Policies
Admissions
We admit children into the settings regardless of sex, race, culture, and ability.
Prospective parents are invited to tour the nursery with their children to meet the staff and see the environment for themselves at a time that is mutually convenient.
A registration form and prospectus are available online should a parent be offered a place. If an immediate place is not available for a child, they will be placed on a waiting list and parents will be notified as soon as a place becomes available.
A place is not guaranteed until an offer and starting date is agreed.
A non-refundable registration fee secures the place that is requested. We reserve the right to decline registration if our ethos and general principles are not acceptable to the parents.
Secure Setting
Parents are requested to be vigilant of safety when in the nursery ensuring gates and doors are securely closed.
Nursery children are aware that they are not permitted to open the gates/doors. Siblings must not be permitted to open the gates/doors.
We request that responsible adults are responsible for the drop off and collection of children in the nursery.
If someone other than the parents or legal guardians collects the child staff must be informed in advance, with a brief description of the person and a password.
The nursery is not responsible for any loss or damage to a person or property whilst in the car park.
Parents drop offs are done at the main door; parents are respectfully asked not to enter the building unless with a member of the team.
Parents are requested to use the FAMLY app to click their children in when they drop off and out when they collect. This can be done on any mobile phone. As we work on a flexible hourly basis this is paramount to the children’s safety. This register acts as a fire register and is part of our billing system.
Children’s Attire and Belongings
All clothing should be clearly labeled. Suitable clothing and footwear to suit the weather is required.
Winter essentials - water proof winter coats, hats, gloves on strings and warm wellie boots. Summer essentials - sunhats, closed back sandals or shoes.
We request that a spare set of clothes for children’s potty training are supplied in our canvas bags. Please refrain from using back backs and long handled bags. Back packs are generally fashion accessories and contain small parts that can be a hazard to younger children. We take no responsibility for any jewellery, sunglasses etc worn by children.
Parents are asked to be mindful that children having fun will get dirty, roll in leaves, climb trees, be splattered with paint and corn flour so please do not send them in their best Sunday attire.
Staffing
We ensure that two staff are on duty at any one time.
The legal staff to child ratio requirements are as follows:
Under 2 - 1:3
2 to 3 years - 1:5
3 to 5 years - 1:8
Early years teacher - 1:13
Offsite activities are rigorously risk-accessed and when necessary, we adjust our staff to child ratio to meet the requirements of the group and activity.
There may be times during the day when one member of staff is alone with a child or a small group of children, for example:
In a car while driving or in transit to and from an activity
Supporting a child with personal hygiene.
Supporting a child regulate.
Only staff that have a suitable enhanced DBS check and First Aid will be left alone with children.
All the staff hold Pediatric First Aid certificates, Food Hygiene and Safeguarding which are renewed every three years. All the staff have Statutory Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) and are permanent members of staff.
Placements and Students
We work in conjunction with local colleges and schools to host 3rd year placements and work experience placements. The students attend an interview and if successful they are invited to do a full induction.
Once work experience has started the student is always supervised. At no stage is a student left alone with the children. Students who are required to undertake an individual child study will obtain parents’ permission in advance.
Local Senior Schools also request that year 11 students do a week’s work experience in the Nursery. We also have students that help in our After School Club, at NO stage is a student left alone with the children.
Equal Opportunities
We are proudly committed to a work environment that supports, inspires and respects all individuals and in which personnel processes are merit-based and applied without discrimination because of race, colour, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability or ethnic origin. Likewise, we welcome children and families on the same diverse basis without question or second thought.
We will treat the children we are asked to provide care for with equal concern and in doing so we agree to meet their specific needs regarding their religious persuasion, racial origin, cultural and linguistic background as well as sex and ability.
Key Person and Focus Weeks
Each child is allocated a key person. This allocated key person is chosen depending on the days the child attends and the days the key person works. The key person can change as this is dependent on whom the child gravitates towards the most. The key person will support positive relationships with both the child and their family, but it is important to encourage that the children will engage with all the team. Keyworkers do change as the child develops, and their friendship groups change. In the year before your child attends school these key groups can change to allow the children attending the same schools to be together.
We work on FOCUS weeks every 6 weeks. The key person will contact the family to discuss the child’s next steps of development and goals they can be working towards. The Keyworker will post observations on the FAMLY App. We encourage parental feedback and aim to work in partnership with parents. Parents can expect daily feedbacks via the App with photos and a general synopsis of the day.
British Values
We actively promote the fundamental British Values of:
Democracy - we give children the option to choose which activities, books and games they would like to play. We encourage them to respect each other’s decisions and promote sharing and turn taking.
Rule of law - We work with the children to create rules and codes of behaviour and ensuring children understand that the rules apply to everyone. We have nursery rules making sure we model this behaviour by following these rules too.
Mutual respect and tolerance - We encourage the children to share stories of their home life that reflect the values and the diversity of their experiences. We provide resources and activities that challenge gender, cultural and racial stereotyping.
Individual Liberty - We encourage children to understand and value themselves and to gain confidence in making choices. We encourage a range of experiences that allow the children to explore the language of feelings and responsibility, reflect on their differences and understand everyone is free to have different opinions. We allow them to voice their own feelings and understand that they are free to have different opinions.
Achieving Positive Behaviour
Nursery rules are concerned with safety, care, and respect for each other. It is central to the philosophy of the nursery that all staff should be positive role models. Good behaviour is consistently reinforced by staff recognising and praising positive behaviour. All staff are trained in Five to Thrive through in-house training. The nursery has nominated people who will oversee behaviour management and attend the relevant Early Years courses.
The nominated people are Charlotte Adcock and Maxine Maurissen.
