Little Overtons’ Community Pre-School

Policy Document

Little Overtons’ Community Pre-School

c/o Frodsham C. of E. Primary School

School Lane

Frodsham

Cheshire

WA6 6AF

Signed ...... Chair

Louise Davies

Signed...... Secretary

Andrea Gibson

Please complete and return the tear off slip below:

......

“I have read this policy document and fully understand and agree to the policies contained herein”

Name of parent / carer:......

Signed:......

Date:......

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT

ADMISSIONS

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

BULLYING

COMPLAINTS

CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORD KEEPING

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

FIRE EVACUTION

FUNDING AND FEES

HEALTH AND SAFETY

LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN

LUNCH CLUB

MEDICATION

MISSING AND UNCOLLECTED CHILDREN

OUTINGS

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

PHOTO PERMISSIONS

SAFEGUARDING

SETTLING INTO PRE-SCHOOL

SICKNESS AND EXCLUSION

SOCIAL NETWORKING AND OTHER THIRD PARTY WEBSITES

STAFFING

WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

STAFF LIST

CONTACT DETAILS

ACCIDENT AND INCIDENT

All accidents and incidents will be recorded and the information shared with the parents concerned.
There will always be a member of staff on duty with an up to date paediatric first aid qualification.

In the event of an accident or incident, the following procedure will be adhered to.

Procedure

  • If a child is involved in a minor accident or incident, first aid will be administered and an accident/incident form will be completed.
  • If necessary, the child will be kept comfortable until a parent/carer arrives to collect the child.
  • In the case of serious injury, appropriate first aid will be administered, an ambulance will be called and parents contacted.
  • When parents collect the child staff will go through the accident/incident form and the parents will need to sign to confirm that they have been informed of the accident/incident.
  • Accidents will be reported to RIDDOR and OFSTED as and when necessary.
  • All accident/incident forms will be kept for a minimum of 21 years.
  • Staff accidents must be filed in the accident book stored in the filing cabinet

The first aid box is located on top of the kitchen fridge and is checked and refilled on a monthly basis.

First aiders:

Tracey Smith (manager)

Christine Webber (deputy manager)

Jessica Hunt – Chambers (assistant)

ADMISSIONS

Little Overton’s Pre-School is currently registered with OFSTED to accept up to 20 children per session from the age of 2½ years up to 5 years old.

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

  • Ensure that the existence of Pre-School is widely known by advertising in all sections of the local community.
  • Publish our policies.
  • Attendance can be offered on the basis of morning and afternoon sessions, Monday to Friday. Lunch club is also available.
  • Parents/carers are invited to complete a form to register their child and any preferences regarding days/sessions. The child’s name will then be placed on a waiting list.
  • Sessions are allocated before Easter each year for intake in the following school year. Children can start at the beginning of the Autumn, Spring or Summer term, after they turn 2½.
  • To ensure sessions are allocated in a fair and consistent manner, applications will be prioritised in the following order
  • Children in need ( as defined by the Children Act 1989)
  • Children with special education needs (as defined by the Education Act 1996)
  • Children with exceptional personal/domestic circumstances
  • Children already attending Pre-School who may wish to increase/amend their sessions, (primarily children who are due to start primary school the following school year).
  • Children on the waiting list. Within this priority band, applications will be considered in the following order
  • Children with siblings attending our Pre-School and/or Frodsham C. of E. Primary School.
  • Children living in Frodsham and length of time on waiting list
  • Children living outside Frodsham and length of time on waiting list.
  • In times of increased demand there is a limit of 2 sessions per week for children aged under 3 and 6 sessions per week for over 3’s.
  • We prefer new starters to have at least 2 sessions. New starters cannot increase sessions until after the first term.
  • A maximum of 20 children can attend lunch club and priority will be given to children who request a full day and those aged over 3.
  • Additional sessions may be offered on a temporary basis with a view to them becoming permanent, depending on availability.
  • Requests for new or additional sessions received after the main intake has been planned for may be considered depending on availability.
  • We make every effort to accommodate individual requirements however during periods of high demand; we cannot guarantee all requests will be granted regardless of length of time on the waiting list.
  • Where possible, a minimum notice period of a half term is required if a child leaves Pre-School during the school year.
  • We have close links with Frodsham C. of E. primary school, whose site we share. Attendance at the Pre-School, however, does not guarantee a place at the primary school.

BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT

A consistent and positive approach is paramount when dealing with aspects of children’s care and behaviour.

