1.3.       Premises and security 

1.3.1.  Security

Systems are in place for the safe arrival and departure of the children.

The arrival and departure times of staff, volunteers and children are recorded in the register.

Our system prevents unauthorised access into the building.

Our system prevents children from leaving our premises unnoticed.

The personnel possessions of staff and volunteers are stored in the small room during sessions.

Outdoor security

Our outdoor area is fenced in and children are made aware when playing outside that they do not play on or near the fence.

The outside area is checked for safety and cleared for rubbish or Harmful objects before it is used (see risk assessment policy and procedure)

At least 2 members of staff are outside with the children at all times

 The children take their names off the registration board to indict that they are playing outside

Inside staff indicate to outdoor staff who and how many children are outside so that ratios and head counts can be carried out regularly.

 

 

 

1.3.2. Lost child at nursery

Procedures for lost child

If you think that a child-or a young person is missing, gather the children together and do a head count. Ask yourself is this the same number of children you had initially? If not, who is missing? Refer to the register. When and where were they last seen? And by whom? What were they wearing? Ask everyone in the group.

Do a thorough search while the other staff keep the remaining children together calmly. If a child is not found quickly ring for a relief member of staff to maintain the ratios and also contact the police and parent/carer. Give clear information to the police who will deal with this lost child situation. Most lost children do get found; we can help this process by being vigilant at all times as below;

Staff to be aware of the location of individual children within the nursery setting (inside and outside)

 Appropriate ratios should be maintained particularly during outside play time and children are encouraged to keep away from the perimeter fence.   

The gate should be fastened using the red chain at play time regular checks are to be made by staff.

 Children's arrival is recorded in the register and collection details noted, Staff are also informed verbally of the number of children on the premises

 Children are to be accompanied to the toilets. Side gates at the rear must be kept fastened except during outside

As children reach school age, staff encourage independent toileting but standing just outside the toilet door to maintain safety.

 Outside doors to the main room and kitchen are to be bolted at all times, special attention must be made during arrival and home times (a member of staff to be at the door)

 Regular head counts are to be carried out throughout the morning

 

1.3.3. Visitors

One member of staff or management is responsible for opening the door each day. Any visitors expected are noted in the register. The arrival and departure of all visitors is recorded in a visitor log book. All visitors are supervised by a member of management whilst on the premises. The visitor book can be found on the filling cabinet.

Visitors who are in the building for a short period of time i.e. delivery people, do need to also sign in the Staff & Visitors register, but a member of staff must stay with them all the time if they are in the building. Visitors will be required to show proof of identity and will not be admitted into the building until they have done so.

We will only let children go home with someone whom we know has legitimate access. Parents are required to give information regarding anyone who is likely to collect their child from nursery on their enrolment form and will need to keep us up to date with any changes to that information.

If a parent/carer informs a member of staff that someone else will be collecting their child, either when dropping them off or by phone during the day, this will be recorded in the daily diary along with a description of the person and a password which the nursery will create to give the person picking up the child.

 

1.3.4. Registers

On arrival and departure all children and staff will have their hours of attendance recorded in the register. The register states which children and staff will be in each day and for the children which age group they fall into; 2 year olds, 3 year olds and 4 year olds. A cross indicates what sessions they will be attending. When entering the designated staff member sign in the children using precise minute timings as well as on exit.

Students, volunteers and visitors will also be expected to sign the register.

One member of staff is in charge of opening the door and welcoming children into the nursery per day as well as on exit.

 

(This staff member will also take the register as part of the session register/weather/ sound of the week time.) 

When children start at Forton nursery parents must fill in an admissions form, which states who will be collecting the child on a regular basis this may be the parents but parents can indicate any 2 individuals over the age of 16 and will need to keep us up to date with any changes to that information.

 We will only let children go home with someone whom we know has legitimate access.

If a parent/carer informs a member of staff that someone else will be collecting their child, either when dropping them off or by phone during the day, this will be recorded in the register along with a password which the nursery will create to give the person picking up the child.

At Home time

After checking the register for any differences in the collection at home time, a member of staff will position themselves at the main door to guarantee that no unauthorized people enter the nursery. When an unknown person comes to the door the adult who opens the door asks for the pre arranged password.

If someone attempts to collect a child without prior arrangement with the staff then staff will:

Ask the person to stay outside.

Telephone the parent to verify the matter.

If no parent can be reached then we follow the uncollected child policy after 20 minutes.

 

1.3.5. Animals

Parents will be informed of any visiting animals to the premises via the half termly newsletter. So that they may advise staff on allergies or phobias that the children may have.

To ensure that animals visiting the setting are as free from disease as possible the owners will be questioned as to their state of health and their temperament.

During visits to the nursery the staff will designate an area where the animals will be placed.

The staff will supervise the children whilst they handle the animals and encourage them to handle the animals correctly in a gentle manner.

The children will be encouraged to wash their hands after handling animals to prevent the spread of disease, and explanations will be given.

During visits/ outings where animals are present the children and parents/carers would be advised as to appropriate outdoor foot wear.

 

1.3.6. Incidents

We keep an incident folder in the top draw of the filing cabinet.

These incidents include:              

Break in, burglary, theft of personal or the setting property

Fire, flood, gas leak or electrical failure

Attack on member of staff or parent on the premises or nearby

Any racist incident involving a staff or family on the nurseries premises

A death of a child

A terrorist attack or threat of one

Any accident to a member of staff requiring treatment by a general practitioner or hospital

 

In the unlikely event 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 event of a child dying on the premises, by any means, the emergency services are called, and the advice of these services are followed.