Five to Thrive
'Five to Thrive' is an approach where early years practitioners use these 5 building blocks to help and empower parents and children:
Respond - Responding means you're being emotionally available for someone. This is important as it develops patterns in the brain for feeling safe and belonging.
Engage - Engaging and being in close proximity with someone means the nervous systems can match. This is important as it develops patterns in the brain for connecting with and trusting others.
Relax - Supporting someone with attachment needs to relax them. This is important as it develops patterns in the brain for self-regulation.
Play - Processing the activity using non-verbal communication and stimulating the right brain. This is important as it develops patterns in the brain for understanding and managing feelings.
Talk - Creating a narrative and stimulating the left brain. This is important as it develops patterns in the brain for making sense of experience through the use of words and narrative.
These building blocks, or interactions, are a series of activities that build healthy brains in young children. They also help maintain healthy brain function throughout life. These blocks may sound simple but they are a bridge between professional understanding of neuroscience and our everyday experience.
The Five to Thrive approach is based on neuroscience which helps to:
promote healthy brain development in children and young people
maintain healthy brain function through life
support recovery from trauma
build resilience
Any behaviour issues or problems arising will be discussed with parents. If a child shows a persistent behaviour pattern not conducive to the nursery environment, the key person will discuss a behaviour plan with the nominated person and the parents. The nominated person will be responsible for monitoring and regular feedback to parents.
Sleep Policy
We follow the NHS safe sleep policy.
Babies sleep on individual mattresses, with their own bedding and breathable cotton blankets.
Older children have individual sleep mats, with their own bedding and breathable cotton blankets.
Our sleep rooms are safe, calm environments. Key persons will have regular conversations with families to ensure they are aware of children’s sleep routines and patterns at home and take into account the family’s wishes regarding their child’s sleep at nursery.
Whilst every effort will be made to encourage and support a child to sleep in line with these wishes at nursery, it must be noted that the company policy is that we cannot force a child to fall asleep or wake from sleep.
Anti-bullying
Child on Child
It is very rare for bullying to take place by children in an Early Years setting as bullying is repeated behaviours by an individual intending to cause physical or emotional harm to another. Children in their early years are learning how to behave appropriately in a larger social group and while there may at times be incidents of one child harming another e.g. hitting or pushing, these rarely are intended to cause harm. These behaviours are often an immature expression of frustration or an impulsive method of getting what they want.
We believe that every child has the right to expect an environment which
Is safe and caring
Provides challenges but is non-threatening
Encourages children to feel secure
Values opinions
Shows an awareness of children’s individual needs and attempts to meet them.
Allows them to develop to their full potential and allows them to work through disagreements.
Employee
Personal harassment or victimisation on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Personal harassment takes many forms ranging from tasteless jokes and abusive remarks to pestering for sexual favours, threatening behaviour and actual physical abuse.
Bullying is understood to be targeted and persistent offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviours and can include the abuse or misuse of power to undermine, humiliate, denigrate or injure the recipient. Whatever form it takes, personal harassment and bullying is always taken seriously and is unacceptable.
The Company requires its employees to behave appropriately and professional at all times during the working day, and this may extend to events outside of working hours which are classed as work-related. Employees should not engage in discriminatory, harassing or aggressive behaviour towards any other person at any time. All employees are encouraged to report all instances of harassment, abuse or bullying in line with our grievance procedure.
Third party
The Company operates a zero-tolerance policy in relation to harassment perpetrated against one of its employees by a third party, such as a client/customer or visitor to the organisation. All employees are encouraged to report all instances of harassment, abuse or bullying in line with our grievance procedure.
The Company We will promote a professional and positive workplace whereby managers are alert and proactively identify areas of risk and incidents of harassment, sexual harassment and bullying.
Off-site and Outings
The children visit local parks and woodland amenities as part of our daily routine and as an extension to nursery. We also arrange several additional trips and outings to places of interest during the year.
Third party insurance is sort and rigorous risk assessment are undertaken.
All vehicles if used hold business insurance, suitable seat restraints and risk assessed.
Parents are informed in advance via the FAMLY app for
If parents would prefer their child not to attend the trip/outing, alternative days will be arranged depending on availability.
Staff work in small groups, carry first aid kits and relevant medication.
Each group has sufficient drinking water.
Each group has a mobile phone, full contact details and medical history of each child.
Access to toilets is assessed prior to the trip.
Privacy screens will be made in outdoor remote areas.
Religious Festivals
We are not associated with any specific religion and draw children from a variety of faiths, plus an increasing number of children from families that profess no faith. In view of this, either setting does not celebrate any religious festivals choosing to concentrate on traditions instead and promoting British Values.
Animals
Children learn about the natural world, its animals and other living creatures, as part of curriculum. This may include contact with animals, or other living creatures, either in the nurseries or on visits. We aim to ensure that this is in accordance with sensible hygiene and safety controls.
Animal visits to nursery
We will produce a comprehensive written risk assessment for all activities associated with animal visits to the setting. This risk assessment process will take into account the safety of any pupils with allergies, a compromised immune system, or behavioural issues.
Children are always supervised when animals are on site.
Children are taught correct handling of the animal.
We will monitor the behaviour of the animal during visits.
Children will wash their hands after handling the animal.
Animals in the setting as pets
We provide suitable housing and a safe place for our
We ensure the correct food is offered at the right times.
We make sure vaccinations and other regular health measures are up to date.
Children are taught correct handling and care of our pets and are supervised.
Children wash their hands after handling our pets.
Accidents and Incidents
All staff undertake full Pediatric First Aid which is updated every 3 years.
