and education provided by early years settings. As part of our commitment to quality, we offer placements to students undertaking early years qualifications and training.

Aim

We aim to provide for students on placement with us experiences that contribute to the successful completion of their studies and that provide examples of quality practice in early years care and education.

Methods

We require students to meet the ‘suitable person’ requirements of Ofsted.
We require schools placing students under the age of 17 years with the setting to vouch for their good character.
We supervise students under the age of 17 years at all times and do not allow them to have unsupervised access to children.
If over the age of 17 years, trainee staff employed by the setting may be included in the ratios if they are deemed competent.
We take out employers’ liability insurance and public liability insurance, which covers both trainees and voluntary helpers.
We require students to keep to our confidentiality policy.
We co-operate with students’ tutors in order to help students to fulfil the requirements of their course of study.
We provide students, at the first session of their placement, with a short induction on how our setting is managed, how our sessions are organised and our policies and procedures.
We communicate a positive message to students about the value of qualifications and training.
We make the needs of the children paramount by not admitting students in numbers that hinder the essential work of the setting.
We ensure that trainees and students placed with us are engaged in early years training, which provides the necessary background understanding of children’s development and activities.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Training and Professional Development policy

All providers of early education and childcare need to have trained staff. St Mabyn Pre-school need to plan and record our Staff Development Programme encouraging our staff, paid or voluntary, to attend ongoing in-service training.

The following is an extract from the Services for Children, Young People & Families Training Directory – Autumn 2007 to Summer 2008.

Staff Record of Training and Professional Development Opportunities

Each regular staff member/volunteer engaged in the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage should be participating in training and professional development activities associated with the principles of the Early Years Foundation stage framework.

This input should amount to no less than four days per year and can be included within your funded 38 weeks.

This does not necessarily mean attendance at a training event. Professional development opportunities are defined as any occasion where a practitioner learns something that increases their knowledge about any aspect of early education, childcare and playwork. ONE DAY OF ‘TRAINING’ IS CALCULATED AS SIX HOURS.

The Family Services training directory, the Pre-school Learning Alliance training programme plus other training agencies information, as and when received will be available to all staff. A training action plan for each member of staff will be formulated from April to March each year in liaison with the Supervisor and Committee. A training request form to be completed by individual staff members when wishing to attend training courses or events, to be presented and authorized, in advance, at a committee meeting.

Our pre-school allocates resources to training. For the year April 2010 to March 2011 there is a maximum limit of £100 per individual staff member.

We will endeavour to support staff training by paying 50% of course costs up to a maximum of £100 per staff member per year. However, if a staff member should leave our employment voluntarily within one year of receiving their training, 50% of the course cost, the amount would be repayable by that staff member.

If a training course takes place on a staff member’s contracted working day the member of staff will be paid for their contracted working hours.

If a staff member attends a training course outside of their contracted working hours e.g. evenings or weekends we will endeavour to pay up to half the total number of hours attended.

We will endeavour to issue each staff member with a Training Support Grant administered by Family Services as soon as possible after the start of each financial year. (April)

St Mabyn Pre-school encourages weekly staff meetings. However, we recognise that there is value in having staff meetings out of opening hours and we will endeavour to pay for one out of hours meeting up to a maximum of two hours twice per term, per staff member.

St Mabyn Pre-school realises the value of a highly qualified, committed and trained workforce and will make every effort in supporting staff with their individual professional development.

St Mabyn Pre-School

Confidential Reporting Policy

(Whistle-Blowing)

St Mabyn Pre-school is committed to the highest standards of care, integrity, openness and accountability. We recognise that we are providing services to vulnerable children and their families and that we are highly dependent on the goodwill and respect of a wide range of other individuals and organisations that support us in providing these services.

The aim of the policy is to encourage our employees, volunteers, students and others to come forward with serious concerns about any aspect of our work in a confident and confidential manner, to know who to contact and to reassure them that it will be treated in a serious manner.

There may be an occasion when you will be concerned about something that you think is bad practice. We are encouraging you to speak to the Pre-school Manager in the first instance.

Concerns may be raised verbally or in writing, and you may be accompanied by a friend or colleague at any meeting. Confidentiality about the complaint raised must be maintained at all times by staff, committee members and the complainant.

