St. Matthew’s

Preschool

 

 

 

Policies

&

Procedures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preschool Committee

 

 

Chairperson:                                 Jean Hanson

 

 

Secretary:                                   Mary Parish

 

 

Treasurer:                                    Maggie Waters

 

 

Committee Members:                   John Chitham

                                                     Liz Greene

 

 

Parent Governor:                          Amy Thorley

 

 

 

Admissions

 

We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the preschool through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.

 

In order to achieve this we operate the following admissions policy:

• We ensure that the existence of the preschool is widely advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community.
• We ensure that information about our preschool is accessible—in written and spoken form—and, where appropriate, in different languages. Where necessary, we will try to provide information in Braille.
• We arrange our waiting list in birth order. In addition our policy may take into account the following:
  • the vicinity of the home to the preschool; and
  • application date for admission; and
  • Siblings already attending the preschool.
• We keep a place vacant, if this is financially viable, to accommodate an emergency admission.
• We describe our preschool and its practices in terms which make it clear that it welcomes all family groups, other relations such as grandparents and other carers, including child minders.
• We describe our preschool and its practices in terms of how it treats individuals, regardless of their gender, special educational needs, impairments, background, religion, ethnicity or competence in spoken English.
• We describe our preschool and its practices in terms of how it enables children with disabilities to take part in the life of the preschool.
• We monitor the gender and ethnic background of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place.
• We make our equal opportunities policy widely known.
• We are flexible about attendance patterns to accommodate the needs of individual children and families.

Allegations of child abuse made against a member of staff

Our preschool expects the highest standards of behaviour from our staff, both within the preschool and outside it.

We aim to:

• Create a safe environment at the preschool
• Respect and protect adults and children’s rights
• Ensure that all staff are suitable to work in the preschool
• Protect staff against malicious allegations.

The preschool committee will check and monitor staff employment by:

• Taking two references before interview
• Investigating employment gaps
• Vetting and clearance by the CRB and with the ISA

We aim to have 6 members of staff on duty during a session so that no one is left in sole charge of an area for an extended period of time. Staff mobiles are placed in a box during opening hours. Toilet doors are left ajar when practitioners are changing nappies or children are helped with toileting.

Any suspicions or allegations of child abuse against a member of staff will be forwarded by the preschool to the relevant children’s services.

We will inform Ofsted of any allegations of serious harm or abuse by any person working or looking after children at the preschool and of the action taken in respect of these allegations within 14 days.

Allegations of child abuse against a member of staff will be treated in the strictest of confidence. People who are authorised to know of the allegations will be the leader, supervisor, the committee chairperson and the child protection officer(s).

The preschool will encourage staff to cooperate with the investigation in any way it can and will act impartially.

We will suspend the staff member during the period of investigation, the reasons for the suspension will remain confidential and normal confidentiality rules apply to all staff and committee members should they become aware of the circumstances. When the investigation is completed, the preschool will implement the preschool disciplinary proceedings to determine the future of the member of staff at the preschool.

Behaviour management policy

 

Our preschool believes 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 an environment in which children can develop self-discipline and self-esteem in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.
• Rules governing the conduct of the group and the behaviour of the children will be discussed and agreed within the preschool and explained to newcomers, both children and adults.
• All adults in the group will ensure that the rules are applied consistently, so that the children have the security of knowing what to expect and can build up useful habits of behaviour.
• We require all staff, volunteers and students to provide a positive model of behaviour by treating children, parents and one another with friendliness, care and courtesy.
• We require all staff, volunteers and students to use positive strategies for handling any conflict by helping children find solutions in ways which are appropriate for the children’s ages and stages of development — for example distraction, praise and reward. We use the ‘Conflict Resolution Approach’ to help children understand and work through their conflicts.
• We familiarise new staff and volunteers with the preschool’s behaviour policy and its rules for behaviour with an induction session.
• We expect all members of the preschool — children, parents, staff, volunteers and students — to keep to the rules, and require these to be applied consistently to everyone.
• We praise and endorse desirable behaviour such as kindness, turn taking and willingness to share.
• We try to avoid creating situations in which children receive adult attention only in return for undesirable behaviour.
• We recognise that codes for interacting with other people vary between cultures and require staff to be aware of — and respect — those used by members of the preschool.
• When children behave in unacceptable ways, we help them to see what was wrong and how to cope more appropriately.