An accident is an unfortunate event or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in an injury, for example tripping over and hurting your knee.
An incident is an event or occurrence that is related to another person, typically resulting in an injury, for example being pushed over and hurting your knee.
Child on child harm
An incident that involves one child causing harm to another child will be recorded on each child’s profile as an incident.
Head injury
A head injury is an injury that involves any part of the body above the neck, including the face. In the first instance parents will be notified by a telephone call or a message on the app if a child has sustained a head injury.
Pre-existing injury
Any bump, lump, scratch or injury noted on arrival will be recorded as a pre-existing injury and parents will be asked to message on the app a description of the injury.
Minor accident/incident
In the event of a minor accident/incident a member of staff will assess the situation and offer comfort and first aid to the child. This includes monitoring and observations until the child is resettled back into the group. The accident will be recorded on the FAMLY app which will be sent to the parents for acknowledgement.
Serious accident/incident
In the event of a serious accident/incident the management will assess the situation and if necessary, call 999. Staff will remain with the child to ensure they are comfortable and apply the necessary first aid. Parents will be notified.
A member of staff will accompany the child with the relevant paperwork to the hospital in the absence of the parent.
The accident will be recorded on the FAMLY app and a notification sent to parent to acknowledge.
A full investigation will be undertaken and all relevant statutory bodies will be informed - Riddor, Ofsted.
Accident or incident involving a member of staff or visitor
In the event of an accident/incident involving a member of staff or visitor the management will assess the situation and follow the policies above.
All accidents/ incidents will be documented in the staff/visitor incident book.
Special Education Needs
Our designated SENCO’s are:
Westview and Shambles - Charlotte Adcock, Libby Rose Jones, Chelsea Smart
Old School Day Nursery – Samantha Ryall
We are committed to working alongside parents in the provision for their child’s individual needs to enable us to help the child to develop to their full potential. The nursery is committed to working with any child who has a specific need and/or disability and making reasonable adjustments to enable every child to make full use of the nursery’s facilities. We feel it is paramount to:
Liaising with the child’s parents
Liaising with any professional agencies
Reading any reports that have been prepared
Attending any review meetings with the local authority/professionals
Regularly monitoring observations carried out on the child’s development.
Our system of observation and record-keeping, which operates in conjunction with parents, enables us to monitor the children’s needs and progress on an individual basis. We will implement a graduated response as follows:
Identification: The difficulty is identified, and specific objectives are described, with emphasis on small, achievable targets.
One page profile: The SENCO continues to gather information, possibly referring parents to, or advising them to consult outside agencies.
My plan: The SENCO consults with specialist support services and outside agency to formulate an Individual Educational Plans (IEP).
If a child’s needs cannot be met at nursery without additional support or equipment, funding will be sought to employ an extra member of staff or to obtain the necessary resources.
Illness and Medical Needs
Certain childhood illnesses can cause problems for pregnant women, such as measles, chicken pox, and slap cheek. We will follow the Department of Health guidelines with exclusions. Families will be notified via the FAMLY newsfeed of an outbreak in the nursery.
We ask parents to inform us if any medication has been given prior to attending nursery. Once at nursery if a child develops a temperature, the parents will be called and informed of this.
If a child becomes sick at nursery, we will make every effort to contact parents prior to the administration of medicine, however, we will administer medicine if the parents cannot be contacted and where prior permission has been granted. Where medicine has been administered to a child, a medicine form will be completed on the FAMLY app and parents will be automatically notified via this channel
Where permission has been granted to administer Calpol, this will be administered to the child to assist with bringing the temperature down. If the temperature does not come down or increases within 1 hour of Calpol being administered, the parent will be contacted and asked to collect the child as medical attention may be
It is nursery policy to exclude both staff and children for 48 hours after the last incident of sickness or diarrhoea.
Healthcare plans
Any person with Health issue will be risk assessed and if necessary a Healthcare plant put in place. When a child needs ongoing medication like an epi-pens, asthma pumps and allergen medication parents will be asked to complete Healthcare. The medication and the Healthcare play will be accessible to staff at all time and available if further medical advice is sought. Health care plans need to be updated on a regular basis and contain the lasted relevant medical information.
Infection control
We promote the good health of all children attending nursery through maintaining high hygiene standards and reducing the chances of infection being spread. We follow the guidance given to us by Public Health England (formerly the Health Protection Agency) for schools and other childcare settings as may be provided from time to time in relation to infection control for specific illnesses. We follow the guidance below to prevent a virus or infection from moving around the nursery.
Encourage all children to use tissues when coughing and sneezing.
Ensure all tissues are disposed of and children and staff wash their hands.
Clean and sanitise all potties and changing mats before and after each use.
Clean toilets at least daily and check them throughout the day.
Encourage hand washing.
Clean all toys and equipment on a regular basis.
Store dummies in individual hygienic labelled boxes.
Provide labelled individual bedding.
Ask parents and visitors to remove all outdoor footwear when entering rooms.
Follow the sickness and illness policy when children or staff are ill.
Adhere to safer food better business procedure.
Photographs
Parents are requested to complete a photograph consent agreement on registration.
Parents and families are invited to record their child's inclusion in certain events through the year on the understanding that they will not publish any material on the internet as we do not have control of these images once they are in the public domain.
As part of observations, we document learning with photographs. The photographs will not be used for purposes of marketing or advertising and will remain the property of the company.
Photographs will only be taken on registered cameras or iPads.
Visitors
Any visitors or works people attending the company will be accompanied by a member of staff at all times. All visitors will arrive at the main door and be asked to provide identification on arrival and sign the visitor book.
