Name: Fun at Harvey Road
Address: Harvey Road PreSchool, Birmingham
Telephone: 07976165582

Harvey Road PreSchool

Policy Pack

TABLE OF CONTENTS

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR SEPTEMBER
GENERAL INFORMATION

ADMISSIONS AND TRANSITION

3. ADMISSIONS POLICY

4. SETTLING IN POLICY

5. ATTENDANCE POLICY

6. LATE COLLECTION POLICY

PARTNERSHIP AND INCLUSION

7. PARENT PARTNERSHIP

8. INCLUSION AND EQUALITY (EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES) POLICY

9. SPECIAL EDUCATION NEEDS AND DISABILITY (SEND) POLICY

CURRICULUM

10. CURRICULUM POLICY

HEALTH, SAFETY AND CARE

11. HEALTH SAFETY POLICY

12. SMOKING POLICY

13. ASTHMA POLICY

14. EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN POLICY

15. NAPPY CHANGING AND INTIMATE CARE POLICY

16. OUTDOOR PLAY POLICY

17. PACKED LUNCH POLICY

BEHAVIOUR AND WELLBEING

18. BEHAVIOUR POLICY

19. PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY AND PROCEDURES

SAFEGUARDING AND WELFARE

20. SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

21. MISSING CHILD POLICY

22. LOW LEVEL CONCERNS POLICY

23. WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

24. LINKS WITH SUPPORT SERVICES AND OTHER AGENCIES

DATA, CONFIDENTIALITY AND RECORDS

25. DATA PROTECTION AND CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

26. RECORD KEEPING

ONLINE SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY USAGE

27. ACCEPTABLE INTERNET USE POLICY

28. ONLINE SAFETY POLICY

29. MOBILE PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE POLICY

30. SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY

STAFFING AND WORKPLACE

31. STAFFING AND EMPLOYMENT POLICY

32. RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND SUSTAINABILITY OF STAFF POLICY

33. YOUNG WORKER POLICY

STUDENTS, VOLUNTEERS AND EXTERNAL LINKS

34. STUDENT PLACEMENT POLICY

35. VOLUNTEERS POLICY

GOVERNANCE AND PROCEDURES

36. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

1. USEFUL INFORMATION FOR SEPTEMBER

On the first day of each term, they will need to bring their pump bag with their shorts, T-shirt and pumps. This will be returned to you at the end of each term.
Every Wednesday they will need to bring their book bag, this needs to be a school style book bag that are available from uniform shops.
Label all clothing, uniform, bags, coats and PE Kits. Please make their names easily visible. Children often mix up their clothing when they get changed, the nursery cannot accept responsibility for misplaced clothing.
When purchasing clothing for school, please be aware of what your child can achieve, most children cannot tie laces. (Velcro shoes are more suitable for them. Socks are more appropriate than tights as children often cannot put tights on by themselves.)
Messages and information must be given direct to a member of staff as you will need to record these in our message book.
Absences must be reported by a telephone call before 8.45am for children attending morning sessions and 11.45am for children attending the afternoon sessions. If you do not telephone to inform of the absence before registers are taken, it will be reported as unauthorized. If your child is, absent for two weeks without a telephone call your child’s space will be automatically lost. You may be charged for any unreported absences.
Holidays should not be taken during term time, if they are taken it could jeopardize your child’s nursery funding and will be listed as unauthorized.
Please encourage children to leave their own toys at home. Any toys brought into the group will be sent back home with the parent or put on the front desk. The group cannot take responsibility for children’s own toys.
If at any time you have any concerns, please feel free to discuss them with the Manager or child’s keyworker.
If you wish to speak to the child’s keyworker, please ask at the beginning of the session and an appropriate time during the session will be arranged. The Manager will be available to speak to at any time. Please do not ask staff about preschool outside of the premises as it may offend when they decline to comment. This is to guarantee the confidentiality of everyone using our group.
Please be prompt to collect your child at 12.00pm for the morning group and 3.00pm for the afternoon group, when a parent is late, it can cause distress for your child and staff have to wait making them late for their own children. A charge will be made for late collections. This charge will be £5.00 for the first 5 minutes then £5.00 for each 5 minutes after that, as 2 members of staff will need to be paid to stay with your child. If something happens during a session making you a little late to collect your child, please let the group know so we can reassure your child.
Information is often given out verbally at the end of a session, or put on the blackboard positioned at the door. If you require all information to be sent home in written form, please let your keyworker know.
Please make sure on the first day, you inform the manager of any changes to phone numbers and other contact details.
Please prepare your child in advance for what to expect on that first day. The sooner your child will stay without you the better for you both. Talk to them and tell them all the fun things they will be doing while you go home/work/shops, who will be collecting them and what they will be doing after Nursery.

General things to remember

During your child’s time at nursery, information will be given out in many forms, some being by newsletters, notes, parent notice board, emails, text messages and the blackboard, please make sure you check these regularly so you don’t miss anything.
If someone not on the contact record is going to pick up your child, please telephone to let us know as it can be embarrassing for the person when we refuse to let the child go with him or her.
Always send a coat as we often go out without prior notice.
Talk to your child at the end of each day to find out what they have been doing; enjoy their time at nursery as much as they will.
Please remember if nursery is closed and you require information, please telephone the nursery.
Cameras and mobile phones must not be used in Nursery.
Fruit may be sent in daily with morning placement children in an appropriate named container.
For the safety of all the children please do not send anything into nursery in a carrier bag.
Children may bring in water in a named water bottle that they can use at anytime during the session.

2. GENERAL INFORMATION

The Group delivers nursery education under the name of Harvey Road Preschool.

The group meets at St. Michaels and All Angels Church, Rowlands Road, Yardley.

It meets term time only, Monday to Friday between 9am and 12.00pm or 12.00pm and 3pm.

It concentrates on the care of children 3 to 5 years, but can take children from 2years.

The group is Ofsted registered and Preschool Learning Alliance registered.

The group is registered for the Nursery Education Funding for 2, 3 & 4 year olds.

The group follows the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, which carries on with the children into their reception year.

All staff, adults and children attending the group will be expected to abide by the group policies and procedures laid down in this prospectus.

The group liaises with all outside agencies supporting children of all abilities.

The Manager is Mrs. Vivienne Jones and the Special Needs Coordinator is

Mrs. L Bayliss. The group contact number is 07976165582.

GROUP AIMS

The preschool aims to cater for adults and children of any race, culture, ability or gender and meet their individual needs.

It aims to provide through a balanced curriculum, an educational, learning through play environment to assist in the knowledge, education and language needed to prepare children for school.

It aims to encourage and nurture greatly the interaction between parents/ carers and children.

It aims to provide quality care and education within a safe and stimulating environment.

It aims to support all families using the group, sometimes by signposting them to other local services.

The preschool aims to embed British values through being good role models to the children, and incorporating it into our daily routines and activities.

GROUP PRINCIPLES

It is our belief that it is important for children to experience all areas of learning.

We believe that children will learn through experiment and guidance in a suitable learning environment.

We believe that the child’s parent/carer is of paramount importance to the child’s development.

We believe that children learn and develop quicker through praise of what they can achieve and not by being told about what they cannot achieve.

We believe that children will develop through a varied range of activities without targeting on specific areas.

This information will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

Revised by Vivienne Jones

Agreed by Staff Team

March 2025

3. ADMISSION POLICY

AIM

Harvey Road Preschool is accessible to all children/families within our community.

Our Admissions Officer is Vivienne Jones

TO ACHIEVE THIS

We will advertise the preschool widely throughout the local schools, community premise.

We will make it widely known that the preschool welcomes all families and children.

We will monitor the gender and ethnic backgrounds of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place.

We will make our equal opportunities policy known to all interested parties.

We will fill vacancies from the waiting list, giving priority to the over 3’s.

We will provide information via the phone, email or post to prospective parents.

We will take names onto our waiting list by personal visit during any preschool session.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Admissions Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones

Agreed by staff team

March 2025

4. SETTLING IN POLICY

AIM

To make children feel safe and secure in their parents absence.

All staff will be a source of help and guidance to all children and parents.

Our settling in procedure aims to make children feel comfortable in leaving their parent/carer and confident that they will return for them.

Our Settling in Support Officer is Vivienne Jones

FAMILIARISATION

We will invite parents/carers to an open session, prior to their child starting nursery.

We will invite parents/carers and children to an open session throughout the nursery day, prior to the child starting nursery.

We will give parents an information sheet explaining what the child will need each day.

SUPPORT

We will support parents/carers through the settling in of their child.

We will be flexible to meet the needs of individual families and children.

We will guide the parents/carers, where appropriate, to make the separation as quickly as possible from their child to cause the least distress for the child.

We will help the children to share their experiences with their parents by our displays, photographs, online learning journeys and certificates.

It is our belief that children cannot learn successfully if they are anxious and unhappy.

MONITORING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Settling in Support Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones

Agreed by Staff team

May 25

5. ATTENDANCE POLICY

AIM

It is our aim to give every child the best start in education. To do this we aim to encourage children to attend regularly and punctually.

Our attendance officer is Alison Moran.

ATTENDANCE

It is the group’s belief that children learn best by consistent care. Attendance plays an important part in this. A child needs to attend regularly and on time to gain a full understanding to what is being taught.

We understand that good attendance and punctuality, sets good boundaries for the future.

Attendance registers will be kept and records passed on to future settings/schools.

ABSENCES

The group understands that on occasions children may be too ill to attend preschool. On these occasions, it is the parent’s responsibility, to contact the Manager by telephone, text or email, BEFORE the session begins, so the absence can be registered as authorised. If no notification is received the absence will be unauthorised. Parents are asked not to pass messages through other parents or members of staff. If no notification is received before the registers are taken, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

UNAUTHORISED ABSENCES

The nursery must be notified of absences, and the reason for the absence on the first day of absence then updated regularly throughout the absence. The preschool reserves the right to give the place to another child after 2 weeks, without notifying the child’s parent. A letter to parents will be sent, as a record that this has taken place.

If a child’s attendance is below 85% in any term, parents will be contacted and if no reasonable explanation is given, the preschool reserve the right to withdraw the space.

If a child is receiving a free nursery place, all attendance including late marks may be checked by the local authority and parents may be charged for the time the child has lost if the absences are unauthorised or deemed to be unacceptable reasons for absence.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Attendance Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Alison Moran, Agreed by the Staff Team

March 2025

6. LATE COLLECTION POLICY

AIM

The preschool aims to keep children safe and free from unnecessary upset and concerns.

TO ACHIEVE THIS

The preschool give clear instructions on how to contact the group, the telephone number is on the back of every policy pack and on every newsletter. Business cards are also given to parents when their child starts nursery.

The preschool expect parents to support the group and their child by keeping them informed if problems arise affecting the collection of their child.

The group will give clear guidelines to parents of the finish times and update parents if times change for specific events.

WHAT IS EXPECTED FROM A PARENT/CARER

The preschool understand that emergencies do happen and this may make you late to collect your child. The preschool would expect a telephone call explaining this and a reasonable solution made for your child to be collected.

WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD IS NOT COLLECTED ON TIME

If a telephone call is not received, the preschool will charge the parent £5.00 for every 5 minutes they are late. This is to cover the cost of 2 members of staff staying behind to wait with the child. If a parent is late on more than one occasion the £5.00 per 5 minute charges will apply even if a phone call has been received. This charge applies every time a parent is late and will be expected to be paid at the time of collection or at the start of the following session.

In the event of a child being left more than 10 minutes without a telephone call, the preschool would try the child’s contact numbers. If no response and no contact after 30 minutes, Social Services and the Police will be contacted.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Preschool Leader will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, agreed by the Staff Team

March 2024

7. PARENT PARTNERSHIP

AIM

This Preschool is aware that parents are the first educators of their young children therefore, it is the groups aim to support this essential work.

