Policies for Kiddington Kindergarten

Child Protection- Policy and Procedures

We have created an environment in which the children are safe from abuse and any suspicion in this area is promptly and appropriately responded to.In order to achieve this we will:

Exclude known abusers

It is made clear to applicants for posts within the Kindergarten that the position is exempt from the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

All applicants for work within the Kindergarten, whether voluntary or paid, are interviewed before an appointment is made and needs to provide at least one reference. All such references are followed up.

All appointments, both paid and voluntary, are subject to a probationary period and will not be confirmed unless we are confident that the applicant can be safely trusted with children.

We will seek out training opportunities for all adults involved in the group to ensure that they recognise the symptoms of possible physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse and sexual abuse.

Respond appropriately to suspicions of abuse

Changes in children's behaviour/appearance will be investigated. Parents are normally the first point of reference, though suspicions will also be referred as appropriate to the Social Services Department. All such suspicions and investigations will be kept confidential, shared only with those who need to know.

Keep records

If ever worrying changes were observed in a child's behaviour, physical condition or appearance, a confidential record would be set up, quite separate from the usual on-going records of children's progress and development. These records would be confidential and not accessible to anyone other than the parents, staff involved with the child or the Social Services Department where necessary. If a report is to be made to the authorities, the child's parents will be informed at the same time as the report is made.

Support families

The Kindergarten takes every step to build up trusting and supportive relationships between families and staff at the school.

Health and Safety - Policy and Practice

Our Kindergarten promotes a healthy lifestyle and a high standard of hygiene in its day to day work with children and adults. This is achieved in the following ways:

Food - milk or juice is provided for each child every morning at breaktime plus a plain biscuit. Please could parents inform us of any special dietary needs.

Occasionally, in celebration of a child's birthday, chocolate biscuits, cake or sweets may be brought into school by the family.

It is, therefore, also necessary to tell us of any allergies to specific foods that a child may have.

When cooking with the children as an activity, we hope to provide healthy food, promoting and extending the children's understanding of a healthy diet.

Outdoor play - the children have the opportunity to play outside in the fresh air every day throughout the year, weather permitting. As we are situated in such a rural setting we try to make the most of the countryside around us and take the children out for regular walks and nature trips.

Parents are asked to keep their children at home if they have any infection, and to inform the Kindergarten as to the nature of the infection so that we can alert other parents, and make careful observations of any child who seems unwell.

Parents are asked not to bring into the Kindergarten any child who has been vomiting or had diarrhoea until at least 24 hours has elapsed since the last attack.

Cuts or open sores, whether on adults or children, should be covered with a sticking plaster or other dressing.

If a child is on prescribed medication the following procedures should be followed: if possible the child's parents should administer medicine. If not, then medication must be clearly labelled with the child's name, dosage and any instructions. Written information must be obtained from the parent, giving clear instructions about the dosage, administration of the medication and permission for a member of staff to follow the instructions.

We ensure that the first aid equipment is kept clean, replenished and replaced as necessary. An accident book is kept up to date with any accident, however small, that occurs on the premises. This is filled in by the member of staff dealing with the incident, describing in detail the circumstances surrounding the accident. A parent of the child in question will then be shown the book and asked to sign it.

To prevent the spread of all infection, adults in the group ensure that the following practices are observed:

Personal hygiene - hands are washed after using the toilet

• a large box of tissues is always available and the
• children are encouraged to blow and wipe their noses when necessary
• children are encouraged to cover their mouths when coughing

Cleaning and Clearing - any spills of blood, vomit or excrement are wiped up and flushed away down the toilet and floors and other affected surfaces are disinfected

• spare clean pants and other clothing are always available in case of accidents as well as polythene bags in which to wrap soiled garments
• all surfaces are cleaned daily with an appropriate cleaner

Food - each adult will always wash hands before handling

food and using the toilet

• never smoke on Kindergarten property ensure waste is disposed of properly and out of reach ofchildren
• tea towels are kept scrupulously clean and washed before each session

The Kindergarten works in accordance with all relevant legislation including:

*Disabled Persons Act 1958, 1986

*Race Relations Act 1976

*Sex Discriminations Act 1986

*Children Act 1989

We believe that the Kindergarten's activities should be open to all children and families, and to all adults committed to their welfare. We aim to ensure that all who wish to work in, or volunteer to help with, our school have an equal chance to do so.