Regular workers will be subject to a DBS. Visitors are defined for this policy as anyone who is not a current child’s parent or carer or authorised explicitly by parents/carers to drop off or pick up a child at the nursery and is known to the nursery team.
Lost Children
Effective risk assessment and relevant measures are taken to ensure that children are never lost. If a child should become lost, the following action should be taken:
The safety of the other children must not be compromised.
A member of staff should search the immediate area.
Management must be notified
In the event a child cannot be located in 10 mins the police will be contacted.
The Manager will inform the parents.
After the event witness statements must be taken from all the people involved.
Review the risk assessment and evaluate.
Notify Ofsted.
Procedure for Uncollected Children
In the event that a child is not collected by the end of the day the staff will make every effort to contact the parents and the emergency contacts. A member of staff will stay with the child until the parents have been contacted, and a convenient pick-up destination agreed. In the event parents fail to arrive and no contact can be made with authorised collectors, the nursery has a legal obligation to contact the police.
Collection of Children
All children should be collected by their designated parent or emergency contact on the registration forms.
If someone other than the designated parent is to collect a child we request that we are notified in advance and the person collecting has an agreed password to identify themselves.
In the case that someone other than someone known to us collects a child we would require confirmation in advance, an identification password and photo identification.
Social Media
Parents and staff are requested not to share photos from the FAMLY App on Social Media or via any other social media.
Mobile phones, Cameras and Electronic Devices
We request that only mobile phones and tablets registered with the company are used to access the FAMLY app for business use. Personal use of mobile phones, iPads or any other tablets are not permitted on site. Parents and carers are requested not to use their phones beyond the lobby.
All company devices are to be used for business purposes only, the only exception is in an emergency. Internet usage on business mobile phones is subject to the same provisions set out in our E-mail and Internet Policy.
The company reserves the right to monitor all communications made on company mobile phones to ensure compliance with our policies and procedures. The mobile phones provided by the company are not to be taken off-site, except for when the children are on an outing during the nursery’s trading hours. The mobile phones are subject to random checks to ensure they are being used in accordance with the company’ policies and procedures.
Serial numbers for these devices will be logged and allocated to team leaders for their groups. All photos stored on the devices are linked to the company’s account, such as iCloud which will be deleted bi-weekly.
Staff will be allocated time to use the company devices during working hours to fulfil any observations, assessments and daily updates for the children.
Smart Watches
The watches have to be worn in ‘flight mode’ or Bluetooth is disconnected, this will ensure there is no internet connectivity to access notifications or Wi-Fi
Staff understands they may not use their watch to receive calls or check messages during working hours as this creates distraction and potential dangers
Photographs can only be processed from a smart watch with a mobile device in close proximity; staff are reminded that the safe storage of a mobile phone is away from the children in their bags
Staff should not use their smart watch to access photos or images whilst on nursery premises (indoors or outdoors) and whilst on local trips/outings
Where ongoing technology advances, the company reserves the right to request the removal of smart watches if the safety of a child[ren] is at risk.
Smoking, E-cigarettes/Vapes, Nictotine Patches, Gum
Smoking and the use of e-cigarettes has proved to be a health risk and therefore in accordance with legislation, the business operates a strict no smoking/vaping policy within its buildings and grounds. It is illegal to smoke in enclosed places. This applies to staff, students, parents, carers, contractors and any other visitors to the premises.
Nicotine patches must be secure and under clothing not accessible or visible to the children. Nicotine gum must not be kept in pockets or on one’s person.
Staff accompanying children outside the nursery are not permitted to smoke/vape. Parents accompanying nursery children on outings are not permitted to smoking/vaping while caring for the children.
Confidentiality
The nursery’s work with children and their families will often bring us into contact with confidential information. To ensure that all those using and working in the nursery can do so with confidence, we will respect confidentiality in the following ways:
Parents will only have access to the files and records of their own child.
Staff will not discuss individual children with people other than their parents
Information given by parents will not be disclosed to others, unless we felt there was a safeguarding concern.
All employment issues will remain confidential unless it is a safeguarding concern.
Trainees and workplace students will be advised of our confidentiality.
Under the Children Act 1989 we may be obligation to release information to the Local Authority.
Food and Nutrition Policy
Babies aged 0-6 months
The nursery work towards ‘Responsive feeding’ or ‘feeding on cue.’ The practice of responding flexibly to a baby’s hunger cues and initiating feedings when the baby requests them. Each feeding session continues until the baby is satisfied. We monitor the volume and frequency of bottles and feed back to parents via the Famly app and at the end of the day.
Breast Milk - We support parents who wish to continue breastfeeding and encourage them to provide expressed breastmilk for their baby while attending the setting. We encourage breast feeding parents to introduce a bottle of expressed milk at an early stage to allow babies to get used to a bottle. Expressed breast milk will be stored in the fridge below 4 degrees and heated once. Any unused milk will be returned to the parent each day.
Infant formula - If a baby is not exclusively breastfed, then first infant formula is required while your baby is in nursery. NHS guidance advises against follow-on milks . Should an alternative milk or a prescription milk be required parents are requested to bring this into setting.
Hygiene and storage of prepared formula - Bottles are washed and sterilised with boiling water before use. Bottles are prepared in the kitchen each morning, labelled and stored in the fridge at 4 degrees until needed. Practitioners follow instructions on how to prepare the formula carefully. As infant formula is not sterile bottles are made up with water which is boiled and left to cool for no more than 30 minutes so that it stays at a temperature of at least 70ºC to kill any harmful bacteria.