Our Parent Partnership Officer is Michelle Allen

SHARING INFORMATION

We will make sure that all parents are aware of the groups systems and policies.

Each child/parent will be designated a key worker and assistant for parents to share information with. A parents input is valued to help staff build a bond with each child.

We will ensure that parents are regularly informed about their child’s progress and welfare through open sessions, parent consultations, informal chats, written reports, online learning journeys.

We will encourage parents to share information about their child with the manager or keyworker, at mutually convenient times.

We will involve the parent in all stages of the referral process.

We will have available the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum plans and be willing to explain these to any parent at any time.

We will keep information provided by parents regarding who can collect their child and who can be contacted in an emergency. Parents will be contacted immediately if someone not named arrives for their child.

PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT

We will, at parents request make appointments to visit a family in their own home before the children start nursery.

We will encourage all parents to contribute their own skills, knowledge and interests to the activities of the group through parent sessions and activity mornings.

Information for all parent workshops and training courses will be sent home via a newsletter.

We will encourage parents and carers to attend special events for their child and organized activity sessions throughout the year.

PARENT CONSENT

We will make known to all parents the system for registering queries, concerns, complaints and suggestions.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Parental Involvement Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Michelle Allen, agreed by the staff team

March 2025

8. EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

AIM

The group aims to encourage all children and adults of all backgrounds to exhibit a strong desire to be part of our Preschool group/community.

To advertise the group through local community services, making it accessible to everyone.

Our Equal Opportunities Officer is Kim Deakin.

EXPECTATIONS OF ADULTS AND CHILDREN

This preschool will not accept any kind of discrimination be it on the basis of colour, culture, origin, sex, age, ability or mental status in staff, children, parents or carers.

Every child/adult within the group will endeavour to further this objective by personally contributing towards a happy and caring environment and showing respect for and appreciation of each other as individuals.

All children will be treated as individuals with their own rights.

Sex, culture, religion, ability, status, etc. will not effect a child’s admission to preschool.

The preschool will make every effort to adjust information to suit every ones different needs on request.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Equal Opportunities Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Kim Deakin. Agreed by Staff Team

March 2025

9. SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL AND DISABILITY NEEDS POLICY

This policy has been created with regard to:

The SEND Code of Practice 2015
Children and Families Act 2014 (Part 3)
Equality Act 2010
Working Together to Safeguard Children
Statutory Framework for the EYFS.

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) code of practice

The nursery has regard to the statutory guidance set out in the Special Educational Needs and Disability code of practice to identify, assess and make provision for children’s special educational needs.

At Harvey Road Preschool we use the SEND Code of Practice definition of Special Educational Needs and Disability:

A child or young person has SEN if they have a learning difficulty or disability which calls for special educational provision to be made for him or her.

A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:

Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age, or
Has a disability which prevents or hinders him or her from making use of facilities of a kind generally provided for others of the same age.

Statement of intent

We are committed to the inclusion of all children at our nursery. We ensure all children are cared for and educated to develop to their full potential alongside their peers through positive experiences. We enable them to share opportunities and experiences and develop and learn from each other. We provide a positive and welcoming environment where children are supported according to their individual needs and we work hard to ensure no child is discriminated against or put at a disadvantage as a consequence of their needs. Each child’s needs are unique and we do not attempt to categorise children.

We are committed to working in partnership with parents in order to meet each child’s individual needs and develop to their full potential. We are committed to working with any child who has a special educational need and/or disability and making reasonable adjustments to enable every child to make full use of the nursery’s facilities. All children have a right to a broad and well-balanced early learning environment.

We undertake a Progress Check of all children at age two in accordance with the Code of Practice and statutory framework for the EYFS to support early identification of needs.

We will also undertake the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) assessment for any children that remain with us in the final term of the year in which they turn five, as per the statutory framework for the EYFS.

We will work closely with the child’s parents and any relevant professionals if we identify any areas where a child’s progress is less than expected to establish if any additional action is required. This may include:

Liaising with any professional agencies
Reading any reports that have been prepared
Attending any review meetings with the local authority and other professionals
Observing each child’s development and assessing such observations regularly to monitor progress.

All new children will be given a full settling in period when joining the nursery according to their individual needs.

We will:

Recognise each child’s individual needs and ensure all staff are aware of, and have regard for, the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice
Ensure that all children are treated as individuals and are supported to take part in every aspect of the nursery day according to their individual needs and abilities
Include all children and their families in our provision
Identify the specific needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and meet those needs through a range of strategies
Ensure that children who learn at an accelerated pace, e.g. ’more able’ are also supported.
Encourage children to value and respect others
Provide well informed and suitably trained practitioners to help support parents and children with special educational difficulties and/or disabilities
Develop and maintain a core team of staff who are experienced in the care of children with additional needs and identify a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENCo) who is experienced in the care and assessment of children with additional needs. Staff will be provided with specific training relating to SEND and the SEND Code of Practice
Monitor and review our practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments, and seek specialist equipment and services where required
Challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices
Promote positive images and role models during play experiences of those with additional needs wherever possible
Celebrate diversity in all aspects of play and learning
Work in partnership with parents and other agencies in order to meet individual children's needs, including the education, health and care authorities, and seek advice, support and training where required
Share any statutory and other assessments made by the nursery with parents and support parents in seeking any help they or the child may need.

Our nursery Special Education Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator (SENCo) is Sharon Brough.

The role of the SENCo in our setting includes:

Ensuring all practitioners in the setting understand their responsibilities to children with SEND and the setting’s approach to identifying and meeting SEND
Advising and supporting colleagues
Ensuring parents are closely involved throughout and that their insights inform action taken by the setting
Liaising with professionals or agencies beyond the setting
Taking the lead in implementing the graduated response approach and supporting colleagues through each stage of the process.

We will:

Designate a named member of staff to be the SENCo and share their name and role with all staff and parents
Have high aspirations for all children and support them to achieve their full potential
Develop respectful partnerships with parents and families
Ensure parents are involved at all stages of the assessment, planning, provision and review of their child's care and education and include the thoughts and feelings voiced by the child, where possible
Signpost parents and families to our Local Offer in order to access local support and services
Undertake formal Progress Checks and assessments of all children in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice January and statutory framework for the EYFS
Provide a statement showing how we provide for children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and share this with staff, parents and other professionals
Ensure that the provision for children with SEN and/or disabilities is the responsibility of all members of staff in the nursery through training and professional discussions
Set out in our inclusive admissions practice on how we meet equality of access and opportunity
Make reasonable adjustments to our physical environment to ensure it is, as far as possible suitable for children and adults with disabilities using the facilities
Provide a broad, balanced, aspirational early learning environment for all children with SEN and/or disabilities and differentiated activities to meet all individual needs and abilities
Liaise with other professionals involved with children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their families, including transition arrangements to other settings and schools.
Use the graduated approach response system to assess, plan, do and review to ensure early identification of any SEND
Ensure that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their parents are consulted at all stages of the graduated response, taking into account their levels of ability
Review children’s progress and support plans every term/12 weeks and work with parents to agree on further support plans
Provide privacy of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities when intimate care is being provided
Raise awareness of any specialism the setting has to offer, e.g. Makaton trained staff
Ensure the effectiveness of our SEN and disability provision by collecting information from a range of sources, e.g. additional support reviews, Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans, staff and management meetings, parental and external agencies’ views, inspections and complaints. This information is collated, evaluated and reviewed annually
Provide a complaints procedure and make available to all parents in a format that meets their needs, e.g. Braille, audio, large print, additional languages
Monitor and review our policy and procedures annually.

Effective assessment of the need for early help

We are aware of the process for early help and adhere to the following procedure:

Local agencies should work together to put processes in place for the effective assessment of the needs of individual children who may benefit from early help services. Children and families may need support from a wide range of local agencies. Where a child and family would benefit from coordinated support from more than one agency (e.g. education, health, housing, police) there should be an inter-agency assessment. These early help assessments should identify what help the child and family require to prevent needs escalating to a point where intervention would be needed via a statutory assessment under the Children Act 1989.

The early help assessment should be undertaken by a lead professional who should provide support to the child and family, act as an advocate on their behalf and coordinate the delivery of support services. The lead professional role could be undertaken by a General Practitioner (GP), family support worker, teacher, health visitor and/or special educational needs coordinator. Decisions about who should be the lead professional should be taken on a case-by-case basis and should be informed by the child and their family.

For an early help assessment to be effective:

The assessment should be undertaken with the agreement of the child and their parents. It should involve the child and family as well as all the professionals who are working with them
A teacher, GP, health visitor, early years worker or other professional should be able to discuss concerns they may have about a child and family with a social worker in the local authority. Local authority children’s social care should set out the process for how this will happen
If parents and/or the child do not consent to an early help assessment, then the lead professional should make a judgement as to whether, without help, the needs of the child will escalate. If so, a referral into local authority children’s social care may be necessary.

If at any time it is considered that the child may be a child in need as defined in the Children Act 1989, or that the child has suffered significant harm, or is likely to do so, a referral should be made immediately to local authority children’s social care. This referral can be made by any professional (Working together to safeguard children).

Graduated response approach

We follow the SEND Code of Practice recommendation that, in addition to the formal checks above, we adopt a graduated approach to assessment and planning, led and coordinated by a SENCO. Good practice of working together with parents, and the observation and monitoring of children’s individual progress, will help identify any child with special educational needs or disability. This graduated approach will be led and coordinated by our SENCO and appropriate records will be kept according to the Code of Practice.

Assess

In identifying a child as needing SEND support, the key person, working with the SENCO and the child’s parents, will carry out an analysis of the child’s needs. This initial assessment will be reviewed regularly to ensure that support is matched to need. Where there is little or no improvement in the child’s progress, more specialist assessment may be called for from specialist teachers or from health, social services or other agencies beyond the setting. Where professionals are not already working with the setting, the SENCO will contact them, with the parents’ agreement.

Plan

Where it is decided to provide SEND support, and having formally notified the parents, the key person and the SENCO, in consultation with the parents, will agree the outcomes they are seeking, the interventions and support to be put in place, the expected impact on progress, development or behaviour, and a clear date for review. Plans will take into account the views of the child.

The support and intervention provided will be selected to meet the outcomes identified for the child, based on reliable evidence of effectiveness, and provided by practitioners with relevant skills and knowledge. Any related staff development needs are identified and addressed. Parents will be involved in planning support and, where appropriate, in reinforcing the provision or contributing to progress at home.

The child’s key person will be responsible for working with the child on a daily basis. With support from the SENCO, they will oversee the implementation of the intervention agreed as part of SEN support. The SENCO will support the key person in assessing the child’s response to the action taken, in problem solving and advising on the effective implementation of support.

Review

The effectiveness of the support and its impact on the child’s progress will be reviewed in line with the agreed date. The impact and quality of the support will be evaluated by the key person and the SENCO in full consultation with the child’s parents and taking into account the child’s views. Information will be shared with parents about the impact of the support provided.

Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP)

Some children and young people may require an EHC needs assessment in order to decide whether it is necessary to develop an EHC plan. The purpose of an EHC plan is to make adjustments and offer support to meet the special educational needs of the child, to secure the best possible outcomes for them across education, health and social care.

The local authority will conduct the EHC needs assessment and take into account a wide range of evidence, including:

Evidence of the child’s developmental milestones and rate of progress
Information about the nature, extent and context of the child’s SEND
Evidence of the action already being taken by us as the early years provider to meet the child’s SEND needs
Evidence that, where progress has been made, it has only been as the result of much additional intervention and support over and above that which is usually provided
Evidence of the child’s physical, emotional and social development and health needs, drawing on relevant evidence from clinicians and other health professionals and what has been done to meet these by other agencies.

We will then work with the local authority and other agencies to ensure that the child receives the support they need to gain the best outcomes.