• We never send children out of the room by themselves.
• We never use physical punishment, such as smacking or shaking. Children are never threatened with these.
• We do not use techniques intended to single out and humiliate individual children.
• We only use physical restraint, such as holding, to prevent physical injury to children or adults and/or serious damage to property. Details of such an event (what happened, what action was taken and by whom, and the names of witnesses) are brought to the attention of our preschool leader and are recorded in our Incident Book. A parent is informed on the same day and signs the Incident Book to indicate that he/she has been informed.
• In cases of serious misbehaviour, such as racial or other abuse, we make clear immediately the unacceptability of the behaviour and attitudes, by means of explanations rather than personal blame.
• We do not shout or raise our voices in a threatening way to respond to children’s behaviour.
• We handle children’s unacceptable behaviour in ways which are appropriate to their ages and stages of development — for example by distraction, discussion or by withdrawing the child from the situation.
• We work in partnership with children’s parents. Parents are regularly informed about their children’s behaviour by their key worker. We work with parents to address recurring unacceptable behaviour, using objective observation records to help us to understand the cause and to decide jointly how to respond appropriately.

Managing children’s behaviour:

 

Our preschool aims to provide a stimulating range of experience and activities for children to make sense of their world through play. By providing a happy, well-managed environment the children will be encouraged to develop social skills to help them become accepted and welcomed in society as they grow up. We recognise that busy children are less likely to behave in an unacceptable or anti-social way. We recognise the need to set reasonable and appropriate limits which all adults will maintain in the management of children’s behaviour.

We recognise the importance of the adults’ behaviour as a role model for the children and will not allow physical or verbal abuse towards anyone.

We endorse positive discipline as an effective way to set limits and manage behaviour in the group.

• We will reward good behaviour because rewards are constructive, they encourage further effort. Punishment is destructive; it humiliates children and makes them feel powerless.
• We encourage self-discipline and respect for others because children need to grow into people who behave well even when there is no one to tell them what to do.
• We set realistic limits according to children’s age and stage of development, because as they grow our expectations of them change.
• We set a good example because young children take more notice of how we are and what we do, than what we say.
• We encourage children, not order them, because “do as you are told” does not teach them anything for next time. Positive discipline means explaining why.
• Be consistent because children need to know where they stand and what we mean by what we say.
• We praise, give attention and appreciate what children do because when they are used to getting attention for good behaviour they will not need to seek it by misbehaving.
• We build children’s self-esteem because shaming, scolding or humiliating them can lead to even worse behaviour, while approval, praise and attention can make a child feel valued and cared for.
• We recognise that children of this age have no concept of ‘Bullying’ therefore we do not describe their behaviour in this way. We intervene, reassure and explain when unacceptable behaviour occurs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Child protection

 

Our preschool wants to work with children, parents and the community to ensure the safety of children and to give them the very best start in life.

Our aims are to:

• Create an environment in which children are safe from abuse and in which any suspicion of abuse is promptly and appropriately responded to.
• create an environment in our preschool which encourages children to develop a positive self image, regardless of race, language, religion, culture or home background;
• help children to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers, and with other adults;
• encourage children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence;
• enable children to have the self confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches; and
• Work with parents to build their understanding of and commitment to the welfare of all our children.

Liaison with other bodies:

• We work within the Area Child Protection guidelines.
• We have a copy of Area Child Protection Guidelines.
• We notify the Ofsted of any incident or accident and any changes in our arrangements which affect the wellbeing of children.
• We have procedures for contacting the local authority on child protection issues.
• If a report is to be made to the authorities, we act within the Area Child Protection guidance in deciding whether we must inform the child’s parents at the same time.

Staffing and volunteering

• Our named persons who coordinate child protection issues are Liz Greene and Sandra Hydes.
• We provide adequate and appropriate staffing resources to meet the needs of children.
• All applicants for work within the group will be interviewed before an appointment is made and will be asked to provide two references.  
• All references will be followed up. In the case of applicants with unexplained gaps in their employment history, or who have moved rapidly from one job to another, explanations will be sought.
• Applicants for posts within the preschool are clearly informed that the positions are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Candidates are informed of the need to carry out checks before posts can be confirmed. Where applications are rejected because of information that has been disclosed, applicants have the right to know and to challenge incorrect information.
• We abide by Ofsted requirements in respect of references and police checks for staff and volunteers, to ensure that no disqualified person or unfit person works at the preschool or has access to the children.
• All appointments whether paid or unpaid will be subject to a probationary period and will not be confirmed unless the group is confident that the applicant can be safely entrusted with children.
• Volunteers/students do not work unsupervised.
• We abide by the Protection of Children Act requirements in respect of any person who is dismissed from our employment, or resigns in circumstances that would otherwise have lead to dismissal for reasons of child protection concern.
• We have procedures for recording the details of visitors to the preschool. All visitors must sign the Visitors Book.
• Any person visiting the preschool in an official capacity, not previously known to staff, are required to provide proof of identity.
• We take security steps to ensure that we have control over who comes into the preschool so that no unauthorized person has unsupervised access to the children.