Babies aged 6-12 months
We will discuss with parents the best time to start weaning your baby. One size does not fit all and babies develop at their own pace. They also develop their own likes and dislikes very early on. We will discuss weaning alongside bottle feeding once your baby is able to sit up and support their own head. Babies should also be able to coordinate their eyes, hands and mouth so they can look at their food, pick it up and put it in their mouth.
Eating should be an enjoyable sensory experience for babies but initially new tastes and textures can take time for babies to get used to. We work with parents to determine what foods have been explored at home and what foods we start with in nursery. We generally suggest two vegetables at any one time and work through a vegetable ladder. All food is prepared from scratch daily and does not include fruit as a sweetener. Once babies are comfortable with eating pureed foods, we introduce more mashed and lumpier foods. This helps develop the chew and swallow action which develops the muscles in the mouth. All meals start with a vegetable that the children can pick up and hold. Softened peeled fruit and vegetables are offered at snack time.
When preparing food, we avoid round shapes as these are a choking hazard. Fruits should be cut lengthways and then halved again. These fruits include: grapes, raspberries, strawberries and cherry tomatoes
Foods we avoid with babies.
Salt is not added to food in nursery as it can cause kidney issues. Some stock contains large amounts of salt, we take care to only use zero salt stock.
All our settings are ‘sugar free’. We do not add any refined sugar to any of our food.
All food is cooked on site in our kitchens, and we do not use Ultra Processed Food which includes cereals and store breads.
Although not a nut free environment we are mindful of food like popcorn, raw jelly cubes, or whole nuts, which are all choking hazards
Honey (which should be avoided until 12 months) can contain bacteria that can make babies seriously unwell
Cheeses made from unpasteurised milk or mold-ripened soft cheeses, such as brie or camembert, or ripened goat’s milk cheese and soft, blue-veined cheese, such as roquefort. There's a higher risk that these cheeses might carry a bacteria called listeria.
Raw and lightly cooked eggs (including uncooked cake mixture, homemade ice creams, homemade mayonnaise, or desserts) if do not see a red lion with the words "British Lion Quality" on the box
Rice drinks as a substitute for breast milk or infant formula as they may contain too much arsenic
Raw or lightly cooked shellfish, such as mussels, clams and oysters, which can risk food poisoning.
Drinks to offer from 6 months - Throughout the day the children are offered water and their chosen milk. We offer Sippy cups with water during mealtimes and move on to open cups as they help babies learn to sip and are better for their teeth..
Allergens - We introduce food slowly as we are mindful about allergens and will discuss with parents any know allergens in the family or any reactions that have been noticed at home and at nursery. Children can develop allergies at any time, particularly during the introduction of solid foods. As children may be trying some foods for the first time in your care you must know how to recognise the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. If we suspect that a child has a food allergy, we will encourage parents and/or carers to seek advice and diagnosis from a doctor.
Children aged 1 to 5 years
We encourage children to eat a balanced diet containing a wide variety of foods.
Meals and snacks are planned from the 4 main food groups that provide essential nutrients to help children grow and develop:
fruit and vegetables
potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
dairy or dairy alternatives
beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
We place huge importance on the children to try new foods and our journeys around the world support this with regular food tastings. The children are encouraged prep both fruit and vegetables each day. We do not encourage wasteful play with food but the children actively cook and bake as part of our curriculum. Mealtimes are sociable occasions, and the children sit in small groups and eat together.
All mealtimes start with vegetables as a starter. The children self-serve their meals and are encouraged to monitor their own portion size. Children are not told to finish the food on their plates or given incentives to eat more if they have had enough.
Allergens and specific dietary requirements - Our allergy management focuses on prevention, education, awareness, communication, and emergency response. All the information relating to a child’s allergy will be shared with all the staff within the setting and it is included as part of our induction of new staff. We request that all information pertaining to known allergies must be put in writing. An allergy list is in the kitchen and dining area and updated monthly. As snacks and meals are freshly prepared each day, we ensure that alternative foods are given to children with allergies.
Food allergies can be life threatening conditions for some children and are taken very seriously. It is nursery policy that all practitioners are trained in Food Hygiene and Allergens to recognise the 14 common allergens and the symptoms associated with an allergic reaction. We do also encounter children with food allergies that are not on this list. The 14 most common allergens are:
celery
cereals containing gluten (such as wheat, barley and oats and some flours)
crustaceans (such as prawns, crabs and lobsters)
eggs
fish
lupin (such as bread made using lupin seeds)
milk
molluscs (such as mussels and oysters)
mustard
peanuts
sesame
soybeans
sulphur dioxide and sulphites (sometimes found in dried fruits and fruit juices)
tree nuts (such as almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts).
We work with parents to understand any concerns about allergens and intolerances. Children who do have a specific dietary requirement be it allergen, intolerances or preferences, have individual dietary photo disks at each meal. The disks have information about any specific requirements. A full list of specific dietary requirements is in the kitchen and in the dining area. The children with specific dietary requirements sit at the red table identified with red cutlery caddy and red bowls for self-service. Each red bowl has a child’s photo disk and they are taught to recognise their own bowl and understand their requirements.
We will discuss with parents and, where appropriate, health professionals to develop allergy action plans for managing any known food allergies and intolerances. This information will be reviewed every 6 months and shared with staff.
Food intolerances - Some common food intolerances include:
lactose intolerance (lactose is the sugar found in animal milk, e.g. cow’s milk, goat’s milk and sheep’s milk and can be found in foods or drinks containing animal milk, e.g. yoghurt)
gluten intolerance or sensitivity (gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye). It is important to note that gluten intolerance is different to coeliac disease.
intolerance to some food additives or chemicals.