We will review this policy annually to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the children, parents and our nursery.

Special support transition plan (SSPP)

If a child does not meet the criteria for an EHCNAR (Education and Health Care Needs Assessment Request), the SENCO may work in conjunction with the Area SENCO team to apply for an SSPP to support the child’s transition to reception class.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

15/04/2026

Sharon Brough

15/4/2027

10. CURRICULUM POLICY

AIM

To provide every child with a balanced learning program based on their individual developmental needs.

Name of Curriculum Officer is Mandy Howell

LEARNING PROGRAM

The group will follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum guidelines laid down by the Q.C.A. (Quality Curriculum Authority)

The curriculum will underpin all future learning by supporting, fostering, promoting and developing children in the 3 Prime areas and 4 Specific areas.

These areas are:-

Personal, Social and Emotional
- Making Relationships
- Self Confidence and self awareness
- Managing feelings and behaviour
Physical Development

Moving and handling
Heath and self care

Communication and Language

Listening and attention
Understanding
Speaking

The specific areas are

Literacy
- Reading
- Writing
Mathematics

Numbers
Shape, space and measure

3 Understanding the world

People and communities
The world
Technology

Expressive arts and design

Exploring and using media and materials
Being imaginative

Characteristics of Effective Learning

Playing and exploring – Engagement
Active Learning – Motivation
Creating and Thinking Critically - Thinking

PROVISION

The group will ensure that it offers a high quality provision and will include a variety of activities that will help the children make good progress towards and where appropriate beyond these goals.

The staff know that children learn in different ways and therefore will use a variety of teaching strategies.

The staff understand that well planned play is a key to how children learn with enjoyment and challenge during the foundation stage and will ensure that planning includes the needs of all children.

Staff will assess children on an ongoing basis and record their finding in the children’s online learning journey’s which are made available to parents and the foundation stage profile records which will transfer with the child to their next setting.

All 2 year olds will undergo a 2 year old progress check which will be shared with parents.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting

The Curriculum officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Alison Moran, Agreed by Staff Team

March 2024

11. HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool 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 within the nursery for the benefit of all staff, children, parents and any visitors, 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.

Legal framework

We follow all relevant legislation and associated guidance relating to health and safety within the nursery including:

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

Aims and objectives

The aim of this policy statement is to ensure that all reasonably practical steps are taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all persons using the premises.

To achieve this, we will actively work towards the following objectives:

Establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment throughout the nursery including outdoor spaces
Establish and maintain safe working practices amongst staff and children
Make arrangements for ensuring safety and the minimising of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of hazardous articles and substances
Ensure the provision of sufficient information, instruction and supervision to enable all people working in or using the nursery to avoid hazards and contribute positively to their own health and safety and to ensure that staff have access to regular health and safety training
Maintain a healthy and safe nursery with safe entry and exit routes
Formulate effective procedures for use in case of fire and other emergencies and for evacuating the nursery premises. Practice this procedure on a regular basis to enable the safe and speedy evacuation of the nursery
Maintain a safe environment for those with special educational needs and disabilities and ensure all areas of the nursery are accessible (wherever practicable)
Provide a safe environment for students or trainees to learn in
Encourage all staff, visitors and parents to report any unsafe working practices or areas to ensure immediate response by the management.

We believe the risks in the nursery environment are low. To maintain the maximum protection for children, staff and parents, the nursery:

Ensures all entrances and exits from the building, including fire exits are clearly identifiable, free from obstruction and easily opened from the inside
Regularly check the premises for structural defects, worn fixtures and fittings or electrical equipment and report these immediately to the church.
Ensures that all staff, visitors, parents and children are aware of the fire procedures and regular fire drills are carried out
Has the appropriate fire detection and control equipment which is checked regularly to make sure it is in working order, this is organised annually through the church.
Ensures that all members of staff are aware of the procedure to follow in case of accidents for staff, visitors and children
Ensures that all members of staff take all reasonable action to control the spread of infectious diseases and wear protective gloves and clothing where appropriate
Ensures there are suitable hygienic changing facilities.
Prohibits smoking or vaping on the nursery premises.
Prohibits any contractor from working on the premises without prior discussion with the officer in charge.
Encourages children to manage risks safely and prohibits running inside the premises unless at designated times in designated areas.
Risk assesses all electrical sockets and take appropriate measures to reduce risks where necessary and ensure no trailing wires are left around the nursery
Ensures all cleaning materials are placed out of the reach of children and kept in their original containers
Prohibits certain foods that may relate to children’s allergies, e.g. nuts are not allowed in the nursery
All staff to be aware of allergies of all children and staff.
Familiarises all staff and visitors with the position of the first aid boxes and ensure all know who the appointed first aiders are
Provides appropriately stocked first aid boxes and check their contents regularly
Ensures children are supervised at all times
Takes all reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises and have an agreed procedure for checking the identity of visitors
Ensures no student or volunteer is left unsupervised at any time
Ensure all staff are paediatric first aid trained. Be aware if there are and lapses.

Responsibilities

The designated Health and Safety Officer in the nursery is Vivienne Jones

The employer has overall and final responsibility for this policy being carried out at:

Harvey Road Preschool

The nursery deputy nursery manager will be responsible in her absence.

All employees have the responsibility to cooperate with senior staff and the manager to achieve a healthy and safe nursery and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. Neglect of health and safety regulations and duties will be regarded as a disciplinary matter.

Whenever a member of staff notices a health or safety issue or problem which they are not able to rectify, they must immediately report it to the appropriate person named above. Parents and visitors are requested to report any concerns they may have to the manager or deputy manager.

Daily contact, monthly staff meetings and health and safety meetings provide consultation between management and employees. These include health and safety matters.

Health and safety training

Person responsible for monitoring staff training is Vivienne Jones.

Health and safety is covered in all induction training for new staff.

All staff on the premises and available at times when children are present will hold a full paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate in the nursery and must accompany children on outings. The certificate must be for a full 12 hour course consistent with the criteria set out in Annex A of the EYFS.

This must be renewed every three years.

Health and safety arrangements

All staff are responsible for general health and safety in the nursery
Risk assessments will be conducted on all areas of the nursery, including rooms, activities, outdoor areas, resources, cleaning equipment.
Risk assessments are reviewed at regular intervals and when arrangements change
All outings away from the nursery (however short) will include a prior risk assessment.
All equipment, rooms and outdoor areas are checked thoroughly by staff before children access them or the area. Unsafe areas are made safe where possible or the area is not used to promote the safety of children. In these cases the manager will be notified immediately
We provide appropriate facilities for all children, staff, parents and visitors to receive a warm welcome and provide for their basic care needs.
We adhere to the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH) to ensure all children, staff, parents and visitors are safe in relation to any chemicals we may use on the premises
All staff and students receive appropriate training in all areas of health and safety which includes risk assessments and emergency evacuation procedures.
We have a clear Accidents and first aid policy to follow in the case of any person in the nursery suffering injury from an accident or incident
We have a clear fire safety procedure, which supports the safe evacuation of all persons in the nursery. This is shared with all staff, students, parents and visitors to the nursery
We review accident and incident records to identify any patterns or hazardous areas
All health and safety matters are reviewed on an ongoing basis.
We welcome feedback from staff and parents. They are able to contribute to any policy through informal and formal discussions.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

08/04/2026

V.Jones

08/04/2027

12. SMOKING POLICY

Aim

To ensure the safety of both children and adults while using the preschool

To achieve this

All staff and adults will respect the rights of everyone. In accordance with government legislation, no one will smoke or use e-cigaretes anywhere on this site, including the buildings, car park and grass areas. No member of staff including students will smoke within 20 minutes prior to entering the nursery.

Monitoring and reviewing the policy

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Health and Safety Officer will review this policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, Agreed by the staff team

March 2024

13. ASTHMA POLICY

Policy statement

We will welcome all children with Asthma and we recognize that asthma is a serious condition affecting many children.

We expect and encourage parents/carers to give us the appropriate information on their child’s condition.

We will encourage and help children with Asthma to participate fully in activities.

Our Asthma Officer is Alison Moran

Children with Asthma

All children diagnosed with asthma will be required to have a reliever (blue) inhaler and spacer device that can be kept at the setting.

All relievers (blue) inhalers and spacer devices must be clearly labeled with the child’s name, must be in its original packaging with the dust cap in place.

Reliever (Blue) inhalers will be kept available at all times on the front desk to ensure immediate access.

Parents/carers will be informed if the inhaler has been used during the session and will need to sign to acknowledge this.

If the child needs to repeat the use of their inhaler within 4 hours we will allow them to do so but will contact the parents immediately as the child will need to be seen by their GP that day.

If the child leaves the premises for any activity their inhaler and spacer device will be taken with them.

It is the parents responsibility to ensure that the inhaler is in date and that it contains sufficient medication.

Staff are trained in the management of Asthma.

If staff feel that the request made by parents/carers regarding the administration of asthma medication are not in line with the advice received during training they may request parents/carers to obtain clear written guidelines from the child’s doctor or asthma nurse.

Parents/carers will be required to complete an asthma alert card/care plan with the support of the setting staff and health visitor, specialist nurse and/or nurse educator as appropriate.

Asthma Alert Cards/care plans will provide details of

Emergency contacts
The child’s asthma medication; name, dose, when and how to use it.
What triggers the child’s asthma (where known)
Individual signs and symptoms
What to do if the child’s asthma gets worse
Special requests from parents/carers.

Policy Revised by Alison Moran, Agreed by the staff team

March 2024

14. EMERGENCY LOCKDOWN POLICY

We take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the premises, communicating policies clearly to staff on induction and through training. Parents are informed about the procedures through the prospectus, website and reminders through newsletters.

In the event of an emergency requiring a full lock down, the following procedure will be implemented.

Emergency lock down procedure

We will use the lock down procedure when the safety of the children, staff and others on the premises are at risk and we are better placed inside the current building, with doors and windows locked.

We will activate this emergency procedure in response to a number of situations, but some of the more typical might be:

A report incident or disturbance in the local community (with potential to pose a risk to staff and children in the nursery)
An intruder on the nursery site (with potential to pose a risk to staff and children in nursery)
A warning being received regarding a local risk of air pollution (smoke plumes, gas cloud etc.)
A major fire or explosion in the vicinity of the nursery – as long as it is safer staying in the premises than leaving.

In this case the staff will be notified by the following action:

Insert action here:

Signal for lock down – emergency bell rung and vocal instruction

Signal for all-clear – vocal announcement

All individuals (including children) will remain in the hall, if safe to do so. If the children are outside, staff are to promptly and calmly direct children into the building, if this will not endanger them. Staff will make efforts to close and lock doors wherever safe to do so.

All individuals will keep away from the windows and doors and children will be occupied in the hall so they are not placed at risk or are able to see any situation developing outside.

Communication will be via mobile phone.

The manager will ensure all children, staff and visitors are accounted for. The manager or will manage the situation dependent upon the information available. If the nursery is in immediate danger of an intruder, the police will be called as a matter of urgency and the children and staff will be taken into the storage area which will be locked. In other cases where the situation has been alerted by the police or local area authority then the nursery will await further instructions.

Once the all-clear has been given externally, the manager will issue the all-clear internally. After this time the staff will try to return to normal practice to enable the children not to be disrupted or upset by the events.

Any children showing worries or concerns will have one-to-one time with their key person to talk about these.

Parents will be informed about the situation at the earliest safest opportunity and will be kept updated when the information changes.

After the event a post-incident evaluation will be conducted to ensure that each child and staff member was supported fully and the procedure went as planned. Ofsted will be informed.

Regular drills will be held to practice exercising the lock down procedures, using non-alarming scenarios.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

04/03/2027

15. NAPPY CHANGING AND INTIMATE CARE POLICY

Toileting

Children will be encouraged to support their own toilet needs.