Disciplinary Action:

Where a member of staff or a volunteer is dismissed from the preschool or internally disciplined because of misconduct relating to a child, we notify the Department of Health administrators so that the name may be included on the List for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults.

Training:

We seek out training opportunities for all adults involved in the preschool to ensure that they are able to recognise the signs and symptoms of possible physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect and so that they are aware of the local authority guidelines for making referrals. We ensure that all practitioners know the procedures for reporting and recording their concerns in the preschool.

 

Good practice:

• Adults will not be left alone for long periods of time with individual children or with small groups. An adult who needs to take a child aside e.g. for time out after behaviour which needs improvement, will leave the door open. 
• Adults who have not been registered as ‘fit persons’ will not take children unaccompanied to the toilet. 
• The layout of the setting will enable constant supervision at all times.

 

 

Curriculum:

• We introduce key elements of child protection into our curriculum, so that children can develop understanding of why and how to keep safe.
• We create within the preschool a culture of value and respect for the individual.
• We ensure that this is carried out in a way that is appropriate for the ages and stages of our children.

Complaints:

• We ensure that all parents know how to complain about staff or volunteers within the preschool, which may include an allegation of abuse. Details are displayed on our notice board, along with our registration number and Ofsted’s phone number.
• We follow the guidance of the Area Child Protection Committee when investigating any complaint that a member of staff or volunteer has abused a child.
• We follow all the disclosure and recording procedures when investigating an allegation that a member of staff or volunteer has abused a child as if it were an allegation of abuse by any other person.
• We acknowledge that abuse of children can take different forms — physical, emotional, sexual and neglect.
• When children are suffering from physical, sexual or emotional abuse, this may be demonstrated through changes in their behaviour, deterioration in their general well-being, or changes in their play. Where such changes in behaviour occur, or where children’s play gives cause for concern, the preschool will investigate.
• We allow investigation to be carried out with sensitivity. Practitioners in the preschool take care not to influence the outcome either through the way they speak to children or by asking questions of children.
• Where a child shows signs and symptoms of ‘failure to thrive’ or neglect, or unexplained bruising, or marks we make appropriate referrals.
• We record comments children make which give cause for concern.

Disclosures:

Where a child makes a disclosure to a member of staff, that member of staff:

• offers reassurance to the child;
• listens to the child; and
• Gives reassurance that she or he will take action.
• The member of staff does not question the child.

Recording suspicions of abuse and disclosures:

Practitioners make a record of:

• The child’s name;
• The child’s address;
• The age of the child;
• The date and time of the observation or the disclosure;
• An objective record of the observation or disclosure;
• The exact words spoken by the child;
• The name of the person to whom the concern was reported, with date and time; and
• The names of any other person present at the time.
• Informs the preschool leader and Child Protection Officers ASAP

These records are signed and dated and kept in a separate confidential file.

All members of staff know the procedures for recording and reporting.

Informing Parents:

Parents are normally the first point of contact. If a suspicion of abuse is recorded, parents are informed at the same time as the report is made, except where the guidance of the local Area Child Protection Committee does not allow this. This will usually be the case where the parent is the likely abuser. In these cases the investigating officers will inform parents.

 

Confidentiality:

All suspicions and investigations are kept confidential and shared only with those who need to know. Any information is shared under the guidance of the Area Child Protection Committee.

Support to families:

• The preschool takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families, staff and volunteers in the group.
• The preschool continues to welcome the child and the family whilst investigations are being made in relation to abuse in the home situation.
• Confidential records kept on a child are shared with the child’s parents or those who have parental responsibility for the child only if appropriate under the guidance of the Area Child Protection Committee.
• With the proviso that the care and safety of the child is paramount, we do all in our power to support and work with the child’s family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Complaints procedure

We welcome comments from parents about our provision and recognise that parents are the prime educators of their child and that comments, whether positive or negative, about our group are made with the child’s interest at heart.

Our preschool believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve our preschool and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about its running. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns.

We aim to bring all concerns about the running of our preschool to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved.

 

To achieve this, we operate the following complaints procedure.

How to complain:

• Any parent who is uneasy about an aspect of the preschool’s provision can talk over, first of all, his/her worries and anxieties with the preschool leader. If this does not have a satisfactory outcome, or if the problem recurs, the parent can put their concerns or complaint in writing to the preschool leader and the chair of the management committee. Most complaints should be able to be resolved informally by this stage.