Coeliac disease - Coeliac disease is a common and serious autoimmune condition that can develop at any age. Children with coeliac disease have to strictly avoid foods containing gluten, e.g. ordinary wheat flour, bread, breakfast cereals, crackers, biscuits, pastry and pasta, soy and vinegar. Some paints and sensory play contain gluten. All contents will be checked before use.
Children with additional support needs and other special diets - When we have a child with specific dietary needs because of physical or developmental issues, which may affect their ability to eat independently, we will work with the health care professionals to develop a Health care plan and, if necessary, one to one support at meal times.
All practitioners are aware and were necessary trained to understand:
Each child’s special dietary requirements include which foods or ingredients need to be avoided, and which should be included.
food modification for particular children
how to balance safety and inclusion for each child
their own responsibility in reducing risk.
preparing and serving meals and snacks
avoiding art/craft or other activities involving foods that a child is allergic to, for example, play dough or pasta (wheat/gluten).
supervising children appropriately at mealtimes to avoid food sharing and cross contamination.
taking care with foods brought in from home and shared by providers.
informing all parents and/or carers of the potential risk of food brought from home for other children.
encouraging children with food allergies to ask about what is in the food that is offered to them.
warning signs or symptoms to look out for in the case of food allergies or intolerances.
understand which children have allergy action plans in place, how to access these and follow them including how to administer emergency medication.
Choking hazards - Choking can happen with any food, but ‘firm foods’, bones and small round foods that can easily get stuck in the throat present a higher risk. All practitioners undertake training on choking and follow the following 5 steps.
We will ensure food is suitably prepared and served for babies and children (age appropriate).
We will ensure food is cut into narrow batons, avoid round shapes and firm foods like carrots will be part cooked to soften.
We will ensure that babies and young children are alert and seated safely upright in a highchair or appropriately sized low chair whilst eating.
We will ensure that practitioners are sitting facing the with children at all times during mealtimes.
Encourage babies and young children to chew food well. Give children time over mealtimes to allow children to reduce the risk of choking.
Encourage children to chew and swallow food properly, and ensure they take their time during meals. This will reduce their risk of choking.
Critical Incident Plan
Business Continuity
This plan will be used to ensure Business Continuity during any incident, which threatens to disrupt the running of the business. The Plan sets out how the business would cope if the business is at risk - for example, fire, flooding, a large-scale theft of equipment or a total failure of the business IT system. The plan will document how it addresses the following issues: premises not available, asset management, insurance cover and IT failure.
Contacts and responsibilities
Westview and Shambles
Arlene Caddow - Director, Health and Safety
Charlotte Adcock – Manager, Health and Safety, DSL
Maxine Maurissen – Manager, DSL, OFSTED NOMINATED INDIVIDUAL
Rhianna Mc Cowan – Fire warden
Old School
Arlene Caddow -Director , Health and Safety
Maxine Maurissen – Manager, DSL OFSTED NOMINATE INDIVIDUAL
Samantha Ryall – Manager, DSL
Susan O Sullivan – Health and Safety, Fire Warden, Deputy manager
Insurance of premises and resources
The insurance for the business is held by Markel
Alternative premises
In the event of a significant emergency the business would relocate to the sister site where possible. In the event of flood and the bridge can not be crossed alternative premises have been identified.
Westview – United Reform Church, St Margaret’s Street.
Shambles – Sweetpea restaurant in Lamb Yard.
Old School – Goaters Road recreation park
Critical Incident
A critical incident may be defined as any sudden and unexpected incident or sequence of events which causes trauma, and which overwhelms the normal coping mechanisms of that business including Pandemic. In the event there was a critical incident where the life’s of children, staff, parents, or visitors are threatened the business will adhere to the following:
In the event of an incident at the business, the nominated individual (Manager) will:
Inform staff of the nature of the incident
Implement full evacuation if deemed necessary
Outline staff responsibility for monitoring children and staff welfare
Identify vulnerable staff and children who may be at risk
Clarify specific responsibilities for staff
Communicate with parents and families via the FAMLY app
Communicate with statutory bodies, OFSTED, Local Authority and Police if necessary.
After the event a process review will take place to evaluate how effect the procedure was implemented. The review will evaluate :
What was effective.
What was most/least helpful?
Were there any gaps?
Have all necessary referrals to support services been made?
Is there any unfinished business?
Have all records relevant to the Critical Incident been sent and are they stored securely within the business?
Are there any identified training needs?
Does the Plan need to be reviewed/changed/updated?
What we have in place.
Staff will receive ongoing training to identify a critical incident and who to notify
Fire warden is nominated and training is undertaken.
All staff undertake Online and E-safety training.
All staff undertake safeguarding training.
Annual fire equipment and alarm testing
Five yearly electrical testing
Annual CORGI and boiler service
Annual build risk assessments
Legionella testing
Annual PAT testing
Annual Testing of flood pumps and gates
Unwanted entry on site
Any concerns regarding people on the premises staff should notify the manager on site.
The manager will assess the situation and if necessary, evoke the code word and staff will move all children to the safe rooms or evacuate the building.
Unwanted advances while off site
Full risk assessment of sites visited prior to children accessing.
Staff must carry with them mobile phones with sim cards to call for help and alert emergency services. In the event of any concerns staff must notify the management and move the children to a safe area.
Flood or bridge closure due to flood.
We are registered with Flood line for updates and warnings.
Flood management is in place where needed with Pumps and flood gates.
In the event the bridge is closed management will liaise with families to split children and staff to a site that best suits their needs. For example, families and staff north of the town will access Shambles. Families and staff south of the town will access Westview.
In the event of flood water compromising the flood defences all moveable equipment will be lifted to higher ground and children will be evacuated to a safe ground and families notified.
