Policies and Procedures
Introduction to our Preschool Policies
Early years providers must meet all the statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and take all necessary steps to keep children safe and well, including by maintaining records, policies and procedures. As working documents, policies and procedures govern all aspects of the setting’s operations and are vital for consistency and quality assurance across the provision. They are required to be in writing. Policies describe the approach of operating as an organisation and incorporate current legislation and registration requirements. Procedures detail the methods by which the policies are implemented. Some may need adjustment following risk assessment carried out in the setting. Staff, volunteers and students need to fully understand and know how to implement the policies and procedures, which must also be accessible to parents, so that everyone knows what actions they need to take in practice to achieve them. Each of the policies and procedures that providers are required to have in place are provided in this publication, as well as some recommended by the Preschool Alliance as good practice.
Adopting, Implementing and Reviewing Policies
Copies of the policies and procedures to be adopted are available to all parents and staff; giving everyone the opportunity to discuss and fully understand each policy and procedure. Parents, employees and volunteers are informed that the policies contain the rules required for running the setting in a way which complies with the requirements of the EYFS and Ofsted registration and must be adhered to. All staff and volunteers are aware of the content of the policies and procedures, and their role and responsibility in implementing them. Policies and procedures are monitored by collecting evidence about the results of their implementation. The evidence is used to make any necessary changes to the policies and procedures and/or the way they are implemented. All staff and parents can contribute to the evidence collected and share in decisions about any necessary changes. Designated persons in each setting have a delegated responsibility to make sure that relevant procedures are known by all members of staff and are adhered to, bringing any cause for concern to the setting manager’s attention.
If any adaptations are needed to any policy or procedure, it must be ensured that it still meets the requirements of the relevant regulations. Some providers may decide to develop further policies, which are not required by regulations, but which would enable a clear direction for any specific issue pertaining to the setting. For example, some providers may require a policy on sharing premises with another facility. Or in some cases a local authority or a funding body may require a policy or procedure that is not included in this publication.
Risk assessment is vital to implementation of many procedures. The setting manager ensures that risk assessments as detailed are carried out at least once a year – more if the need arises and will amend or add to the procedures as required. Risk assessment procedures are detailed in Our Health and Safety Policy.
Children’s Rights and Entitlements Statement
This statement underpins the policies and procedures, in particular, our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. It is important that all staff uphold and work with the principles and ethos within this statement. We support the 54 Articles contained within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). We recognise that these articles apply to children globally and draw attention to the disparity between and within countries and across regions of the world in the way that children receive and enjoy basic rights. We support organisations and statutory agencies to promote recognition and achievement of children’s rights to ensure a better experience for all children. The Early Years Alliance’s three key commitments are broad statements against which policies and procedures across the organisation will be drawn to provide a consistent and coherent strategy for safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults in all services provided.
1. 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.
2. 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’ (HMG 2015)
3. 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.
We are currently in the process of reviewing and updating many of our Policies and Procedures. Please bear with us. if there is something in particular you would like to view, please contact us on astonontrentpreschooloffice@gmail.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience.
Administration of Medication Policy
Allegations against Staff, Volunteers & Agency Staff
Attendance and Leave of Absence Policy
Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy
Complaints Policy and Procedures
Freedom of Information Policy
Information Security Policy
Including:
Social Networking
Mobile Technology
Online Safety
Smart Watches
Health and Safety Policy
Including:
Accidents and Emergency Treatment
Administration of Medicines
Allergies and Food Intolerance
Animals and Pets
Control of substances hazardous to health (COSHH)
Face Painting and Mehndi
First Aid
Food safety and Nutrition
Food Preparation, Storage and Purchase
Food for Play and Cooking Activities
Jewellery
Incident Notices
Life-saving Medication and Invasive treatments
Lockdown Policy
Manual Handling
Menu Planning and Nutrition
Meeting dietary requirements
Nappy Changing Policy
Oral health
Premises Management
Poorly children
Risk Assessments
Staff Personal Safety
Progress Check at Age Two Policy
SEND Policy
Including:
Accessibility Plan
Our Local Offer
Identification, assessment and support for children with SEND
Supporting children with medical conditions
Staff Discipline, Conduct and Grievance Policy
Staff handbook
Teaching and Learning Policy
Values including British Values Policy
Whistle Blowing Policy
Working in Partnership Policy
Our Terms and Conditions of sending your child to Preschool are available here.
What it means to promote children’s rights and entitlements:
To be strong means to be:
secure in their foremost attachment relationships where they are loved and cared for, by at least one person who is able to offer consistent, positive and unconditional regard and who can be relied on.
safe and valued as individuals in their families and in relationships beyond the family, such as day care or school
self-assured and form a positive sense of themselves – including all aspects of their identity and heritage
included equally and belong in early years settings and in community life
confident in abilities and proud of their achievements
progressing optimally in all aspects of their development and learning
part of a peer group in which to learn to negotiate, develop social skills and identity as global citizen, respecting the rights of others in a diverse world
able to participate and be able to represent themselves in aspects of service delivery that affects them as well as aspects of key decisions that affect their lives.
To be resilient means to be:
sure of their self worth and dignity
able to be assertive and state their needs effectively
able to overcome difficulties and problems
positive in their outlook on life
able to cope with challenge and change
able to have a sense of justice towards self and others
to be able to represent themselves and others in key decision making processes
To be listened to means:
adults who are close to children recognise their need and right to express and communicate their thoughts, feelings and ideas
adults who are close to children are able to tune in to their verbal, sign and body language in order to understand and interpret what is being expressed and communicated
adults who are close to children are able to respond appropriately and, when required, act upon their understanding of what children express and communicate
adults respect children’s rights and facilitate children’s participation and representation in imaginative and childlike ways in all aspects of core services.