our POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Our aim is

To provide a safe environment and high standard of care and education for your child. To ensure that, we have detailed policies and procedures in place which parents are welcome to request a copy at any time – please contact us should you wish to do so.

You can see a brief outline of some of our policies below:

GDPR
HEALTH & SAFETY
BEHAVIOUR POLICY
EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

GDPR

GDPR is a new EU regulation covering data protection and stands for General Data Protection Regulation. It will come into force on 25 May 2018 and replaces our current Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR).

As your Nursery we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. We are also required under the GDPR to notify you of the lawful and legitimate basis for us collecting or processing specific personal information about you, so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information. Please find attached our GDPR sign sheet here for more details.

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The aim of our Health and Safety policy is to ensure that all reasonably practical steps are taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all persons using the nursery.

It is the policy of our Nursery to ensure so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all children, parents, employees and other persons who may be affected by our undertakings. We provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all our employees and a safe early learning environment in which children learn and are cared for. To develop and promote a strong health and safety culture for the benefit of all staff, children and parents, we provide information, training and supervision. We also accept our responsibility for the health and safety of other people who may be affected by our activities.

The allocation of duties for safety matters and the particular arrangements which we will make to implement our health and safety procedures are set out within this policy and we make sufficient resources available to provide a safe environment. We follow all relevant legislation and associated guidance relating to health and safety including:

The requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2021
The regulations of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and any other relevant legislation such as Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH)
Any guidance provided by Public Health England, the local health protection unit, the local authority environmental health department, fire authority or the Health and Safety Executive.

BEHAVIOUR POLICY

By acting as good role models we will promote and praise good behaviour and try to explain to children depending on their understanding the difference between right and wrong.

If your child’s behaviour is giving us concern we will arrange a meeting with you to discuss and agree a plan to help support your child. We recognise the importance of working in partnership with parents, and we will share with you through open communication any issues and concerns we may have relating to your child’s welfare and providing.

The setting takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relations among families and staff within the setting. We welcome parental involvement, whether it is through daily communication to discuss the individual needs of your child, or inviting you to attend Parent Days, Open Days or to accompany us on one of many outings.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We welcome children and families from all social, cultural and religious backgrounds and we believe children have a right to grow and learn in an environment free from prejudice and without discrimination.

We recognise that all children in our nursery should be listened to, respected, valued and have equal access to all activities. We provide a positive play environment for every child, so they may develop good social skills and an appreciation of all aspects of this country’s multi-cultural society. We plan learning experiences to ensure, as far as practical, there is equality of opportunity for all children and a celebration of diversity.

Children attending the nursery will be made aware of different cultures, disabilities of others and be encouraged to respect one another. For children whose home language is not English, we will take reasonable steps to provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning and support their language development at home; and ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to learn and reach a good standard in English language during the EYFS, ensuring that children are ready to benefit from the opportunities available to them when they begin year.

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

The Valley Nursery & Kids Club has been awarded the highest possible Food Hygiene rating of “5 VERY GOOD” by the local authority. This reflects our excellence in Environmental Health.

At the time of each annual unannounced inspection by the local authority we are assessed, in accordance with a national Framework Agreement, against a range of parameters. This includes business compliance with Food Hygiene legislation and compliance with structural requirements of our premises. Government Officers also make an assessment of their confidence in the management of our business. These ratings are the elements of the risk assessment that are under our direct control and reflect the way in which our business is managed and operated.

SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN

We work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect, be helped to thrive and to be safe.

We support the children within our care, protect them from maltreatment and have robust procedures in place to prevent the impairment of children’s health and development. In our setting we strive to protect children from the risk of radicalization and we promote acceptance and tolerance of other beliefs and cultures. To safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children we ensure that children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care, taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

We will support children by offering reassurance, comfort and sensitive interactions. We will devise activities according to individual circumstances to enable children to develop confidence and self-esteem within their peer group and support them to learn how to keep themselves safe.

We regularly review and update our policies and procedures with staff and parents where appropriate and make sure it complies with any legal requirements and any guidance or procedures issued by the Gateshead Local Children Board.