By establishing goals and boundaries that link to the child’s stage of development and understanding, children will quickly learn what is expected of them.

It is important that we are able to work with parents to encourage children to respect and value others.

Adults are role models for children and children learn behaviour by watching and mirroring the adult’s reaction in different situations. Therefore adults must take care, and approach difficult situations in a calm and considered manner.

Procedure

  • Staff must always keep calm and never raise their voice to a child
  • Physical punishment will never be used. If physical restraint is necessary to prevent a child from harming themselves or another child, then it will be achieved with minimum force and will end as soon as the situation has calmed. Any forms of physical restraint will be recorded.
  • We will always make sure that the goals and boundaries set for the children are achievable
  • Staff will be consistent in their implementation of these boundaries
  • When removing a child from a situation we will always stay with the child until they return to the group
  • Boredom will result in negative behaviour; therefore we will ensure that each child has activities available to them that will hold their attention
  • We will be consistent in praising and encouraging good behaviour
  • We will not label children with terms such as naughty, disruptive, aggressive and will not discuss the child in front of them or any other children
  • Should an incident occur, staff will intervene immediately to comfort the child concerned and implement strategies to monitor the situation and ensure that further incidents of this nature do not happen
  • We will never Withhold food as a form of punishment
  • We will never alienate a child
  • If an incident occurs as a result of a behavioural issue, written records will be kept and regular communications with parents upheld

Behaviour Management Co-ordinator:

Christine Webber (deputy manager)

BULLYING

Bullying can take many forms such as physical, verbal and exclusion. Children may bully for a number of reasons some of which may include:

Family problems

They are being bullied themselves

They want their own way

They feel lonely

They are frustrated

They feel insecure

They do not understand how bad it makes other children feel

At Little Overtons’ Pre-School we will always try to ensure that bullying is prevented by encouraging the children to behave in a positive way, encourage children to respect themselves and one another, build trust between the staff and the children and build children’s self-esteem.

If there was ever a bullying incident with children in our care the following procedure would be adhered to:

  • If we notice that a child is being bullied we will ask the child directly
  • We will never ignore the situation
  • We will always give reassurance to the child being bullied
  • We will always talk to the parents concerned
  • We will keep written records of all incidents
  • We will develop and encourage strategies
  • If we see a child bulling another child we will always remain calm
  • We will talk to the child to find out why they are bullying
  • We will explain why bullying is not acceptable behaviour
  • We will talk to the parents concerned
  • We will keep written records of all incidents
  • We DO NOT label children

If a member of staff is suspected of bullying either another member of staff or a child in their care, they will be suspended immediately subject to an investigation

This may result in disciplinary action up to and including immediate dismissal.

COMPLAINTS

Little Overtons’ Pre-school aim to work in close partnership with Parents/carers tomeet the needs of their children and hope that all parents are happy with the service provided.

If at any time parents are unhappy with the service providedwe hope that you feel able to discuss any concerns or issues with the pre-school manager or committee chair. We would please ask that any complaints or concerns are not discussed in front of the children whilst in our care. Therefore we are always happy to arrange a more convenient time perhaps when we finish at 3.15pm when we can discuss any issues.

If preferred, complaints can be put to the manager or committee chair either formally in writing or by email. Parents also have the option of completing a Complaint Form which is available at the back of the policy folder.

Little Overtons’ Pre-school have a mandatory duty to investigate all complaints relating to the welfare requirements.

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the manager or the committee chair will investigate it or it will be passed onto OFSTED to investigate.

Little Overtons’ Pre-school will respond to complaints in writing within 20 days, giving details of how they aim to resolve the complaint. Complaints will be treated sensitively and all personal details kept confidential.

We will also keep a summary of the complaint using a Complaint Record Form. This will be available on request by parents whose children attend the Pre-school and OFSTED. This summary will not include the name of the person making the complaint but will record the following:

  • Nature of complaint
  • Date of complaint
  • The welfare requirement to which the complaint relates
  • Action taken in response to the complaint
  • The outcome of the complaint investigation
  • Details of the information and findings that were given to the person making the complaint

Records will be kept for 6 years.

If the complaint cannot be resolved or if the complaint is of a serious nature and you feel that you cannot discuss it with the pre-school manager or committee chair, you should contact OFSTED on 0300 123 4666.

Committee Chair: Fleur MacCready

Manager: Tracey Smith

CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORD KEEPING

“Confidential information is information of some sensitivity, which is not already lawfully in the public domain or readily available from another public source, and which has been shared in a relationship where the person giving the information understood it would not be shared with others.”