All concerns raised will remain confidential and will be treated seriously and we will investigate them thoroughly. If a complaint is about a staff member or specific incident, the matter will be dealt with by the Manager. If the complaint is about the Manager, the Chairperson of the Committee will investigate the matter. Both sides of the incident will be listened to carefully and considerately, which hopefully will result in a mutually satisfactory outcome.

We will treat you and the person who is the subject of the concern fairly and with respect, whilst being sensitive to potential tensions within the workplace.

This procedure encourages you to put your name to your concern, as anonymous allegations may often be difficult to prove.

You will be informed of the action taken in writing, subject to legal constraints and appropriate confidentiality. A copy of the report will be kept confidentially at the Pre-School.

If you feel that it is not appropriate to raise your concern with the Pre-school Manager, or that the matter is not being dealt with in an appropriate manner, you may contact:

Chair:……………………………………………………….. Tel No………………………………………………..

St Mabyn Pre-school

Jenny Aherne (Pre-School Learning Alliance) on 07515 098867 or e-mail: jennyaherne@hotmail.co.uk

St Mabyn Pre-school

Alcohol and Other Substances Policy

If any member of staff, volunteer or other person working directly with children or anywhere in the Pre-School while the children are present is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or a illegal substance, the Pre School manager has the authority to request that the individual leave the Pre School and/ or children’s environment immediately. A meeting will be arranged as soon as is convenient for all parties and includes the individual, the Pre School manager and the Chair of the Pre School.

In the case of this being a member of staff, the normal disciplinary procedure will be followed. The issue will be recorded and monitored by the Pre School Manager and Chair of the Pre School. In other cases the person will be refused access to the Pre School on a permanent basis.

Where staff are taking prescribed drugs that may affect their alertness and/or behaviour and therefore their ability to care for the children they should advise the Manager or Chair and a mutually acceptable decision about contact with the children should be reached.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Children in Care Policy

Early years settings are committed to providing quality provision based on equality of opportunity for all children and their families. All staff are committed to doing all they can to enable ‘looked after’ children in their care to achieve and reach their full potential.

Definition of ‘Looked after Children’ (LAC): Children and young people become ‘looked after’ if they have either been taken into care by the local authority, or have been accommodated by the local authority (a voluntary care arrangement). Most LAC will be living in foster homes, but a smaller number may be in a children’s home, living with a relative or even placed back home with their parent(s).

We recognise that children who are being looked after have often experienced traumatic situations; physical, emotional or sexual abuse or neglect. However, we also recognise that not all looked after children have experienced abuse and that there are a range of reasons for children to be taken in to the care of the local authority. Whatever the reason, a child’s separation from their home and family signifies a disruption in their lives that has impact on their emotional well-being.

In our setting, we place emphasis on promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to. Our policy and practice guidelines for looked after children are based on these two important concepts, attachment and resilience. The basis of this is to promote secure attachments in children’s lives as the basis for resilience. These aspects of well-being underpin the child’s responsiveness to learning and are the basis in developing positive dispositions for learning. For young children to get the most out of educational opportunities they need to be settled enough with their carer to be able to cope with further separation, a new environment and new expectations made upon them.

Principles

§ The term ‘looked after child’ denotes a child’s current legal status; this term is never used to categorise a child as standing out from others. We do not refer to such a child using acronyms such as LAC.

§ We offer places to two-year-old children in exceptional circumstances who are in care. In such cases, the child should have been with the foster carer for at least two months and show signs of having formed a secure attachment to the carer and where the placement in the setting will last a minimum of three months.

§ We offer places for funded three and four-year-olds who are in care to ensure they receive their entitlement to early education. We expect that a child will have been with a foster carer for a minimum of one month and has formed a secure attachment to the carer. We expect that the placement in the setting will last a minimum of six weeks.

§ We will always offer ‘stay and play’ provision for a child who is two to five years old who is still settling with their foster carer, or who is only temporarily being looked after.

§ Where a child who normally attends our setting is taken into care and is cared for by a local foster carer we will continue to offer the placement for the child.