·       If the problem is not resolved the parent can request a meeting with the preschool leader and the chair of the management committee. Both the parent and the leader should have a friend or partner present if required. An agreed written record of the discussion is made. All of the parties present at the meeting sign the record and receive a copy of it. This signed record signifies that the procedure has concluded.

·       If agreement cannot be reached, an external mediator could be invited to help to settle the complaint. This person should be acceptable to both parties, listen to both sides and offer advice. A mediator has no legal powers but can help to define the problem, review the action so far and suggest further ways in which it might be resolved. The mediator could be someone from the Preschool Learning Alliance.

·       When the mediator has concluded her/his investigations, a final meeting between the parent, the preschool leader and the chair of the management committee is held. The purpose of this meeting is to reach a decision on the action to be taken to deal with the complaint. The mediator’s advice is used to reach this conclusion. The mediator is present at the meeting if all parties think this will help a decision to be reached. A record of this meeting, including the decision on the action to be taken, is made. Everyone present at the meeting signs the record and receives a copy of it. This signed record signifies that the procedure has concluded.

 

Parents may approach Ofsted directly at any stage of this complaints procedure.

In addition, where there seems to be a possible breach of our registration requirements, it is essential to involve Ofsted as the registering and inspection body with a duty to ensure the National Standards for Day Care are adhered to.

 

 

Contact Ofsted via:

Ofsted.gov.uk or

 

Telephone: 0300 123 1231 or

 

Write: The National Business Unit

Ofsted

The Royal Exchange Buildings

St Ann’s Square

Manchester

M2 7LA

 

Our registration number is:  113726 

 

 

 

A record of complaint against our preschool and/or the children and/or the adults working in our preschool is kept, including the date, the circumstances of the complaint and how the complaint was managed.

 

 

 

 

Confidentiality policy

It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their parents and carers, while ensuring that they access high quality preschool care and education.

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.

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

• Parents have ready access to the files and records of their own children but do not have access to information about any other child.
• Staff will not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs. Staff induction includes an awareness of the importance of confidentiality in the role of the key person.
• Practitioners are advised not to make ‘Friends’ of parents/carers on Social Media sites such as Facebook in case confidential disclosures are made accidently.
• Any concerns/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety are kept in a secure, confidential file and are shared with as few people as possible on a “need-to-know” basis.
• Personal information about children, families and staff is kept securely in a lockable file whilst remaining as accessible as possible.
• Information about a child’s medical needs or status e.g. HIV, or concerns about Child Protection issues, will be kept in a separate file and will only be available to authorised personnel.
• Issues to do with the employment of staff, whether paid or unpaid, remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions.
• Students are advised of our confidentiality policy and required to respect it.
• Parents’ permission will be sought before photographs are taken of children, either as individuals or in groups. Permission is normally given in the registration form.

All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the preschool, which is to the safety and well-being of the child.

 

Curriculum Planning

For children between the ages of 2 and 5 years, the preschool provides a curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Our aim is to provide activities that will challenge children to achieve the level the Curriculum Guidance sets for children before they start First School that will be appropriate for children’s ages and stages, and make the learning experience an enjoyable one for the children.

• We will plan activities around the curriculum so that all areas of the curriculum are covered in the plan.
• We will prepare weekly plans based upon the interests, observations and assessments of the children.
• We will plan each week’s activities so that the activities are varied and challenging.
• We will keep a record of each child’s progress, parents will be allowed to see the record and discuss it with their key worker.
• We will keep a Learning Journal for each child
• We will keep parents informed of the theme/topic by a posting on the notice board or via email if you wish.
• We will ask for parental involvement to support some of the activities by helping in session, bringing in materials and other items connected with the theme or topic.
• We will discuss the curriculum with parents at open events and on request.

 

Children start to learn about the world around them from the moment they are born. The care and education offered by our preschool helps children to continue to do this by providing all of the children with interesting activities that are right for their age and stage of development.

 

Play helps young children to learn and develop through doing and talking, which research has shown to be the means by which young children think. Our preschool uses the Early Years Foundation Stage to plan and provide a range of play activities which help children to make progress in each of the areas of learning and development. In some of these activities children decide how they will use the activity and, in others, an adult takes the lead in helping the children to take part in the activity.

 

Equality and diversity policy

 

Our preschool is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families.

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 different ethnic groups and people with disabilities;
• improve our knowledge and understanding of issues of equality and diversity; and
• make inclusion a thread which runs through all of the activities of the preschool.