Staff will stand by sink area if required where they are visible to both the child and other staff members.

Staff will only enter the toilet area if a child requests help. They will seek the support of a second member of staff before entering.

Any toilet accidents will be dealt with quickly by the 2 members of staff present, either within the toilet area or behind the changing screen at the corner of the hall.

All incidents will be recorded.

All clothing removed from child will be bagged and sent home.

Any waste materials will be bagged and disposed of in the external bin provided by the church.

No wet clothes changes will take place in the hall while non DBS cleared adults are present.

If a child refuses for a member of staff to change them, a parent will be called and a member of staff will comfort the child until a parent arrives.

Nappy Change

All parents of children in nappies, will be asked to provide a nappy and wipes each day if they require staff to change their child’s nappy.

If no nappy supplied, the parent will be asked and their wishes will be taken into account.

If no nappy provided and a child soils, parents will be contacted to come and change their child.

Staff will change nappies on a rota basis, half way through a session.

Nappy change will be done in the corner of the room, one child at a time, one member of staff will change nappies and a second will overlook from a distance unless the staff member requires assistance.

Children will be placed on the changing mat provided on the floor, with adult in view of another staff member and child behind the screen..

Nappy cream will be applied at the request of parents and being supplied by them.

Nappies will be disposed of in tied bags in the external bin supplied by the church.

All nappy changes will be recorded.

No nappy changes will take place in the hall while non DBS cleared adults are present.

If a parent comes in to change their child, a member of staff will take them into another room to change the child.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

23/02/2026

Vivienne Jones

23/02/2027

16. OUTDOOR PLAY POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we recognise the importance of daily outdoor play and physical development and are committed to ensuring all children have daily access regardless of their age or stage of development. Where possible this includes the children having free access to the outdoors allowing them the freedom to choose whether to play indoors or out. We provide an inclusive outdoor play environment with areas for non-mobile children to freely explore. We make reasonable adjustments where required, in line with the Equality Act 2010. We go out to play with all children in all weathers (unless it is deemed unsafe).

We understand the vital role that learning outdoors has on children’s learning and development as well as the importance of regular access to outdoor play in order to keep fit and healthy, develop children’s large and fine motor skills, experience learning in a natural environment and access sunlight in order to absorb vitamin D more effectively. We also refer to the Chief Medical Officers guidance on physical activity.

The outdoor areas, both within the nursery grounds and in the local community, have a wealth of experiences and resources, which help children to learn and develop in a variety of ways, including independence, exploration and investigative skills, risk taking and self-esteem, all of which support children to develop skills now and for the future.

We take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children through risk assessments whilst balancing the benefits to learning through providing an element of ‘risky play.’ This type of play allows children to explore and find their own boundaries in a safe environment with supportive practitioners. Staff are informed of the importance of safety procedures and are trained appropriately to ensure these procedures are followed effectively.

Checks to the outside area are made before the area is set up for the children.

We ensure outdoor play is adequately supervised and we have robust safety checks in place, including every child wearing hi-vis jackets.

We obtain parental permission before any child leaves the nursery during the day. This includes short outings into the local community. There is more information in the Visits and outings policy.

We plan all outdoor play opportunities and outings to complement the early years curriculum. This includes providing children with purposeful activities and quality resources that support and follow their individual interests and the seven areas of learning and development. We plan both adult-led and child-initiated opportunities to enable children to learn and practice new skills, knowledge and behaviours.

Where activities take place away from the setting (e.g. in the local wood) then a nursery mobile phone and first aid kit will be taken to ensure the safety of children at all times. A trained paediatric first aider will be present when children are away from the main setting.

We use this policy alongside the following policies to ensure the safety and welfare of children throughout their time outside:

Health and safety – general policy
Missing child from nursery
Missing child from outings
Safeguarding children and child protection

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

3/03/2026

E.Whittall

03/03/2027

17. MISSING CHILD POLICY

AIM

The preschool will make sure that all children are safe and within view of an adult at all times.

TO ACHIEVE THIS

Preschool register every child in and signed out if their parent or carer collects them early.

All staff, students and visitors entering preschool will sign in when they enter and out when they leave.

The preschool will keep the doors secure at all times while children are indoors.

Gates will be locked and fencing including folding fencing will be secure while the children use the outside play area.

Visitors will be kept behind the front barrier until a member of staff is available for them.

Children will be greeted by a member of staff on arrival and not allowed on the premises until the allocated time and staff deem it safe to do so.

The door will be supervised throughout the arrival times of the children.

At the end of a session, the children will be sent out directly to a parent or carer.

Two experienced staff members will be present at the door at departure time.

When out on visits, the correct adult/child ratio will be adhered to, registers will be taken at intervals throughout the visit and every child will be expected to wear uniform and given a safety jacket to wear with the group telephone number on.

IF A CHILD GOES MISSING

In the unlikely event of a child going missing, a member of staff would inform the parent/carer and police immediately and the Preschool would make every effort to find the child as quickly as possible. Staff would take all other children to a safe area while a search took place and it was deemed safe to return to nursery.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Preschool Leader will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, agreed by the staff team

March 2024

18. OUTDOOR PLAY POLICY

Checks to the outside area are made before the area is set up for the children.

We ensure outdoor play is adequately supervised and we have robust safety checks in place, including every child wearing hi-vis jackets.

We obtain parental permission before any child leaves the nursery during the day. This includes short outings into the local community. There is more information in the Visits and outings policy.

We use this policy alongside the following policies to ensure the safety and welfare of children throughout their time outside:

Health and safety – general policy
Missing child from nursery
Missing child from outings
Safeguarding children and child protection

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

3/03/2026

E.Whittall

03/03/2027

19. BEHAVIOUR POLICY AND PROCEDURES

AIM

We will provide an ordered environment in which everyone knows what is expected of them, which will allow children and adults to flourish.

We will provide an environment where children are free to develop their play and learning without fear of being hurt or hindered by anyone else.

We will work towards a situation in which children can develop self discipline and self esteem in an atmosphere of mutual respect and encouragement.

Our behaviour management officer is Mandy Crowe.

EXPECTATIONS OF THE ADULTS

All adults will work to Promote Positive Behaviour within the setting.

Parents, carers and staff in the preschool will ensure that the rules are applied consistently so that children have the security of knowing what to expect and can build up useful habits of behaviour.

All adults will provide positive role models for the children with regards to friendliness, care and courtesy during all preschool activities including break time, when this is seen as a social time.

Adults will praise and endorse desirable behaviour such as kindness and willingness to share.

Adults will never send children out of the room by themselves.

Adults will not shout or raise their voices in a threatening manner.

Physical intervention will only be used in extreme circumstances to manage a child’s behaviour when they are in danger of hurting themselves or another person. Parents will be notified if this has happened.

Staff may use time out to deal with recurring behaviour. Parents will be notified if this occurs.

Any disagreements between children or adults should be bought to the attention of the manager so the problem can be sorted out fairly and without favoritism.

EXPECTATIONS OF THE CHILDREN

All children in the preschool will be encouraged to share and show consideration for each other. They will be expected to show respect to the staff, other adults and children within the group.

REWARDING POSITIVE BEHEVIOUR

Positive behaviour will be rewarded by staff in various ways, praise, stickers and occasional certificates.

HANDLING UNWANTED BEHAVIOUR

The system the group runs for dealing with unwanted behaviour is as follows:-

Adults will talk to the child, allowing the child to understand why their behaviour is unacceptable.
If the behaviour continues, the child will be told firmly that their behaviour is unacceptable, told why it is unacceptable, and what will happen if it occurs again. A written record is kept at this point.
If still no improvement, Parents will be notified and the behaviour will be monitored.
Parents and staff will then work together to improve the behaviour and support the child.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Behaviour Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Sharon Brough, agreed by the staff team

March 2025

20. PROMOTING POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we believe that children flourish best when they feel safe and secure and have their needs met by supportive practitioners who act as good role models, show them respect and value their individual personalities. Children are supported through co-regulation, where adults and children work together towards a common purpose, including finding ways to resolve upsets from stress in any domain and return to balance leading onto a path to self-regulation. The nursery actively promotes British values and encourages and praises positive, caring and polite behaviour at all times and provides an environment where children learn to respect themselves, other people and their surroundings.

We implement the early years curriculum supporting children to develop their personal, social and emotional development. This involves helping children to understand their own feelings and others and beginning to regulate their behaviour. We support children to do this through working together with parents, having consistent approaches, structure, routine and age/stage appropriate boundaries appropriate to the emotional development of the child. We help build confidence and self-esteem by valuing all children and giving lots of praise and encouragement.

To support positive behaviour in our setting, we aim to:

Recognise the individuality of all our children
Provide a warm, responsive relationship where children feel respected, comforted and supported in times of stress, and confident that they are cared for at all times
Understand that certain behaviours are a normal part of some young children’s development, e.g. biting, snatching.
Encourage self-regulation, consideration for each other, our surroundings and property
Encourage children to participate in a wide range of group activities to enable them to develop their social skills
Ensure that all staff act as positive role models for children
Encourage parents, carers and other visitors to be positive role models
Work in partnership with parents by communicating openly
Praise children and acknowledge their positive actions and attitudes, therefore ensuring that children see that we value and respect them
Encourage all staff working with children to accept their responsibility for implementing the goals in this policy and to be consistent
Promote non-violence and encourage children to deal with conflict peacefully
Provide a key person system enabling staff to build a strong and positive relationship with children and their families
Provide activities and stories to help children learn about accepted behaviours, including opportunities for children to contribute to decisions about accepted behaviour where appropriate
Support and develop children’s understanding of different feelings and emotions, self-regulation and empathy as appropriate to stage of development. This includes using strategies and naming and talking about feelings and ways to manage them
Have a named person who has overall responsibility for promoting positive behaviour and behaviour support.

The named person for promoting and supporting behaviour is Sharon Brough.

It is their role to:

Advise and support other staff on any behaviour concerns
Along with other staff will keep up to date with legislation and research relating to promoting positive behaviour
Support changes to policies and procedures in the nursery
Access relevant sources of expertise where required and act as a central information source for all involved
Attend external training events, and ensure all staff attend relevant in-house or external training for behaviour management.

Our nursery rules are concerned with safety, care and respect for each other. We keep the rules to a minimum and ensure that these are age and stage appropriate. We regularly involve children in the process of setting rules to encourage cooperation and participation and ensure children gain understanding of the expectations of behaviour relevant to them as a unique child.

Children who are displaying distressed and /or behaviour which challenges, for example, by physically abusing another child or adult, e.g. biting, or through verbal bullying, are helped to talk through their feelings and actions through co-regulation before thinking about the situation and apologising if appropriate. We make sure that the child who has been upset is comforted. We always acknowledge when a child is feeling angry or upset and that it is the behaviour that is not acceptable, not the child or their feelings.