Fire on site
In the event of a fire on site or the alarms are sounded staff must evacuate the building as quickly as possible and follow our fire evacuation procedure.
Bomb threat
Staff will report any unattended parcel, package, luggage found on site or on the perimeter of the building.
Management will assess the situation and if necessary, follow the evacuation policy.
Staff must carry with them mobile phones with sim cards to call for help and alert emergency services.
In the case of a bomb threat called in by phone management must be informed and the building evacuated to a safe space off site.
The nominated person will notify emergency services and parents.
Business records and data, Asset management
All Information Technology data is backed up and secure on the FAMLY App. All financial records are on Xero password protected and on the cloud. The Asset register of all resources is held digitally and copied on a daily basis. The business is registered with ICO.
Significant shortage of staff
In the event of an unusual lack of permanent staff we work with our sister nursery to share staff.
In the event of failure of mains services.
The business will assess the situation to determine how viable it is to operate without services and liaise with the utility companies for time frames.
Electric oil-filled heaters are available, freshwater cylinders can be utilised, and our sister nursery will produce meals.
In the eventuality of services not being available beyond what is the business day families will be contacted and the business closed until services are regained.
Child Protection, Safeguarding
The Company Designated Safeguarding Lead’s (DSL) are:
Westview and Shambles
Charlotte Adcock, Rhianna Mc Cowan, Chelsea Smart, Lauren Biggs
Old School
Maxine Maurissen. Samatha Ryall, Susan O’Sullivan Sam Britt Smith
Children’s welfare is at the centre of everything we do. We follow guidelines from the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB) on how to protect children from harm by others and provide them with safe and effective care.
Safeguarding children run through every core policy and procedure we have, from safe recruitment and DBS checks of staff to daily activities and training all members of staff on how to recognise any signs and symptoms of possible abuse. If educators have reason to believe that a child has shown a sign of abuse or neglect, they have a duty to escalate this to the Designated Safeguarding Lead at the nursery who will decide if the threshold for referral has been met. Usually, any referrals would be discussed with the families prior to being made unless doing so would place the child at greater risk of harm.
We respond immediately to any concerns for a child’s welfare and will share all relevant information with the respective statutory child protection agencies (children’s services and/or police) without delay when required.
All our team members complete an induction training programme and regular refreshers on how to recognise and respond to signs and symptoms of potential abuse and neglect as well as how to identify children at risk of being drawn into terrorism and to challenge extremist ideas. Visitors are never left unsupervised.
We ensure that everyone in the team maintains focus on safeguarding reflected through sound individual practice and knowledge, and internal policies and guidance.
We aim to foster an environment that encourages children to develop a positive self-image regardless of race, religion, culture, sexuality, disability, gender or background, where everyone feels valued. We expect children to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers and other adults, and we hope to support children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence within their community.
Throughout the daily routine, the children’s environment is risk assessed to ensure its continued suitability for the safety and security of all children. We also teach children methods to handle potential risks from situations such as crossing the road safely and walking with scissors so that children can develop an understanding of how and why they need to keep safe. At whatever level we identify risks, we highlight them and seek to ensure that appropriate steps are taken to safeguard the children concerned.
The company endeavours to build trusting and supportive relationships with the families of children who attend. With the understanding that the care and safety of children are paramount, we do all in our power to support and work with you at all times.
Safer recruitment
We have a rigorous recruitment and selection process, enabling us to only recruit people with the necessary skills and cultural fit to enable the business to operate at its best and to contribute to our culture and values. We commit to following a safe recruitment process to fulfil our duty of care to safeguard and protect children from unsuitable adults. We will apply this policy every time we recruit a new member to our nursery team. We will ensure that individuals appointed to posts involving teaching and care responsibilities are qualified to carry out such duties or are working towards an appropriate qualification. We will select staff who are a good cultural fit, have the right attitude and approach to support our values and continuously improve both themselves, through training and development, and the setting standards of care and education for children, policies and processes.
The recruitment process reflects and demonstrates our culture and values. The process is candidate-centric, giving the best possible candidate the experience and opportunity to see how we operate.
We will ensure that individuals are recruited, selected, trained and promoted on the basis of their own skills, qualification and experience. By doing this we will ensure that everybody will be treated equally on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, nationality, age or disability.
We will ensure that by following a safe recruitment process, we enable new members of the team to understand our Policies and Procedures, culture and standards. We will ensure that staff appointed to posts involving teaching and care responsibilities are completely up to date with nursery policies, including safeguarding, through our 6 month in-house training and induction procedures.
The company will ensure all members of the team, including contractors, students, and volunteers, are suitable to work with children. Checks are carried out via enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance checks as well as other sources, such as employer references, identity checks and qualification checks, amongst others. Checks will be completed in full prior to someone commencing employment with us.
Nappy changing and toileting
Nappy changing and toileting are always conducted in such a way as to ensure the children feel safe, secure, and respected and valued as individuals. Children have a right to privacy and dignity when team members are meeting their needs. Children are supported in their understanding of toileting procedures so that they can become increasingly independent. Nappy changes and toileting will recorded on Famly to notify parents/carers.
If a child has any disability or medical needs that affect their personal care routine, a Health Care Plan will be made in agreement with parents/carers. During settling in, families will be asked whether or not their child has any special words/actions/particular needs during their nappy changing procedure. Any significant observations made during a nappy change will be notified to the families on the App. The intimate care of boys and girls may be carried out by team members of either sex and parental requests for changes to only be carried out by specific members of the team with certain protected characteristics will not be met.