EYFS Key themes and commitments

A Unique Child

Positive Relationships

Enabling Environments

Learning and Development

1.1 Child development

1.2 Inclusive practice

1.3 Keeping safe

2.1 Respecting each other

2.2 Parents as partners

2.4 Key person

3.2 Supporting every child

3.4 The wider context

4.4 Personal, social and emotional development

Procedures

§ The designated person for looked after children is the designated child protection co-ordinator : DI WESTLAKE

Contact details for LAC Officer are:

The Inny Building

Old County Hall

Truro

TR1 3AY

01872 323104

§ Every child is allocated a key person before they start and this is no different for a looked after child. The designated person ensures the key person has the information, support and training necessary to meet the looked after child’s needs.

§ The designated person and the key person liaise with agencies, professionals and practitioners involved with the child and his or her family and ensures appropriate information is gained and shared.

§ The setting recognises the role of the local authority social care department as the child’s ‘corporate parent’ and the key agency in determining what takes place with the child. Nothing changes, especially with regard to the birth parent’s or foster carer’s role in relation to the setting without prior discussion and agreement with the child’s social worker.

§ At the start of a placement there is a professionals meeting that will determine the objectives of the placement and draw up a care plan that incorporates and the child’s learning needs. This plan is reviewed after two weeks, six weeks and three months. Thereafter at three to six monthly intervals.

§ The care plan needs to consider such issues for the child as:

- the child’s emotional needs and how they are to be met;

- how any emotional issues and problems that affect behaviour are to be managed;

- the child’s sense of self, culture, language/s and identity – how this is to be supported;

- the child’s need for sociability and friendship; the child’s interests and abilities and possible learning journey pathway; and

- how any special needs will be supported.

§ In addition the care plan will also consider:

- how information will be shared with the foster carer and local authority (as the ‘corporate parent’) as well as what information is shared with whom and how it will be recorded and stored;

- what contact the child has with his/her birth parent(s) and what arrangements will be in place for supervised contact. If this is to be the setting, when, where and what form the contact will take will be discussed and agreed;

- what written reporting is required;

- wherever possible, and where the plan is for the child’s return home, the birth parent(s) should be involved in planning; and

- with the social worker’s agreement, and as part of the plan, the birth parent(s) should be involved in the setting’s activities that include parents, such as outings, fun-days etc alongside the foster carer.

§ The settling-in process for the child is agreed. It should be the same as for any other child, with the foster carer taking the place of the parent, unless otherwise agreed. It is even more important that the ‘proximity’ stage is followed until it is visible that the child has formed a relationship with his or her key person sufficient to act as a ‘secure base’ to allow the gradual separation from the foster carer. This process may take longer in some cases, so time needs to be allowed for it to take place without causing further distress or anxiety to the child.

§ In the first two weeks after settling-in, the child’s well-being is the focus of observation, their sociability and their ability to manage their feelings with or without support.

§ Further observations about communication, interests and abilities will be noted to firm a picture of the whole child in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage 6 areas of learning.

§ Concerns about the child will be noted in the child’s file and discussed with the foster carer.

§ If the concerns are about the foster carer’s treatment of the child, or if abuse is suspected, these are recorded in the child’s file and reported to the child’s social care worker according to the setting’s safeguarding children procedure.

§ Regular contact should be maintained with the social worker through planned meetings that will include the foster carer.

§ Transition to school will be handled sensitively and the designated person and or the child’s key person will liaise with the school, passing on relevant information and documentation with the agreement of the looked after child’s birth parents.

Further guidance

§ Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care (DfEE 2000)

§ Who Does What: How Social Workers and Carers can Support the Education of Looked After Children (DfES 2005)

§ Supporting Looked After Learners – A Practical Guide for School Governors (DfES 2006)

St Mabyn Pre-school

Special educational needs/disability policy
Statement of intent
We provide an environment in which all children are supported to reach their full potential.

Aims

We adhere to the DCES Special Educational Needs Code of Practice.
We include all children in our provision.
We provide practitioners to help support parents and children with special educational needs/disabilities (SEND)
We identify the specific needs of children with SEND and meet those needs through a range of strategies.
We work in partnership with parents and other agencies in meeting individual children’s needs.
We monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.

