Policies and procedures

Our policies and procedures cover everything required by Ofsted and more. All our team are fully trained on them when they start working for us and every month we do team training which includes reviewing these policies and procedures.

Aspects of the nursery and preschool governed by these policies and procedures include:

Appropriate staffing levels

We comply with Ofsted ratios of :
1 team member looking after a maximum of 3 children under 2
1 team member looking after a maximum of 4 children aged between 2 and 3
1 team member looking after a maximum of 8 over 3’s, or 1 Qualified Teacher / level 6 equivalent looking after a maximum of 13 children

All our children always have a senior and qualified team member supervising them

We have enhanced DBS checking of all our employees including the nursery cooks and nursery caretakers and  Employee References are  properly checked so we know who we are employing.

Visitors to the nursery need to arrange their visit in advance and are never left alone with the children

Security

There are always secure perimeters around the nursery and the entrance doors are  controlled with a buzzer entry system so we know and can control who is coming into the building

Anyone collecting a child has to be pre-approved or have a pre-agreed password

Children are never left unsupervised

Checking the premises and equipment

Measures to keep the site safe include:

• Daily opening and closing checklists for both indoors and outdoors
• Periodic testing and servicing of all appliances and equipment including garden equipment checks
• Ongoing maintenance checks promptly actioned by nursery caretaker
• Continual investment in keeping the premises fit for purpose and improving our facilities

Suitable premises and equipment

Children are always in an environment either indoors or outdoors designed for their age and stage of development

Risk assessments

Any new situations such as changes to the layout of the premises or works being carried out are risk assessed and managed accordingly

Safeguarding

All our team are regularly trained externally on statutory safeguarding as well as regularly reviewing our in-house procedures. We have a moral duty of care to ensure any incidents or concerns of suspected abuse or harm are reported without delay as per statutory safeguarding policy

Mobile phones

None of our team are permitted to have a phone or any mobile device or camera on them at any time when looking after the children. All devices are kept locked away in the staff room and use is limited to break times in the staff room. Photographs of the children are only taken using the nursery camera or by professional photographers

Social media

Our team are not permitted to discuss work or the children on any social media sites

Keeping children healthy

We promote active lifestyles and encourage our children to spend lots of time outdoors. We ensure their outdoor environment includes as many natural resources as possible including sand and water play,  mud kitchens,  gardening and forest school area

What happens if your child is ill?

We take every precaution to reduce the risk and spread of infection. While we understand our working parents need to be able to go work, sometimes young children do get ill. We follow the government Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidelines on infection control for childcare regarding when a child should not be admitted into nursery due to their illness being considered as highly contagious or unsafe for others.

Your child will always have to stay away from nursery for 48 hours following vomiting or diarrhoea (3 loose nappies in babies).

If your child is ill please check the HPA website to find out whether they can be admitted to nursery that day.

We have lots of experience of common childhood ailments and can usually recognise them but will need a doctors note confirming the diagnosis before admitting any child who has an illness.

Medicines at nursery

We can give any prescribed medicine but you must complete a medication form for us to do this. We will always do our utmost to give medicines at the prescribed time but we cannot 100% guarantee it. Parents are welcome to call and remind us if they wish.

Ongoing medicines such as an inhaler or eczema cream can also be administered at nursery -again you need to complete an ongoing medication form to do this.

Teething babies sometimes need Calpol for pain and fever relief. We have Calpol on site for this and just need an ongoing medication form to be able to manage this as and when it’s needed. It is parents’ responsibility to ensure they tell us if their child has had any medication each day before coming to nursery to avoid accidental overdose.

Covid 19

We follow all current guidance from Public Health England including frequent handwashing, thorough cleaning and a bubble system to minimise the spread of infection.