Our promoting positive behaviour procedure is:

We support all children to develop positive behaviour, and we make every effort to provide for their individual needs
We never use or threaten to use physical punishment or corporal punishment such as smacking or shaking or use or threaten any punishment that could adversely affect a child’s well-being
We only use physical intervention (where practitioners may use reasonable force to prevent children from injuring themselves or others or damaging property) or to manage a child’s behaviour if absolutely necessary.
We recognise that there may be occasions where a child is displaying distressed and/or behaviour which challenges and may need individual techniques to restrain them to prevent a child from injuring themselves or others.
We do not single out children or humiliate them in any way. Where children are displaying behaviour which challenges they will, wherever possible, be distracted and re-directed to alternative activities. Discussions with children will take place as to why their behaviour was not acceptable, respecting their level of understanding and maturity
Staff do not raise their voices (other than to keep children safe)
In any case of behaviour which challenges, we always make it clear to the child or children in question, that it is the behaviour and not the child that is unwelcome
We decide on particular strategies to support particular types of behaviour depending on the child’s age, level of development and the circumstances surrounding the behaviour. This may involve the child having time out with a member of staff and asking the child to talk and think about what he/she has done. All staff support children in developing empathy and children will only be asked to apologise if they have developed strong empathy skills and have a good understanding of why saying sorry is appropriate
We help staff to reflect on their own responses towards behaviours that challenge to ensure that their reactions are appropriate
We inform parents if their child’s behaviour is unkind to others or if their child has been upset. In all cases we deal with behaviour that challenges in nursery at the time. We may ask parents to meet with staff to discuss their child's behaviour, so that if there are any difficulties, we can work together to ensure consistency between their home and the nursery. In some cases, we may request additional advice and support from other professionals.
We support children in developing non-aggressive strategies to enable them to express their feelings and emotions
We inform parents of any recurring incidents.
Through partnership with parents and formal observations, we make every effort to identify any behavioural concerns and the causes of that behaviour. From these observations and discussions, we will implement an individual behaviour support plan where a child’s behaviour involves aggressive actions towards other children and staff, for example hitting, kicking etc. The child’s keyworker will complete risk assessments identifying any potential triggers or warning signs ensuring other children’s and staff’s safety at all times. In these instances, we may remove a child from an area until they have calmed down.

We recognise that children need their own time and space and that it is not always appropriate to expect a child to share. We believe it is important to acknowledge each child’s feelings and to help them understand how others might be feeling.

At our nursery, staff follow the procedure below to enable them to deal with behaviour that challenges:

Staff are encouraged to ensure that all children feel safe, happy and secure
Staff are encouraged to recognise that active physical aggression in the early years is part of the child’s development and that it should be channelled in a positive way
Children are helped to understand that using aggression to get things is inappropriate and they will be encouraged to resolve problems in other ways
Staff will initiate games and activities with children when they feel play has become overly boisterous or aggressive, both indoors and outdoors
We will ensure that this policy is available for staff and parents and it will be shared at least once a year to parents and staff
Staff and parents are also welcome to review and comment on the policy and procedure
If any parent has a concern about their child, a member of staff will be available to discuss those concerns. Working together can ensure our children feel confident and secure in their environment, both at home and in the nursery
All concerns will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Anti-bullying

We encourage children to recognise that bullying, fighting, hurting and discriminatory comments are not acceptable behaviour. We want children to recognise that certain actions are right and that others are wrong.

Bullying takes many forms. It can be physical, verbal or emotional, but it is always a repeated behaviour that makes other people feel uncomfortable or threatened. We acknowledge that any form of bullying is unacceptable and will be dealt with immediately while recognising that physical aggression is part of children’s development in their early years. Staff will intervene when they think a child is being bullied, however mild or harmless it may seem and sensitively discuss any instance of bullying with the parents of all involved to look for a consistent resolution to the behaviour.

By promoting positive behaviour, valuing co-operation and a caring attitude, we hope to ensure that children will develop a positive sense of self, have confidence in their own abilities, make good friendships, co-operate and resolve conflicts peaceably. These will provide them with a secure platform for school and later life.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

23/02/2026

S.Brough

23/02/2027

21. SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN AND CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Safeguarding children and child protection procedures

Introduction

Harvey Road Preschool is dedicated to the support, development and promotion of high-quality care and education for the benefit of our children, families and community. We are committed to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare through building a safe organisational culture.

All staff, students and volunteers have a responsibility for safeguarding children, being vigilant and identifying and reporting any safeguarding concerns, in line with this and supporting policies, including:

Acceptable internet use policy

Nappy changing and intimate care policy

Attendance policy

Online safety policy

Data protection and confidentiality policy

Promoting positive behaviour policy

Emergency lockdown policy

Recruitment, selection and suitability of staff policy

Inclusion and equality policy

Social networking policy

Late collection and non-collection of children policy

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) policy

Low-level concern policy

Staff code of conduct

Missing child from nursery policy

Whistleblowing policy

Missing child from outings policy

Young workers policy

Mobile phone and electronic device use policy

Volunteers and students policy

We ensure all staff, students and volunteers have the necessary knowledge and skills to carry out their duties and are confident to implement these policy and procedures on an ongoing basis to support them in promoting and safeguarding the welfare of children. This is achieved through recruitment and induction processes and by offering ongoing training and support to all staff, appropriate to their specific role, in line with the criteria set out in the EYFS.

This policy is reviewed annually to ensure it remains in line with statutory guidance.

It is the responsibility of every staff member, student and volunteer to report any breaches of this policy to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).

Policy intention

The policy makes it clear that all staff, students and volunteers have a responsibility to safeguard children and young people and to protect them from harm. It aims to raise awareness of how to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and provides procedures should a child protection issue arise.

This policy applies to all children up to the age of 18 years whether living with their families, in state care, or living independently (Working together to safeguard children).

Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, in relation to this policy, is defined as:

Providing help and support to meet the needs of children as soon as problems emerge
Protecting children from maltreatment, whether that is within or outside the home, including online
Preventing impairment of children’s mental and physical health or development
Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
Promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise family network through a kinship care arrangement, wherever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children
Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes in line with the outcomes set out in the Children’s Social Care National Framework.

Child protection is an integral part of safeguarding children and promoting their overall welfare. In this policy, child protection shall mean:

The activity that is undertaken to protect specific children who are suspected to be suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm. This includes harm that occurs inside or outside the home, including online.(Working together to safeguard children)

To safeguard children and promote their welfare we will:

Develop a safe organisational culture where staff are confident to raise concerns about professional conduct
Ensure all staff are able to identify the signs and indicators of abuse, including the softer signs of abuse, and know what action to take
Understand and be sensitive to factors, including economic and social circumstances and ethnicity, which can impact children and families’ lives
Share information with other agencies as appropriate.

We promote:

Always listening to children
Positive images of children
Children developing independence and autonomy as appropriate for their age and stage of development
Safe and secure environments for children
Tolerance and acceptance of different beliefs, cultures and communities
British values
Providing intervention and help for children and families in need.

We have a duty to act quickly and responsibly in any instance that may come to our attention. If in any doubt about what constitutes a safeguarding concern, refer to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). If there is a concern, never do nothing, always do something, including sharing information with any relevant agencies. Safeguarding is everybody’s responsibility.

The nursery aims to:

Keep the child at the centre of all we do, providing sensitive interactions that develop and build children’s well-being, confidence and resilience
We will support children to develop an awareness of how to keep themselves safe, healthy and develop positive relationships
Be aware of the increased vulnerability of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), isolated families and vulnerabilities in families, including the additional potential impact of the trio of vulnerabilities on children and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
Ensure that all staff feel confident and supported to act in the best interest of the child, maintaining professional curiosity around welfare of children, sharing information, and seeking help that a child may need at the earliest opportunity
Ensure that all staff are trained at least every two years and updated regularly with child protection training and procedures and kept informed of changes to local and/or national procedures, including thorough annual safeguarding updates
Make any child protection referrals in a timely way, sharing relevant information as necessary in line with procedures set out by the Birmingham Children’s Trust.
Ensure that information is shared only with those people who need to know in order to protect the child and act in their best interest
Ensure that staff identify, minimise and manage risks while caring for children
Follow clear whistleblowing procedures by taking any appropriate action relating to poor or unsafe practices and allegations of serious harm or abuse against any person working with children including reporting such allegations to Ofsted and other relevant authorities
Provide parents with access to our safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures when they register with the nursery and keep them informed of all updates when they occur
Regularly review and update this policy with staff and parents where appropriate and make sure it complies with any legal requirements and any guidance or procedures issued by Birmingham Children’s Trust.

Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)

The DSL has overall responsibility for the Safeguarding children and child protection policy and procedures. It is their role to ensure that the policy and procedures are implemented to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. They are responsible for coordinating safeguarding and child protection training for staff across the organisation.

There is always at least one designated person on duty during the opening hours of the setting. The designated persons receive comprehensive training, consistent with the training criteria provided in Annex C of the EYFS, at least every two years and update their knowledge on an ongoing basis, but at least once a year. They in turn support the ongoing development and knowledge of the staff team with regular safeguarding updates.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Sharon Brough

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Alison Moran

The role of the DSL

The role of the DSL is to:

Update the Safeguarding children and child protection policy and procedures in line with new legislation and in response to any incidents
Carry out ongoing monitoring of the setting’s policies and procedures to ensure they remain effective
Ensure policies and procedures are in line with the guidance and procedures of the Birmingham Children’s Trust
Ensure updates and new legislation are reflected in our services as soon as they are known
Act as a source of support, advice and expertise for all staff, students, volunteers, children and parents who have child protection concerns
Ensure detailed, accurate, secure written records of concerns and referrals
Review all written safeguarding reports
Assess information provided promptly, carefully and refer as appropriate to external agencies
Provide signposting to other organisations
Consult with statutory child protection agencies and regulatory bodies where required
Make formal referrals to statutory child protection agencies or the police, as required.

In addition, the DSL is required to:

Keep up-to-date with good practice and national requirements for safeguarding and child protection
Provide information on safeguarding and child protection for the setting
Have an ongoing responsibility to ensure all staff understand the correct procedures and are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities
Raise awareness of any safeguarding and child protection training needs and implement where necessary
Retain up-to-date knowledge of local child protection procedures, including how to liaise with local statutory children’s services agencies and with the local safeguarding partners to safeguard children.

The DSL does not investigate whether or not a child has been abused or investigate an allegation or disclosure. Investigations are for the appropriate authorities, usually the police and social services.

Sharing low-level concerns

On occasion, inappropriate, problematic or concerning behaviour by staff or other adults is observed but does not meet the threshold for significant harm. This may be classed as a ‘low-level’ concern, although this does not mean that it is insignificant.

See Low-level concerns policy for full details.

Monitoring children’s attendance

As part of our requirements under the statutory framework we must follow up on absences in a timely manner. See our Attendance policy for further details about the processes we will take to implement this requirement.

We are required to monitor children’s attendance patterns and trends to ensure they are consistent and no cause for concern. We ask parents to inform the nursery prior to their children taking holidays or days off, and all incidents of sickness absence should be reported to the nursery the same day so the nursery management are able to account for a child’s absence.

If a child is absent from nursery and no contact has been received from the parents, the parents will be contacted to ensure the child is safe and healthy. If the parents are not contactable then the emergency contacts numbers listed will be used to ensure all parties are safe. Staff will work their way down the emergency contact list until contact is established and we are made aware that all is well with the child and family.

If contact cannot be established then we would assess if a home visit were required to establish all parties are safe. If contact is still not established, we would assess if it would be appropriate to contact relevant authorities, including the police, in order for them to investigate further.

Where a child is part of a child protection plan, or during a referral process, any absences will immediately be reported to the Local Authority children’s social care team to ensure the child remains safe and well.

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 Authority children’s social care team, police or LADO does not allow this to happen.

Support to families

The nursery takes every step in its power to build up trusting and supportive relationships among families, staff, students and volunteers within the nursery.

The nursery will continue to welcome a child and their family whilst enquiries are being made in relation to abuse in the home situation. Parents and families will be treated with respect in a non-judgmental manner whilst any external investigations are carried out in the best interest of the child.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality must not override the right of children to be protected from harm. However, every effort will be made to ensure confidentiality is maintained for all concerned if an allegation has been made and is being investigated.

If uncertain about whether sensitive information can be disclosed to a third party, contact the DSL or call the Information Commissioner’s Office helpline on 0303 123 1113.

Staff must not make any comments either publicly or in private about the supposed or actual behaviour of a parent, child or member of staff.

