51. Student and Volunteer Placement
Dinton Pre-school recognises that qualifications and training make an important contribution to the quality of the care and education provided by pre-school settings and we are committed to sharing good practice with those wishing to pursue a career in childcare. We welcome students to join our staff team and gain work experience within our nursery. We expect all long term students & volunteers to be DBS checked & cleared. We also offer placements to school pupils on work experience.
§ We require students to meet the 'suitable person' requirements of Ofsted.
§ We require schools placing students under the age of 17 years with the pre-school to vouch for their good character.
§ All volunteers will be DBS checked prior to starting.
§ All new volunteers and students will be allocated a staff member to work with, usually the deputy manager, with whom they will discuss the school day, the EYFS, record keeping, the policies and procedures and all expectations of their time at Dinton Pre-School.
§ We supervise all students and volunteers at all times and do not allow them to have unsupervised access to children or for them to patriciate in intimate care.
§ To maintain parent partnerships, parents will be informed when students are present in the nursery e.g. via the parent noticeboard. Wherever possible this will be accompanied by a recent photograph of the student
§ Students who are placed in our pre-school on a short term basis are not counted in our staffing ratios. Students who are placed for longer periods - for example, a year - and trainee staff may be counted in our staffing ratios provided we consider them to be competent and they are DBS cleared.
§ We take out employers' liability insurance and public liability insurance which covers both trainees and voluntary helpers.
§ We require students & volunteers to keep to our all our pre-school policies, including confidentiality policy and safeguarding children.
§ All students on placement must adhere to the same codes of conduct as permanent staff including time-keeping and dress codes
§ All students are encouraged to contribute fully to the nursery routine and to spend some time in every area.
§ We co-operate with students' tutors in order to help students to fulfil the requirements of their course of study.
§ We provide students & volunteers, at the first session of their placement, with a short induction on how our pre-school is managed, how our sessions are organised and our policies and procedures.
§ We communicate a positive message to students & volunteers about the value of qualifications and training.
§ We make the needs of the children paramount by not admitting students or volunteers, in numbers which hinder the essential work of the pre-school.
§ We ensure that students & volunteers placed with us are engaged in bona fide early years' training which provides the necessary background understanding of children's development and activities.
§ Students and volunteers are encouraged to attend in house training and other training may be offered if appropriate.