All staff can be said to have a ‘confidential relationship’ with families. At Little Overton’s CommunityPre-School, 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. 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. There are record keeping systems in place that meet legal requirements; means of storing and sharing that information take place within the framework of the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act.

Confidentiality procedures

  • We always check whether parents/carers regard the information they share with us to be regarded as confidential or not.
  • Any parent/carer wishing to talk to their key worker and/or the manager confidentially will be offered a time when they can come into pre-school and a private room will be available to discuss relevant issues.
  • Information given by a parent/carer about their child must be relayed to the manager. It is then up to the manager to decide whether it is necessary for all staff to be notified (e.g. medical, behaviour or family issues).
  • All issues relating to anxieties / evidence relating to a child’s personal safety will be kept in a confidential file and will only be discussed with the manager and key worker. The Access Team will be informed if relevant for a child’s safeguarding (see safeguarding policy).
  • Some parents/carers sometimes share information about themselves with other parents as well as staff; the setting cannot be held responsible if information is shared beyond those parents whom the person has ‘confided’ in.
  • Information shared between parents in a discussion, committee meeting or training group is usually bound by a shared agreement that the information is confidential to the group and not discussed outside of it.
  • Staff and committee members will not discuss an individual child unless informing the key worker of a progress report, making an observation, or discussing with parent/carer of a child.

Record Keeping

  • Children’s information will be kept in their individual files and locked away securely in the filing cabinet when pre-school is closed. In the event of an emergency or children leaving the premises, staff will take emergency contact details.
  • Pre-school record a child’s progress by using a ‘learning journey’ and a profile booklet which remains with the key worker and is available only to the parents/carers of the child.
  • We inform parents/carers when we need to record confidential information beyond the general personal information we keep (see our record keeping procedures) - for example with regard to any injuries, concerns or changes in relation to the child or the family, any discussions with parents/carers on sensitive matters, any records we are obliged to keep regarding action taken in respect of child protection and any contact and correspondence with external agencies in relation to their child.
  • Information such as a child’s learning journey and profile booklet will be shared amongst staff within the pre-school setting. These records will be completed by the child’s key worker and stored in a locked filing cabinet. When the child is ready to move to school, these records will be shared with the child’s reception teacher. If the child plans to attend Frodsham C of E Primary School then these documents will be passed directly to the reception teacher Mrs Evans. Children attending another primary school will have their information passed to their parents, who can then pass these to the reception teacher. Parents are welcome to access this information at any time.

Parent/carer access to records

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

All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of Little Overton’s Community Pre-School, which is to the safety and well-being of the child. Please also see our policy on child protection.

Data Protection

In order to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 Little Overtons’ Pre-School will ensure that details of any children in our care are stored safely.

All personal information and records will be on paper. We will not be keeping personal information on computer software and will therefore not need to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Details of children will never be passed to anyone over the telephone unless we are notifying OFSTED about an incident.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We aim to ensure that all admissions and attendance at Little Overtons’ Pre-school is inclusive and available to all children and their families,in accordance with relevant legislation, including the Children’s Act 1989, Human Rights Act 1998 and The Equality Act 2010.

We provide equal opportunities for all children and promote positive attitudes to diversity and difference by ensuring all children, irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties or disabilities, gender or ability have quality care and the opportunity to experience a challenging and enjoyable programme of learning and development. This is achieved through the following procedures,

We aim to respect all major events in the lives of the children and their families.

Parents will be required to complete a Child Record of Information Form where individual needs can be addressed and supported.

We also provide an “Including Me” plan which will give parents the opportunity to pass on information about their child. This information will be used to ensure children are settled in appropriately and treated fairly.

We aim to promote and develop equal opportunities through a variety of experiences such as play, books, mealtimes and celebrating festivals.

We have a variety of resources for all age groups to ensure that we are able to adapt activities so that all children can participate.Whilst children are in our care we will encourage them to respect one another and develop a positive attitude. Their individuality and potential will be recognised, valued and nurtured.

Staff Employment

Staff members will not be discriminated against based on their race, religion, culture, sex or age. All staff will be treated fairly and with respect.

Equal Opportunities co-ordinator:

Tracey Smith (manager)

FIRE EVACUTION

Every precaution has been put into place to prevent a dangerous fire situation.

Little Overtons’ Pre-School is supplied with sufficient fire fighting equipment and ensures that a fire blanket is kept in the kitchen area.