Reporting procedures

Public interest disclosure (whistleblowing)

Whistleblowing is the term used when a worker passes on information concerning wrongdoing. All safeguarding allegations, internal or external, current or historical, must be passed on the DSL. We will cooperate fully with the authorities involved and follow any guidance given. See the Whistleblowing policy which outlines our procedures, including where staff may wish to raise concerns about poor or unsafe practice regarding our safeguarding provision. All concerns will be taken seriously by the senior leadership team.

We believe keeping children safe is the highest priority and if, for whatever reason, concerns cannot be reported to the DSL or deputy DSL, or where a staff member feels that their genuine concerns are not being addressed, concerns can be reported anonymously to Birmingham Children’s Trust(LADO), the NSPCC, the police, or Ofsted.

Allegation against our staff

An allegation against our staff may relate to a person who has:

Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children, or
Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

We will make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of all parties while an allegation or concern is being investigated. Dealing with an allegation can be a stressful experience and, to support the staff member, a named person (usually one of the DSL’s) to liaise with will be offered. The timeframes for an investigation will follow the guidelines of other involved authorities.

We reserve the right to suspend a staff member until the investigation is concluded. Further action will be determined by the outcome of the investigation.

Founded allegations are considered gross misconduct, in accordance with our disciplinary procedures, and may result in the termination of employment. DBS will be informed to ensure their records are updated and Ofsted will be informed. We retain the right to dismiss any member of staff in connection with founded allegations following an inquiry.

All safeguarding records are kept until the person reaches normal retirement age or for 22 years, if that is longer. This will ensure accurate information is available for references and future DBS checks and avoids unnecessary reinvestigation.

Unfounded allegations will result in all rights being reinstated. A return to work plan will be put in place for any member of staff returning to work after an allegation has been deemed unfounded. Individual support will be offered to meet the needs of the staff member and the nature of the incident such as more frequent supervisions, coaching and mentoring or external support services.

If the member of staff resigns during the investigation, we will inform DBS, Ofsted and the police, where appropriate.

Support for staff during safeguarding incidents

The DSL will support staff throughout any of the processes listed above and will organise appropriate counselling should this be required.

Any member of staff who has concerns about the content of this policy and its procedures, should speak to the DSL as soon as possible. If any member of staff wishes to talk confidentially about any safeguarding concern or any other issue relating to child protection or personal circumstance, it is important to do this as soon as possible.

Reporting procedure

We will always act on behalf of the child and will do everything possible to ensure the safety and welfare of any child and so will take all allegations of potential abuse seriously. All concerns reported to staff will be pursued, regardless of the nature of the concern and to whom the allegation relates.

All staff have a responsibility to report safeguarding and child protection concerns and suspicions of abuse. These concerns will be discussed with the DSL as soon as possible.

If a concern is raised anonymously and we have no contact details, we will treat the concern as valid and follow the procedures as above. If a malicious call is suspected, the procedures will still be followed: a child may be in danger. The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) will be contacted to ensure permitted data sharing.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

S.Brough/A.Moran

04/03/2027

Low-Level Concerns Policy

22. LOW LEVEL CONCERNS POLICY

Introduction

At Harvey Road Preschool we are committed to safeguarding children and promoting their welfare at all times.

This policy applies to all concerns (including allegations) about members of staff, including students and volunteers. We ensure that all those working with children behave appropriately and the early identification and prompt and appropriate management of concerns about adults is critical to effective safeguarding. This section is based on concerns that do not meet the harm threshold, as defined in Keeping Children Safe in Education.

We recognise the importance of responding to and dealing with any concerns in a timely manner to safeguard the welfare of children.

Concerns may arise through, for example:

Suspicion
Complaint
Disclosure made by a child, parent or other adult within or outside the nursery
Pre-employment vetting checks.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following policies: Safeguarding children and child protection policy, Staff code of conduct, Online safety policy, Whistleblowing policy, Attendance policy.

Definition of ‘low-level’ concerns

The term ‘low-level’ concern is any concern – no matter how small – that an adult working in, or on behalf of, the nursery may have acted in a way that:

Is inconsistent with the staff code of conduct, including inappropriate conduct outside of nursery
Does not meet the harm threshold or is otherwise not considered serious enough to consider a referral to the local authority designated officer (LADO).

The behaviour of the staff, student or volunteer may not relate directly to a particular child or children but may raise an issue or issues of concern with respect to safeguarding a child/children. This may potentially call into question the adult’s suitability to work with children.

Examples of such behaviour could include, but are not limited to:

Being overly friendly with children
Having favourites
Taking photographs of children on their mobile phone
Engaging with a child on a one-to-one basis in a secluded area or behind a closed door
Using inappropriate sexualised, intimidating or offensive language
Inadvertent or thoughtless behaviour
Behaviour that might be considered inappropriate depending on the circumstances
Behaviour which is intended to enable abuse.

Reasons to identify and respond to low-level concerns

We respond to all potential concerns about an adult’s behaviour, including those which are considered low-level, in order to help create a culture where the safety of children is always prioritised.

We believe that responding to low-level concerns gives a clear message that any form of inappropriate behaviour will not be tolerated. Staff are made aware that a concern can still be significant even if it does not meet the threshold of harm, recognising that, if left unaddressed, low-level concerns can escalate into more significant rule-breaking or even abuse.

In addition, through monitoring low-level concerns raised, we may identify training needs or improved staff induction.

Sharing low-level concerns

We recognise the importance of creating a culture of openness, trust and transparency to encourage all staff to share low-level concerns so that they can be addressed appropriately. This ensures that adults consistently model our values and helps keep children safer.

We create this culture by:

Ensuring all staff are clear about what appropriate behaviour is, and are confident in differentiating expected and appropriate behaviour from concerning, challenging or inappropriate behaviour, in themselves and other adults
Ensuring adults understand what a low-level concern is and the importance of sharing low-level concerns
Having clear policies and procedures so staff are confident to report any concerns
Empowering staff to share any low-level concerns
Empowering staff to self-refer
Addressing unprofessional behaviour and supporting the individual to correct it at an early stage
Providing a responsive, sensitive and proportionate handling of such concerns when they are raised
Helping to reflect on and identify any weakness in the nursery safeguarding procedure
Having clear procedures for recording, reviewing and responding to concerns.

A low-level concern about a member of staff should be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) and the manager following the nursery Safeguarding children and child protection procedures.

Responding to low-level concerns

Responding appropriately, following clear and consistent procedures, will help to protect our staff from potential false allegations or misunderstandings.

If the concern is raised via a third party, the DSL/manager will collect evidence where necessary by speaking directly to the staff who raised the concern, unless it has been raised anonymously, regardless of whether a written summary or low-level concerns form has been provided
If the staff member who raises the concern does not wish to be named, then the nursery should respect that person’s wishes as far as possible. However, there may be circumstances where the staff member who raises the concern will need to be named (for example, where it is necessary in order to carry out a fair disciplinary process) and, for this reason, anonymity should never be promised to members of staff who share low-level concerns. Where possible, we will encourage staff to consent to be named, as this will help to create a culture of openness and transparency
The DSL/manager will speak to any potential witnesses, unless advised not to do so by the LADO/other relevant external agencies, where they have been contacted
The DSL/manager will speak to the staff member about whom the low-level concern has been raised, unless advised not to do so by the LADO/other relevant external agencies, where they have been contacted
The DSL/manager will use the information collected to categorise the type of behaviour and determine any further action, in line with our staff Code of conduct
Allegations that meet the harm threshold will be referred to the LADO for advice
Low-level concerns that the nursery feel may need further guidance on will be referred to the LADO for advice
Low-level concerns that the nursery feel we can deal with internally will be dealt with via the nursery Safeguarding children and child protection procedures and/or Disciplinary procedures
Where a low-level concern relates to agency staff, we will notify the agency, so any potential patterns of inappropriate behaviour can be identified.

Record keeping

All low-level concerns will be recorded in writing. In addition to details of the concern raised, records will include the context in which the concern was raised, any action taken and the reasons for decisions and action taken.

Records will be:

Reviewed so that potential patterns of concerning, difficult or inappropriate behaviour can be identified
Retained at least until the volunteer, student or staff leaves employment at the nursery
Kept confidentially, held securely and comply with Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018) and UK GDPR procedure.

Reviewing low-level concerns

When reviewing records of low-level concerns, patterns of concerning, challenging or inappropriate behaviour may be identified. When this occurs, the DSL/manager will decide on a course of action, which may include:

Disciplinary investigation and/or proceedings
Management advice, including recommendations for training
Referral to the LADO (where a pattern of behaviour moves from a concern to meeting the harm threshold).

Pre-employment references

We will not include low-level concerns in references unless:

The concern (or group of concerns) has met the threshold for referral to the designated officer at the local authority(LADO) and is found to be substantiated

and/or

The concern (or group of concerns) relates to issues which would be included in a reference, such as misconduct or poor performance.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

25/02/2026

Sharon Brough/Alison Moran

25/02/2027

23. WHISTLEBLOWING POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we expect all our colleagues, both internal and external, to be professional at all times and hold the welfare and safety of every child as their paramount objective. We recognise that there may be occasions where this may not happen and we have in place a procedure for staff to disclose any information that suggests children’s welfare and safety may be at risk.

We expect all team members to talk through any concerns they may have with their line manager at the earliest opportunity to enable any problems to be resolved as soon as they arise.

Whistleblowing definition

Whistleblowing is the term used when a worker passes on information concerning wrongdoing.

Legal framework

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, commonly referred to as the ‘Whistleblowing Act’, amended the Employment Rights Act 1996 to provide protection for employees who raise legitimate concerns about specified matters. These are called ‘qualifying disclosures.’

A qualifying disclosure is one made in the public interest by an employee who has a reasonable belief that any of the following is being, has been, or is likely to be, committed:

A criminal offence
A miscarriage of justice
An act creating risk to health and safety
An act causing damage to the environment
A breach of any other legal obligation or concealment of any of the above
Any other unethical conduct
An act that may be deemed as radicalised or a threat to national security
Sexual harassment.

Disclosures do not have to be made ‘in good faith’ but they must be made in the public interest. This is essential when assessing a disclosure made by an individual.

The Public Interest Disclosure Act has the following rules for making a protected disclosure:

You must believe it to be substantially true
You must not make false allegations.

It is not necessary for the employee to have proof that such an act is being, has been, or is likely to be, committed; a reasonable belief is sufficient.

Disclosure of information

If, in the course of your employment, you become aware of information which you reasonably believe indicates that a child is, or may be, or is likely to be, in risk of danger and/or one or more of the following may be happening, you MUST use the nursery’s disclosure procedure set out below:

That a criminal offence has been committed or is being committed or is likely to be committed
That a person has failed, is failing or is likely to fail to comply with any legal obligation to which they are subject (e.g. EYFS, Equalities Act 2010)
That a miscarriage of justice has occurred, is occurring, or is likely to occur
That the health or safety of any individual has been, is being, or is likely to be endangered
That the environment, has been, is being, or is likely to be damaged
That sexual harassment has been committed
That information tending to show any of the above, has been, is being, or is likely to be deliberately concealed.

Disclosure procedure

If this information relates to child protection and safeguarding then the nursery’s Safeguarding children and child protection policy should be followed, with particular reference to the staff and volunteering section. See below for the Whistleblowing safeguarding concerns flowchart
Where you reasonably believe one or more of the above circumstances listed above has occurred, you should promptly disclose this to one of the designated safeguarding leads (DSL) so that any appropriate action can be taken. If it is inappropriate to make such a disclosure to the DSL because it relates directly to them or the member of staff feels uncomfortable speaking to them, you should speak to the Manager.
Employees will suffer no detriment of any sort for making such a disclosure in accordance with this procedure. For further guidance in the use of the disclosure procedure, employees should speak in confidence to the DSL/ manager.
Any disclosure or concerns raised will be treated seriously and will be dealt with in a consistent and confidential manner and will be followed through in a detailed and thorough manner
Any employee who is involved in victimising employees who make a disclosure, takes any action to deter employees from disclosing information or makes malicious allegations in bad faith will be subject to potential disciplinary action which may result in dismissal
Failure to report serious matters can also be investigated and potentially lead to disciplinary action which may result in dismissal
Any employee who inappropriately deals with a whistleblowing issue (e.g. failing to react appropriately by not taking action in a timely manner or disclosing confidential information) may be deemed to have engaged in gross misconduct which could lead to dismissal

We give all of our staff the telephone numbers of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), the local authority children’s social care team and Ofsted so all staff may contact them if they cannot talk to anyone internally about the issues or concerns observed.

Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

0121 303 1888

Ofsted

0300 123 1231

NSPCC

0800 0280285

Police Emergency

999

Police Non-Emergency

101

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

05/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

05/03/2027

24. LINKS WITH SUPPORT SERVICES AND OTHER AGENCIES

Harvey Road Preschool will seek support and advice from outside agencies, including the area SENCO team and other professionals such as an Early Years teacher at the local Children’s Centre this would be with with parental consent.

Harvey Road Preschool works in conjunction with the local community network, which promotes Inclusion Support and Early Intervention.

All reports and assessments are available to parents and other professionals with consent.

The setting based SENCO receives advice and support through the Early Years Development & Childcare Partnership from an area SENCO.

TRANSITION

We will inform the child’s next setting of any additional support any child is receiving prior to them starting a new setting and work with the school where possible to make link appointments to allow all children to experience their new setting with their familiar staff members and peer group, making the transition as easy as possible.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

The policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The SENCO will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting liaising with the groups and individual staff.

Revised by Sharon Brough, agreed by the staff team

March 2024

25. DATA PROTECTION AND CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we recognise that we hold sensitive and confidential information about children and their families and the staff we employ. This information is used to meet children’s needs, for registers, invoices and emergency contacts. We store all records in a locked cabinet or on the Nursery Laptop that is password protected. Any information shared with the staff team is done on a ‘need to know’ basis and treated in confidence. This policy works alongside the GDPR privacy notice to ensure compliance under General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR)) and Data Protection Act 2018.

Legal requirements

We follow the legal requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and accompanying regulations about the information we must hold about registered children and their families and the staff working at the nursery
We follow the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regard to the storage of data and access to it.

Procedures

It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their families and we do so by:

Storing confidential records in a locked room.
Ensuring staff, student and volunteer inductions include an awareness of the importance of the need to protect the privacy of the children in their care as well as the legal requirements that exist to ensure that information relating to the child is handled in a way that ensures confidentiality. This includes ensuring that information about the child and family is not shared outside of the nursery other than with relevant professionals who need to know that information. It is not shared with friends and family, or part of any social discussions outside of the setting. If staff breach any confidentiality provisions, this may result in disciplinary action and, in serious cases, dismissal. Students on placement in the nursery are advised of our Data protection and confidentiality policy and required to respect it
Ensuring that all staff, volunteers and students are aware that information about children and families is confidential and only for use within the nursery and to support the child’s best interests with parental permission
Ensuring that parents have access to files and records of their own children but not to those of any other child, other than where relevant professionals such as the police or local authority children’s social care team decide this is not in the child’s best interest
Ensuring all staff are aware that this information is confidential and only for use within the nursery setting. If any of this information is requested for whatever reason, the parent’s permission will always be sought other than in the safeguarding circumstances above
Ensuring staff do not discuss personal information given by parents with other members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs
Ensuring staff, students and volunteers are aware of and follow our Social networking policy in relation to confidentiality
Ensuring issues concerning the employment of staff remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions
Ensuring any concerns or 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. If, however, a child is considered at risk, our Safeguarding children and child protection policy will override confidentiality.

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

General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) compliance

In order to meet our requirements under GDPR we will also undertake the following:

We will ensure our terms and conditions, privacy and consent notices are easily accessed and made available in accurate and easy to understand language
We will use personal data to ensure the safe, operational and regulatory requirements of running our nursery. We will only make contact in relation to the safe, operational and regulatory requirements of running our nursery. We will not share or use personal data for other purposes. Further detail can be found in the GDPR privacy notice
Everyone in our nursery understands that people have the right to access their records or have their records amended or deleted (subject to other laws and regulations)
We will ensure staff have due regard to the relevant data protection principles, which allow them to share (and withhold) personal information, as provided for in the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR. This includes:
- Being confident of the processing conditions which allow them to store and share information for safeguarding purposes, including information which is sensitive and personal, and should be treated as ‘special category personal data’
- Understanding that ‘safeguarding of children and individuals at risk’ is a processing condition that allows practitioners to share special category personal data. This includes allowing practitioners to share information without consent where there is good reason to do so, and that the sharing of information will enhance the safeguarding of a child in a timely manner, but it is not possible to gain consent, it cannot be reasonably expected that a practitioner gains consent, or if to gain consent would place a child at risk.

Staff and volunteer information

All information and records relating to staff and volunteers will be kept confidentially in a locked room.
Individual staff may request to see their own personal file at any time.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

01/04/2026

V.Jones

01/04/2027

CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

AIM

To treat all information bought into or acquired within preschool as confidential.

To protect the safety and well being of all children and adults within the preschool.

To give everyone entering the preschool an understanding of this policy and ensuring it is abided to.

Our Confidentiality Officer is Sharon Brough

SHARING INFORMATION

Parents are asked to pass information regarding their child to the manager or keyworker and not through other members of staff or parents.

Information given to the manager will be shared with the child’s keyworker if appropriate, but will only be shared with other members of staff if it is in the best interest of the child and with consent from the parent.

Information given to the child’s keyworker will be shared with the manager but not with other members of staff unless it is in the best interest of the child and with the consent of the parent.

Information gained in the nursery will be made available to the child’s parent.

Any breech of this policy by any member of staff or student on placement will lead to disciplinary action being taken.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The confidentiality officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Sharon Brough, agreed by the staff team

March 2024

26. RECORD KEEPING

AIM

The group will keep records regarding the children and staff in line with GDPR.

Records will be kept to ensure the safety and well being of all children and adults.

Our record keeping officer is Vivienne Jones

TYPE OF RECORDS

Attendance records are kept on a daily basis, these are used as a fire register and to assess the child’s attendance.

Records include personal details, contact records, observation, assessment, behaviour and incident records and reports from outside agencies.

Records are kept of all meetings, and parent’s comments and used as a basis to enhance the overall running of the group.

WHO WILL HAVE ACCESS TO CHILDRENS RECORDS

Records regarding children will only be available to the child’s parent/guardian and members of staff. If an outside agency requests this information, the parents/guardians permission will be sort.

WHO WILL HAVE ACCESS TO STAFF RECORDS

Staff records are kept by the Manager or Deputy in the absence of the manager, and will only be made available to the individual staff member.

CONFIDENTIALITY

All records will be dealt with in the strictest of confidence and stored in a safe, secure place.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

The policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Record Keeping Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting, liaising with the groups and individual staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, Agreed by the Staff Team

March 2024

27. ACCEPTABLE INTERNET USAGE POLICY

This policy describes the rights and responsibilities of staff using resources such as laptops tablets, the internet and mobile telephones, and other electronic equipment. It explains the procedures you are expected to follow and makes clear what is considered acceptable behaviour when using them. These devices are a vital part of our business and should be used in accordance with our policies in order to protect children, staff and families.

Security and passwords

All electronic devices will be password protected. Passwords for our systems are confidential and must be kept as such. You must not share any passwords with any other person; in particular you must not allow any other staff member to know or use your password.

Accounts will be removed immediately when a staff member has left employment.

Email

We expect all staff to use their common sense and good business practice when using email. As email is not a totally secure system of communication and can be intercepted by third parties, external email should not normally be used in relation to confidential transactions. Emails must not be used to send abusive, offensive, sexist, racist, disability-biased, sexual orientation based or defamatory material, including jokes, pictures or comments which are potentially offensive. Such use may constitute harassment and/or discrimination and may lead to disciplinary action up to and including summary dismissal. If you receive unwanted messages of this nature, you should bring this to the attention of your manager.

Internet access

You must not use the internet facilities to visit, bookmark, download material from or upload material to inappropriate, obscene, pornographic or otherwise offensive websites. Such use constitutes misconduct and will lead to disciplinary action up to and including summary dismissal in serious cases.

Each employee has a responsibility to report any misuse of the internet or email. By not reporting such knowledge, the employee will be considered to be collaborating in the misuse. Each employee can be assured of confidentiality when reporting misuse.

Personal use of the internet, email and telephones

Any use of our electronic communication systems (including email, internet and telephones) for purposes other than the duties of your employment is not permitted.

Emergency personal calls need to be authorised by the manager and, where possible, be made on your own personal mobile phone it a separate room away from the children.

Disciplinary action will be taken where:

The privilege of using our equipment is abused, or
Unauthorised time is spent on personal communications during working hours.

Data protection

When using any of our systems employees must adhere to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR). For more information see our Data protection and confidentiality policy.

Downloading or installing software

Employees must not install any software that has not been cleared for use by the Manager onto our computers or systems. Such action may lead to disciplinary action up to and including summary dismissal in serious cases.

Using removable devices

No unknown USBs or external devices will be used.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

04/03 2027

28. ONLINE SAFETY POLICY

Our nursery is aware of the growth of the internet and technology and the advantages this can bring to everyday life. However, it is also aware of the dangers it can pose and we strive to support children, staff and families to use the internet safely.

We refer to 'Safeguarding children and protecting professionals in early years settings: online safety considerations’ to support this policy.

The Designated Safeguarding Lead is ultimately responsible for online safety concerns. All concerns need to be raised as soon as possible to Sharon Brough or Alison Moran

The use of technology has become a significant component of many safeguarding issues such as child sexual exploitation, radicalisation and sexual predation with technology often providing the platform that facilitates harm.

The breadth of issues included within online safety is considerable, but can be categorised into three areas of risk:

Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material; for example, pornography, fake news, racist or radical and extremist views
Contact: being subjected to harmful online interaction with other users; for example commercial advertising as well as adults posing as children or young adults, and
Conduct: personal online behaviour that increases the likelihood of, or causes, harm; for example making, sending and receiving explicit images, or online bullying.

Within the nursery we aim to keep children, staff and parents safe online. Our safety measures include:

Ensuring we have appropriate antivirus and anti-spyware software on all devices and update them regularly
Ensuring all devices are password protected and have screen locks. Practitioners are reminded to use complex strong passwords, keep them safe and secure.
Monitoring all internet usage across the setting
Providing a locked area for storage of all nursery devices at the end of each day
Ensuring no social media or messaging apps are installed on nursery devices
Using only nursery devices to record and/or photograph children in the setting
Ensuring that staff do not use personal electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, including mobile phones, smart watches and cameras when the children are present.
Never emailing personal or financial information
Reporting emails with inappropriate content to the internet watch foundation (IWF www.iwf.org.uk)
Teaching children how to stay safe online and report any concerns they have
Not permitting staff or visitors private access to the nursery Wi-Fi
Talking to children about ‘stranger danger’ and deciding who is a stranger and who is not; comparing people in real life situations to online ‘friends’
We encourage staff and families to complete a free online safety briefing, which can be found at https://ndna.org.uk/product/free-online-safety-in-early-years/
Staff modelling safe practice when using technology with children and ensuring all staff abide by an acceptable use policy such as instructing staff to use the nursery IT equipment for matters relating to the children and their education and care only.
Being aware of the need to manage our digital reputation, including the appropriateness of information and content that is posted online, both professionally and personally. This is continually monitored by the setting’s management
Staff must not friend or communicate with parents on personal devices or social media accounts.
Ensuring all electronic communications between staff and parents is professional and takes place via the official nursery communication channels, e.g. the setting’s email addresses and telephone numbers. This is to protect staff, children and parents
Signposting parents to appropriate sources of support regarding online safety at home.