Baby sitting
We do not provide a babysitting service outside our normal operating hours. However, we are aware that families sometimes ask Educators to babysit for their children. Should families and team members have an arrangement this should not comprise their working week and the company is not responsible for the consequences arising from any private arrangements.
Prevent
The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 requires “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”, this includes children. This duty is known as the Prevent duty. The Prevent duty does not require the nursery to carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life but as with any other safeguarding risk, the nursery must act when they observe behaviour of concern. If the nursery is concerned about a child, then normal safeguarding procedures will be followed, as set out above. We ensure all staff are trained, informed, recognises vulnerability, and mitigate the risks. We will ensure the curriculum embeds British Values, teaching our staff, children, and visitors to be tolerant and have respect for all people within our multi-cultural society.
If you are concerned about extremism in a school or organization that works with children, or if you think a child might be at risk of extremism, contact our helpline:
Email: counter.extremism@education.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7340 7264 Open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm (excluding bank holidays).
Members of the public should always remain alert to the danger of terrorism and report any suspicious activity to the police on 999 or the anti-terrorist hotline: 0800 789 321.
Whistleblowing
This policy applies to all employees and applies equally to those designated as casual, temporary, voluntary, or work experience students. As childcare providers it is our individual responsibility to maintain the welfare of both the children and staff. It is our duty to express any concerns or issues to a senior member of staff as soon as we notice anything that could raise concern. We expect all employees both internal and external, to always be professional and hold the highest possible standards of the welfare and safety of every child as their paramount objective.
We recognise the importance of creating an open and supportive environment where all staff feel empowered to raise concerns without fear or reprisal.
Whistleblowing is a term used when someone who works in or for an organisation wishes to raise concerns about malpractice in the organisation. Whistleblowing encourages and enables staff to raise serious concerns within the business, rather than overlooking a problem.
The business is committed to the highest possible standards of openness and accountability.
Making a disclosure in the public interest (whistleblowing) is essential for keeping children safe in the setting and to ensure good quality practice across the setting.
This policy is underpinned by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which encourages people to raise concerns about misconduct or malpractice in the workplace, to promote good governance and accountability in the public interest. The act covers behaviour that amounts to.
A criminal offence
Failure to comply with any legal obligation
A miscarriage of justice
Danger to health and safety of an individual and/or environment
Bullying, humiliation, discrimination, poor practice, unsafe practice, abuse or neglect
Deliberate concealment of information about any of the above
Breaches of nursery policies or procedures
Any other behaviour that could harm the nursery’s reputation or the well-being of children
The aim of the policy:
To encourage all persons to feel confident in raising concerns and to question and act upon concerns and practice
To provide avenues to raise concerns in confidence and receive feedback on any action taken
To reassure that anyone raising a concern you will be protected from possible reprisals or victimisation.
To ensure that you receive a response to your concerns and that you are aware of how to pursue them if you are not satisfied.
Anyone raising a concern should in the first instance report the matter to the team leader or manager.
Concerns will be investigated and resolved as quickly as possible.
If an employee or volunteer feels that the matter has not been dealt with effectively then Ofsted can be contacted on 0300 123 1231
GDPR
View our GDPR Policy here.
Parental Contracts and Payments
When registering a child at nursery, parents are required to sign the registration form and pay a £100.00 non-refundable registration fee. This forms a binding contract between the parents and the nursery.
Invoices will be issued on the 1st day of each month. Registered hours will be invoiced in advance, and any extra hours will be invoiced in arrears. Payment of invoices must be made by the 15th of the month in which the invoice is issued. Failure to make payment by the 15th will result in a 10% surcharge being applied. We do not make a charge for bank holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year when the nursery is closed.
We require 3 entire months’ notice (a month being 1st - 31st) in writing of any changes and amendments to registration. We reserve the right to revoke registration of a child for non-payment of accounts. All parents named on the registration form are responsible for fees.
Early Eductation Entitlement
Whilst the Government funding is structured for 38 weeks a year (term time), we have opted for the stretched offer. The total hours are equally applied over 51 weeks equating to:
15 hours funding - 11.18 hours stretched per week.
30 hours funding – 22.36 hours stretcher per week.
The guidance allows for additional charges to be applied for consumables, meals, enrichments, and activities that are not covered by the Funding but these charges are not to be conditional to your child accessing a grant funded place. If you opt out of our charging policy we will endeavor to offer alternative days or hours when additional charges do not take place. Please see our funding policy.
The additional charges will be a combination of:
Any additional hours not covered by the funded hours.
Any meals, consumables, activities and enhancements not covered by the Government funding.
Children become eligible for the age specific funding in the term following their relevant birthday or the term after they turn 9 months as stipulated by the DFE.
9-23 months: Eligible families can now apply to claim 30 hours of funding
2-3 years: Eligible families can now claim 30 hours of funding.
3+ years: All children over 3 in England are eligible for 15 hours of funding for 38 weeks of term time, following their third birthday.
Depending on your personal circumstances, your child may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of funding per week, making a total of making a total of 30 hours of funding for 38 weeks of term time. Please ensure that you are eligible before applying.
Term start dates are stipulated by the DFE are typically 1st January 1st April and 1st September each year. To find out if you are eligible, please contact Childcare Choices.
Tax free childcare
Tax free childcare is a method of paying childcare costs (including your nursery invoice) which provides a significant saving each month. It can be used alongside both 15 and 30 hours of funding. The eligibility criteria closely follows that of 30 hours funding. However, unlike 30 hours funding, it is available to all nursery age children. Full details of eligibility can be found here.
To apply for tax free childcare please follow the instructions here.
All eligible families can apply for the Early Years funding entitlement. We work with the local authority and DfE to ensure all families can apply.