We have a named person who coordinates and monitors our Equality and diversity policy. This is Liz Greene.

Admissions:

Our preschool is open to all members of the community.

• We advertise our service widely.
• We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.
• We base our admissions policy on a fair system.
• We do not discriminate against a child with impairment or refuse a child entry to our preschool because of any impairment.
• We ensure that all parents are made aware of our equal opportunities policy.
• We develop an action plan to ensure that people with impairments can participate successfully in the services offered by the preschool and in the curriculum offered.

Employment:

• Posts are advertised and all applicants are judged against explicit and fair criteria.
• 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 to enable them to develop practices which enable all children to flourish.
• We review our practices to ensure that we are fully implementing our policy for equality and diversity.

Curriculum:

The curriculum offered in the preschool encourages children to develop positive attitudes to people who are different from themselves. It encourages children to empathize 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;
• reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources;
• avoiding stereotypes or derogatory images in the selection of 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 unacceptable;
• ensuring that the curriculum offered is inclusive of children with special educational needs and children with impairments;
• ensuring that children whose first language is not English have full access to the curriculum and are supported in their learning.

Valuing Diversity in Families:

• We welcome the diversity of family life and work with all families.
• We encourage children to contribute stories of their everyday life into the preschool.
• We encourage parents/carers to take part in the life of the preschool and to contribute fully.
• For families who have a first language other than English, we value the contribution their culture and language can offer.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equipment and resources policy

 

We believe that high quality care and education is promoted by providing children with safe, clean, attractive, age and stage appropriate resources, toys and equipment.

We aim to provide children with resources and equipment which help to consolidate and extend their knowledge, skills, interests and aptitudes.

In order to achieve this:

• we provide play equipment and resources which are safe and — where applicable — conform to the safety standards for toys;
• we provide a sufficient quantity of equipment and resources for the number of children;
• we provide resources which promote all areas of children’s learning and development, which may be child- or adult-led;
• we select books, equipment and resources which promote positive images of people of all races, cultures and abilities, are non-discriminatory and avoid racial and gender stereotyping;
• we provide play equipment and resources which promote continuity and progression, provide sufficient challenge and meet the needs and interests of all children;
• we provide made, natural and recycled materials which are clean, in good condition and safe for the children to use;
• we provide furniture which is suitable for children and furniture which is suitable for adults;
• we check all resources and equipment regularly as they are set out at the beginning of each session and put away at the end of each session. We repair and clean, or replace any unsafe, worn out, dirty or damaged equipment. We close early at the end of term to closely check and clean all equipment;
• we provide adequate insurance cover for the preschool’s resources and equipment;
• we use the Book Bus (mobile library ) to introduce new books and a variety of resources to support children’s interests;
• we plan the provision of activities and appropriate resources so that a balance of familiar equipment and resources and new exciting challenges is offered.

 

 

Extreme Weather Closure

 

Our preschool wants to work with parents and carers to ensure the Health and Safety of children travelling to and from the school in the case of Extreme Weather Conditions (such as ice, snow, hail, storms, heat wave and heavy rain resulting in flooding).

Our aim is to:

• Safe guard children’s safety,
• Ensure the safety of staff members travelling to and from work.
• Maintain safety within the preschool setting,
• Give guidance for carers regarding the procedures in event of extreme weather conditions resulting in the preschool closing during normal opening hours.

Opening conditions:

Although the preschool will endeavour to remain open whenever possible, we have a duty to care for the safety of children and staff therefore we may decide not to open the school if the weather conditions are so severe that it is dangerous for children and staff to travel safely.

• In the event of extreme weather conditions before the start of the preschool day the preschool leader and supervisor will judge if it will be a risk for children to walk/travel to school and whether it would be safe to operate a normal routine.
• The preschool leader and supervisor will contact staff members to see if they are able to travel to work. The preschool will not open if satisfactory staff/child ratios cannot be maintained.
• The temperature of the halls must be maintained at an appropriate level for young children.
• The outside area should be accessible where possible, suitable clothing available (such as sun hats for hot, sunny weather and warm clothing for snow) and shade/shelter easily accessible.

If the decision is made not to open at the start of the day parents/carers will be informed by a variety of means:

1. Local radio station Splash FM will be notified to give announcements on air and on their website.
2. On the preschool website – stmatthewspreschool.co.uk
3. On the local West Sussex website www.westsussex.gov.uk where school closures will be kept up to date.
4. We will endeavour to contact by telephone or text carers as soon as possible (normally by 8.30 am).
5. A notice positioned on the Preschool door.

Preschool Closure during the day:

If the preschool opens and