The incident book is not for recording issues of concern involving a child. This is recorded in the child's own file.

We report any dangerous occurrences to RIDDOR (reporting of injury, disease and dangerous occurrences regulations)

1.4.       Outings

1.4.1. Procedures for Outings

 ·        Parents sign a general consent on registration for theirchildren to be taken out as part of the daily activitiesof the setting for a walk to the church or post box.

·        Parents always sign consent forms before majoroutings.

·        A risk assessment is carried out before an outing takesplace.

·        The adult to child ratio is high, normally 1 adult to 2children.

·        Children and adults wear a florescent vest with nursery name and contact details on.

·        Children are assigned to individual staff to ensure each child is supervised by a specific and to ensure that no child gets lost and that there is NOunauthorised access to the children.

·        Staff take the nursery mobile phone on outings and a list ofemergency contact details, supplies of tissues, wipes,pants etc as well as a mini first aid pack

·        Records are kept of the vehicles used to transportchildren, with named drivers and appropriate insurance cover

·        Staff will carry out a prior visit to assess any potentialrisk en-route or at the venue

·        Staff do not take their own mobile phones with them on outings

·        Parents are advised not to take photographs of the children on outings unless using the nursery camera

 

1.4.2. Lost Child on an Outing

As per Operational plan for an outing

·      Parents sign a general consent on registration for theirchildren to be taken out as part of the daily activitiesof the setting for a walk to the church or post box.

·      Parents always sign consent forms before majoroutings.

·      A risk assessment is carried out before an outing takesplace.

·      The adult to child ratio is high, normally 1 adult to 2children.

·      Children and adults wear a florescent vest with nursery name and contact details on.

·      Children are assigned to individual staff to ensure each child is supervised by a specific and to ensure that no child gets lost and that there is NOunauthorised access to the children.

·      Staff take the nursery mobile phone on outings and a list ofemergency contact details, supplies of tissues, wipes,pants etc as well as a mini first aid pack

·      Records are kept of the vehicles used to transportchildren, with named drivers and appropriate insurance cover

·      Staff will carry out a prior visit to assess any potentialrisk en-route or at the venue

·      Staff do not take their own mobile phones with them on outings

·      Parents are advised not to take photographs of the children on outings unless using the nursery camera

 

Missing child

If a child goes missing from an outing,the setting ensures that there is a procedure that isfollowed.

 

As soon as it is noticed that a child is missing, staff onthe outing ask children to stand with their designatedperson and carry out a head count to ensure that noother child has gone astray.

1 staff member searchesthe immediate vicinity but does not search beyondthat.

The person in charge is informed to aid this searchand be the point of contact for the police as well assupport staff.

The Staff take the remaining children back to thesetting/coach.

The person in charge informs the venues security theywill have a policy and procedure to follow.

The person in charge will contact the police using the mobile phone and report the child as missing

The person in charge will contact the parents/carer and inform them of the situation.

We may at this point have to make the decision toleave the venue without the child because the other children need to get back to their parents, If possiblewe will leave a member of staff behind as this will bea comfort and known face to the child when theyare found.

Most lost children do get found we can help this process by being vigilant at all times and completing regular head counts

 

1.5.        Equality and diversity

1.5.1. Equality of opportunities

Statement of intent

Our setting 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 Act 1976;

Race Relations Amendment Act 2000;

Sex Discrimination Act 1986;

Children Act 1989; and

Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

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 society in our publicity and promotional materials.

We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.

We can provide information in our prospectus in several languages. Using the translations services on Google.

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. See Individual education plan.

 

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 strongest 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.

We may use the exemption clauses of the Race Relations Act and the Sex Discrimination Act where this is necessary to enable the service to best meet the needs of the community.

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 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

Ensuring that children speaking languages other than English are supported in the maintenance and development of their home languages.

We will do this by ensuring that on entering the nursery parents would have already received a copy of the prospectus in their home language.

We are also able to print of copies of the admission forms in several languages to help parents. To help children settle we will use parents and the internet as a source of learning to learn key phrases in the language spoken at home including Hello - Goodbye - Do you need a wee - Do you need a poo - Do you want a drink - Would you like some fruit. These will be on laminated sheets for all staff to use but especially key workers. In regards to the curriculum staff understand how children's speech develops in the same way as learning 1 language, so therefore when introducing activities , objects etc they will use clear articulation in terminology that the child will understand.

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.

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 mealtimes and eating, and to respect the differences among them.

 

1.6.       Medicines

1.6.1. Administration of medicines

To comply with our insurance (and everyone's safety) and currant OFSTED rules If you wish us to administer medication we can do so as long as it is   prescribed medication,(From a doctor or Pharmacist) It must be in-date and prescribed for the current condition.

The child must have been taking antibiotics prior to attending nursery for 24 hrs.

Children taking 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. Either in the first aid box or the fridge depending on the medicines instructions.

Parents give prior written permission for the administration of medication. This states the name of the child, name of person giving permission, date, the name of the medication and prescribing doctor name, 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 and counter signed by a witness. Parents sign the record book to acknowledge the administration of a medicine.

We do not administer Calpol or Paracetamol based medicines unless a Doctor or pharmacist has prescribed them.

When starting at Forton nursery parents fill in an admissions form stating any allergies or medical information on their child, this information is transferred onto the allergy/info board in the kitchen along with a picture of the child so that all staff even those who have little or no contact with the child have access to this information when working with them. Parents are asked to sign a record card for outings which also indicates if their child has been diagnosed with any allergies since enrolment this is updated each term.