The Kindergarten is open to every family in the community. Visitors are always welcome and it is certainly advisable to look round the school prior to registering a child. In order to register a child at the Kindergarten it is necessary to complete a registration form before the term of entry. Confirmation of a place will given as soon as possible after receipt of the form.

The Kindergarten will appoint the best person for each job and will treat fairly all applicants for jobs and all those appointed.

Our aim is to show respectful awareness of all the major events in the lives of the children and families in the Kindergarten, and in our society as a whole, as well as welcoming the diversity of backgrounds from which they come. Children and families who celebrate at home festivals with which the rest of the Kindergarten are not familiar will be invited to share their festival with the rest of the school, if they themselves wish to do so.

Children will be encouraged to welcome a range of different festivals, together with the stories, celebrations and special food and clothing they involve, as part of the diversity of life.

 

All children are respected and their individuality and potential recognised, valued and nurtured. Activities and the use of play equipment offer children opportunities to develop in an environment free from prejudice and discrimination. Appropriate opportunities are given to the children to explore, acknowledge and value similarities and differences between themselves and others.

These are unacceptable in the Kindergarten.

Language

Information, written and spoken, will clearly be communicated in as many languages as necessary. Bilingual/multilingual children are an asset. They are valued and their languages recognised and respected in the Kindergarten.

Medical, cultural and dietary needs will be met.

A high adult/child ratio is essential in providing good quality pre-school care.

At the Kindergarten we have at least one member of staff to each eight children and more for the two and a half to three and a half year olds.

Regular staff meetings provide opportunities for staff to undertake curriculum planning and to discuss the children's progress and any difficulties they may be experiencing.

We work towards an equal opportunities employment policy, seeking to offer job opportunities equally to both women and men, with or without disabilities, from all religious, social, ethnic and cultural groups.

All of our staff hold either a Teaching Diploma, an N.N.E.B certificate, a Diploma in Pre-school Practice or the current NVQ qualification in Child Care

We are committed to recruiting, appointing and employing staff in accordance with all relevant legislation.

We recognise that the quality and variety of work that takes place in the Kindergarten makes it an ideal place for students on placement from school and college childcare courses as well as those on the Pre-school Practice or Tutor.

Students are welcomed into the Kindergarten on the following conditions:

The needs of the children are paramount. Students will not be admitted in numbers which hinder the essential work of the school.

Students must be confirmed by their tutor as being engaged in a bona fide childcare course or are genuinely wanting to spend their Work Experience time at the Kindergarten.

Students required to conduct child studies will obtain written permission from the parents of the child to be studied.

Any information gained by the student about the children or their families will remain confidential.

 

The safety of the young chidren in our care is paramount and in order to ensure the safety of both children and adults at the Kindergarten we observe the following:

All children are supervised by adults at all times and will always be within sight of an adult

A book is available at each session for the reporting of any accident/incident.

All adults are aware of the system in operation for children's arrivals and departures and an adult will be at the door during these periods.

Children will leave the Kindergarten only with authorised adults.

There is a latch on the main door out of the reach of children if ever it has to be locked.

All low-level glass is safety glass.

Outdoor space is securely fenced.

Equipment is regularly checked and any dangerous items repaired or discarded.

Fire doors are never obstructed.

Fires/heaters/electric points/wires and leads are adequately guarded.

All dangerous materials, including medicines and cleaning materials are stored out of the reach of children.

Children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen.

Fire drills are held at least twice a term.

A register of both adults and children is completed as people arrive so that a complete record of all those present is available in an emergency.

There is no smoking on the premises.

A correctly stocked first-aid box is available at all times.

Fire extinguishers are checked annually and staff know how to use them.

Whenever children are on the premises two adults are always present.

The premises are checked before locking up at the end of the session.

We believe that children and adults flourish best in an ordered environment in which everyone knows what is expected of them and children are free to develop their play and learning without fear of being hurt or hindered by anyone else. We aim to work towards a situation in which children can develop self-discipline in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.

In order to achieve this:

All adults in the Kindergarten ensure that any rules governing the behaviour of the children are applied consistently.

Adults in the Kindergarten will always praise and endorse desirable behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share.

We will take positive steps to avoid a situation in which children receive adult attention only in return for undesirable behaviour.

When children behave in unacceptable ways:

Physical punishment, such as smacking or shaking is neither used nor threatened.