Methods

We designate a member of staff to be special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) and give his/her name to parents. The designated staff are SARAH FIELDS and ANGELA BROWN.
We ensure that the provision for children with SEND is the responsibility of all members of the setting.
We ensure that our inclusive admissions practice ensures equality of access and opportunity.
We ensure that our physical environment is as far as possible suitable for children with disabilities.
We work closely with parents of children with SEND to create and maintain a positive partnership.
We ensure that parents are informed at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their children’s education.
We can refer parents to appropriate agencies to obtain independent advice, information and support.
We liaise with other professionals involved with children with SEND and their families, including transfer arrangements to other settings and schools, with parental consent.
We use a system of planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing individual educational plans (IEPs) for children with SEND.
We ensure that children with SEND are appropriately involved at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their levels of ability.
We use a system for keeping records of the assessment, planning, provision and review for children with SEND.
We ensure the privacy of children with SEND when intimate care is being provided.
We provide in-service training for practitioners and volunteers, and will endeavour to arrange any specific training that may be needed.
We raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff.
We ensure the effectiveness of our SEND provision by collecting information from a range of sources e.g. IEP reviews, staff and management meetings, parental and external agency’s views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually.
We provide a complaints procedure.
We monitor and review our policy annually.

St Mabyn Pre-school

Lost Child Policy

Statement

Childrens safety is maintained as the highest priority at all times. Every attempt is made through carrying out the security procedures outlined the in Health and Safety policy to ensure the security of children is maintained at all times. In the unlikely event of a child going missing our lost child procedure is followed.

Procedures

When a child goes missing on the premises:
- As soon as it is noticed that a child is missing the manager is informed
- The manager will carry out a thorough search of the building and outdoor area
- Doors and gates are checked to see if there has been a breach of security whereby the child could get out of the enclosed area
- The manager talks to the staff to find out where and when the child was last seen and records this
- The register is checked to make sure no other child is also missing
- The supervision and security of the other children is ensured whilst the search is taking place
- If the child cannot be found within a maximum of 5 minutes the parents, police and committee chairperson must be informed
- The search is continued, widening the area until the police arrive as long as there is sufficient staffing to supervise all other children at the Pre School.
Investigation
- Staff keep calm and do not let the other children become anxious or worried
- The setting manager speaks with the parents
- The manager carries out a full investigation taking written statements from all members of staff
- The manager writes up an incident report detailing
  1. date and time of report
  2. names of staff and children in the pre school at the time of the incident and the name of the designated person responsible for that child
  3. when the child was last seen in the session
  4. what has taken place in the session since the child went missing
  5. the time that the child went missing
- A conclusion is drawn as to how the child went missing
- If the incident warrants a police investigation, all staff cooperates fully. In this case the police will handle all aspects of the investigation. Children’s Social Care may be involved if it seems likely that there is a child protection issue to address.
- The incident is reported under RIDDOR arrangements, the local authority Health and Safety officer may want to investigate and will decide if there is a case for prosecution.
- In the event of disciplinary action needing to be taken OFSTED is informed
- The insurance provider is informed
Managing People
- Missing child incidents are very worrying for all concerned. Part of managing the incident is to try and keep everyone as calm as possible.
- The staff will feel worried about the child. They may blame themselves and their feelings of anxiety and distress will rose as the length of time the child is missing increases.
- Staff may be the target of parental anger and they may be afraid. The manager needs to ensure that staff under investigation are treated fairly and receive support whilst they are feeling vulnerable.
- The parent may want to blame staff and may single out one member over others or direct their anger at the setting manager. The parent should always be dealt with by both the setting manager and deputy. Aggression or threats are never tolerated and the police will be called.
- The other children are also sensitive to what is going on around them. They too may be worried. The remaining staff caring for them need to be focused on their needs and must not discuss the incident in front of them. They should answer children’s questions honestly and also reassure them.
- In accordance with the severity of the final outcome, staff may need counselling and support. If a child is not found, or is injured, or worse, this will be a very difficult time. The manager and the committee will use their discretion to decide what action to take.
- Staff must not discuss any missing child incident with the press.

Policies & Procedures

ST MABYN PRE-SCHOOL

St Mabyn Pre-school

Admissions Policy

St Mabyn Pre-school

St Mabyn Pre-school

St Mabyn Pre-school

Statement of intent

Professional Conduct Policy for Students Working With the Pre-School

(a copy to be given to each student when they are accepted)

Attendance and Punctuality

Confidentiality

Dress and Deportment

Alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs

Professional Communication

St Mabyn Pre-school

Lost Child Policy

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