Children are never sent out of the room by themselves.

Children who misbehave are given one-to-one adult support in seeing what was wrong and working towards a better pattern.

Where appropriate this is hopefully achieved by a period of "time out" with an adult.

In cases of serious misbehaviour, such as racial or other abuse, the unacceptability of the behaviour and attitudes are made clear immediately, but by means of explanation rather than personal blame.

Adults do not shout or raise their voice in a threatening way.

Any behaviour problems are handled in a developmentally appropriate fashion, respecting individual children's level of understanding and maturity.

Recurring problems will be tackled by the whole Kindergarten, in partnership with the child's parents, using objective classroom records to establish an understanding of the cause.

Adults are aware that some kinds of behaviour may arise from a child's special needs.

 

The Kindergarten aims to have regard to the DfEE Code of Practice on the Identification of Special Educational Needs, and to provide a welcome and appropriate learning opportunities for all children.

Children with special needs, like all other children, are admitted to the Kindergarten after consultation between parents and any other relevant support workers.

Our system of observation and record-keeping enables us to monitor children's needs and progress on an individual basis and these records are used to inform the planning.

We ensure that each adult is specially responsible for five or six children, so each child receives plenty of adult time and attention.

If it is felt that a child's needs cannot be met in the Kindergarten without the work of a one-to-one worker, we would seek to employ extra staff.

We work in liaison with staff outside the Kindergarten, including therapists, health visitors, psychologists, social workers and paediatricians to meet children's specific needs.

Parents are the first educators of their young children. Our aim is to work with the parents in order to provide the best possible education for each child. We will:

Make all new parents aware of the Kindergarten's policies.

Ensure that parents are informed on a regular basis about their child's development.

Involve parents in shared record keeping with regards to reading progress in particular.

 

The Kindergarten's work with children and families sometimes brings us into contact with confidential information.

To ensure that all those using and working in the Kindergarten can do so with confidence, we respect confidentiality in the following ways:

Parents may have access to the files and records of their own children but not to information about any other child.

Staff will not discuss individual children, other than for purposes of curriculum planning, with people other than the parents of that child.

Information given by parents to the school will not be passed on to other adults without permission.

A parent who is uneasy about any aspect of the Kindergarten should first of all talk over any worries and anxieties with the Head Teacher.

If this does not have a satisfactory outcome the parent should put the concerns in writing and request another meeting involving the Head Teacher plus any other relevant staff. Hopefully the problems can be sorted out at this stage.

Failing this a parent can write or telephone Ofsted

The toys and equipment in the Kindergarten provide opportunities for children, with adult help, to develop new skills and concepts in the course of their play and exploration.

The equipment we provide:

Is appropriate for the ages and stages of the children.

Offers challenges to developing physical, social, personal and intellectual skills.

Offers challenges to developing physical, social, personal, and intellectual skills.

Features positive images of people, both male and female, from a range of ethnic and cultural groups, with and without disabilities.

Enables children, with adult support, to develop individual potential and move towards required learning outcomes.

Conforms to all relevant safety regulations and is sound and well-made.

We want children to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents, to recognise other adults as a source of authority, help and friendship and to be able to share with their parents the new learning experiences enjoyed at the nursery.

In order to accomplish this we will:

Recommend that each child visits the Kindergarten at least once with a parent during the term prior to their date of entry. We then suggest that the child spends a morning at school without a parent present, if he/she is happy to do so.

Reassure parents whose children seem to be taking a long time settling in.

It is preferred that the very young children attend three mornings when they enter and then increase their attendance over the following few terms. Children who are still two can attend two mornings during their first term. When children transfer to the older group, known as “Climbers”, they attend every morning so that they may participate fully in all the learning opportunities which are offered. This continuity enables teaching staff to thoroughly observe and assess each of the children who will be going to school and provide appropriate activities and challenges. Children are required join the Climbers Group in the term in which they become 4 years old if not before.

It is our intention to make the Kindergarten genuinely accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community. In order to accomplish this we will:

Ensure the existence of the Kindergarten is widely known in all local communities.

Describe the Kindergarten and its practices in terms which make it clear that it welcomes both fathers and mothers, other relations and other carers, including childminders, and people from all cultural, ethnic, religious, and social groups, with or without disabilities.

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

Make our equal opportunities policy widely known.