If any concerns arise relating to online safety will be reported to the DSL.

The DSL will make sure that:

All staff know how to report a problem and when to escalate a concern, including the process for external referral
All concerns are logged, assessed and actioned in accordance with the nursery’s safeguarding procedures
Parents are supported to develop their knowledge of online safety issues concerning their children via printed information and/or workshops.
Parents are offered support to help them talk about online safety with their children using appropriate resources
Parents are signposted to appropriate sources of support regarding online safety at home and are fully supported to understand how to report an online safety concern
Under no circumstances should any member of staff, either at work or in any other place, make, deliberately download, possess, or distribute material they know to be illegal, for example child sexual abuse material.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

04/03/2027

29. MOBILE PHONE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE POLICY

Mobile phones and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities

At Harvey Road Preschool we promote the safety and welfare of all children in our care. We believe our staff should be completely attentive during their hours of working to ensure all children in the nursery receive good quality care and education.

To ensure the safety and well-being of children we do not allow staff to use personal mobile phones or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities during working hours.

We use mobile phones supplied by the nursery only to provide a means of contact in certain circumstances, such as outings.

This policy should be used in conjunction with our Online safety policy and Acceptable internet use policy, to ensure children are kept safe when using the nursery devices online.

Staff must adhere to the following:

Mobile phones, or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities are not accessed during working hours
Mobile phones, or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities can only be used on a designated break and then this must be away from the children
Mobile phones, or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities must be stored safely in a room away from the children at all times during working hours
No personal device is allowed to be connected to the nursery Wi-Fi at any time
The use of nursery devices, such as tablets, must only be used for nursery purposes
The nursery devices will not have any social media or messaging apps on them, except those used by management for nursery purposes only
Any apps downloaded onto nursery devices must be done only by management. This will ensure only age and content appropriate apps are accessible to staff, or children using them.
Passwords and/or passcodes for nursery devices must not be shared or written down.
During outings, staff must only use mobile phones belonging to the nursery
Only nursery owned devices will be used to take photographs or film videos. These devices will only be used in the presence of other staff
Staff must delete images/videos from devices once they have been used for their purpose. The manager will remind staff to delete images regularly.

Parent use of mobile phones and smartwatches

Parents are kindly asked to refrain from using their mobile telephones, or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, whilst in the nursery or when collecting or dropping off their children. We will ask any parents using their phone/device inside the nursery premises to finish the call or take the call outside. We do this to ensure all children are safeguarded and the time for dropping off and picking up is a quality handover opportunity where we can share details about your child

Parents are requested not to allow their child to wear or bring in devices with imaging and sharing capabilities. This ensures all children are safeguarded and also protects their property as it may get damaged or misplaced at the nursery.

Visitors’ use of mobile phones or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities

Visitors are not permitted to use their mobile phones or other personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, e.g. smart watches, glasses, whilst at nursery and are asked to leave them in a safe place for the duration of their visit.

Photographs and videos

At Harvey Road Preschool we recognise that photographs and video recordings play a part in the life of the nursery. We ensure that any photographs or recordings taken of children in our nursery are only done with prior written permission from each child’s parent and only share photos with parents in a secure manner. We will obtain this permission when each child is registered.

We ask for individual permissions for photographs and video recordings for a range of purposes including use in the child’s learning journey, for display purposes, for promotion materials including our nursery website, brochure and the local press and the different social media platforms we use. Photographs and videos will not be taken in areas where intimate care routines are carried out.

If a parent is not satisfied about one or more of these uses, we will respect their wishes and find alternative ways of recording their child’s play or learning.

Staff are not permitted to take any photographs or recordings of a child on their own personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, e.g. cameras, mobiles, tablets or smartwatches and may only use those provided by the nursery. The nursery manager will monitor all photographs and recordings to ensure that the parents’ wishes are met and children are safeguarded.

Photographs or videos recorded on nursery mobile devices will be transferred to the correct storage device to ensure no images are left on these mobile devices.

Parents and children are not permitted to use any personal devices with imaging and sharing capabilities on the nursery premises without the prior consent of the manager.

During special events, e.g. Christmas or leaving parties, staff may produce group photographs to distribute to parents on request. In this case we will gain individual permission for each child before the event. This will ensure all photographs taken are in line with parental choice. We ask that photos of events such as Christmas parties are not posted on any social media websites or other platforms areas without permission from the parents of all the children included in the picture.

Online learning journals (Tapestry)

At Harvey Road Preschool we use tablets in the rooms to take photos of the children and record these directly on to their electronic learning journeys. We ensure that these devices are used for this purpose only.

We carry out routine checks to ensure that emails and text messages have not been sent from these devices and remind staff of the Whistleblowing policy if they observe staff breaching these safeguarding procedures.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

04/03/2027

30. SOCIAL NETWORKING POLICY

Social media is a large part of the world we live in and as such at Harvey Road Preschool we need to make sure we protect our children by having procedures in place to ensure the safe use.

We use Facebook and Instagram to share posts, pictures and videos of the experiences and activities the children have accessed at nursery, as well as to post updates, reminders and links to best practice.

In order to safeguard children we ensure:

We have prior written permission in place from parents before posting any images of children
Only the designated person or management can post on our social media pages.
We have a closed facebook page for parents and staff.
We have separate permission to use any images for any open public pages that we use for marketing purposes
We monitor comments on all posts and address any concerns immediately.

Staff use of social media

We require our staff to be responsible and professional in their use of social networking sites in relation to any connection to the nursery, nursery staff, parents or children.

When using social networking sites such as Facebook or Instagram we ask staff:
- Not to name the setting they work at
- Not to make comments relating to their work or post pictures in work uniform
- Not to send private messages to any parents or family members
- To direct any parent questions relating to work via social networking sites, to the manager
- To ensure any posts reflect their professional role in the community (e.g. no inappropriate social event photos or inappropriate comments i.e. foul language)
- To report any concerning comments or questions from parents to the manager or designated safeguarding lead
- To follow the Staff behaviour policy
- Staff must not be friends with any parent from the nursery on social media, if friends before they engage with the nursery, staff must refrain from commenting or posting anything they can see.
- Not to post anything that could be construed to have any impact on the nursery’s reputation or relate to the nursery or any children attending the nursery in any way
- To follow this in conjunction with the Whistleblowing policy.
If any of the above points are not followed then the member of staff involved will face disciplinary action, which could result in dismissal.

All electronic communications between staff and parents should be professional and take place via the official nursery communication channels, e.g. work emails and phone numbers. This is to protect staff, children and parents.

Parents’ and visitors’ use of social networking

We promote the safety and welfare of all staff and children and therefore ask parents and visitors not to post, publicly or privately, information about any child on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. We ask all parents and visitors to follow this policy to ensure that information about children, images and information do not fall into the wrong hands.

We ask parents not to:

Send friend requests to any member of nursery staff
Screen shot or share any posts or pictures from the nursery on social media platforms
Post any photographs to social media that have been supplied by the nursery with other children in them (e.g. Christmas concert photographs or photographs from an activity at nursery).

We ask parents to:

Share any concerns regarding inappropriate use of social media through the official procedures (please refer to the Parents as partners policy, Complaints and compliments policy).

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

04/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

04/03/2027

31. STAFFING AND EMPLOYMENT POLICY

AIM

The group aim to provide qualified staff with a broad knowledge and understanding of nursery education.

Our Staffing and Employment Officer is Vivienne Jones

RECRUITMENT

Employment opportunities will be advertised taking into account equal opportunities and in accordance with all relevant legislation.

All staff will be expected to hold a childcare qualification or be prepared to work towards one.

All Staff will be expected to hold a current clear DBS and provide 2 references. A new DBS will be obtained for new members of staff before employment takes place.

All staff will go through an induction process and started on a probationary period.

EXPECTATION OF THE STAFF

All staff will be expected to attend regular updated training.

All staff will work within the group policies and have a sound understanding of the Early years Foundation Stage Curriculum, Safeguarding, Health and Safety, Promoting Positive Behaviour and first Aid.

All staff will be expected to provide good quality care in accordance with the group policies.

All staff will attend regular staff meetings to discuss the children’s progress, prepare curriculum plans and forward the development of the group.

All staff will be expected to share information gained on courses or through other sources with all other staff members.

Staff will attend supervisions and an annual staff appraisal.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Staffing and Employment Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, agreed by the staff team

March 2024

32. RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND SUITABILITY of STAFF POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we are vigilant in our recruitment procedures aiming to ensure that all people looking after children are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role. We are committed to ensuring that all staff, including students, volunteers and any agency or supply staff are suitable to fulfil the requirements of their role in order to work with, or be in regular contact with, children.

We have effective systems in place to ensure that practitioners and any other person who may have regular contact with children are suitable, as part of the recruitment process as well as monitoring continued suitability.

Every time we recruit a new member of staff to join our team, we follow these procedures:

Legal requirements

We abide by all legal requirements relating to safer recruitment set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and accompanying regulations, including our legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010
We also follow any requirements or guidance given by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in relation to carrying out checks. We abide by the employer’s responsibilities by informing the DBS of any changes to the suitability of our staff, whether this member of staff has left the nursery or is still under investigation.

Advertising

We use Facebook, newsletter, shop notice boards and the job centre to advertise for any vacancies
We ensure that all recruitment literature includes details of our equal opportunities policy and our safer recruitment procedures, including an enhanced DBS check and at least two independent references for every new employee. We also include the requirement for an additional criminal records check.

Interview stage

We shortlist all suitable candidates against pre-set specification and ensure all applicants receive correspondence regardless of whether they are successful in reaching the interview stage or not
All shortlisted candidates receive a job description, a person specification, an equal opportunities monitoring form and a request for identification prior to the interview
At the start of each interview all candidates’ identities are checked using, for example, their passport and/or photo card driving licence. All employees must be eligible to work in the UK. The interview will also cover any gaps in the candidate’s employment history
All candidates reaching the interview stage are questioned using the same set criteria and questions. These cover specific areas of childcare, including safeguarding the children in their care, planning suitable activities to enhance the child’s development and their understanding of the legal frameworks applied to childcare and used in the nursery. The questions are value based and will ensure the candidate has the same values as the nursery with regards to the safety and welfare of the children in their care
Every shortlisted candidate will be asked to take part in a supervised practical exercise which will involve spending time in a particular age group in the nursery interacting with the children and staff.
In addition, the manager may choose to carry out an online search for every shortlisted candidate. This may help identify any incidents or issues publicly available online, which may be explored with the applicant at interview
The manager and deputy will then select the most suitable person for this position based on these scores and their knowledge and understanding of the early years framework as well as the needs of the nursery
Every candidate will receive communication from the nursery stating whether they have been successful or not. Unsuccessful candidates are offered feedback.

Starting work

The successful candidate will be offered the position subject to at least two references, one from a previous employment if they have been previously employed within the last 5 years or, in the case of a newly qualified student, their tutor and a personal or professional reference. These references will be taken up BEFORE employment commences and will meet the requirements for references as set out in the EYFS under ‘Suitable people’. This may be verbal initially and then followed up with a written reference which will form part of their personnel file
The successful candidate will be asked to provide proof of their qualifications, where applicable. All qualifications will be checked and copies taken for their personnel files where applicable
All new starters, other than those who have registered for the continuous updating service will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This will be initiated before the member of staff commences work in the nursery. Results from this will be received by the nursery before the new employee can start in their role.
The nursery will record and retain details about individuals, including staff qualifications, identity checks carried out and the vetting process completed. This will include the DBS reference number, the date the disclosure was obtained and details of who obtained it. The nursery will not retain copies of the disclosure itself once the employment decision is taken
There may be occasions when a DBS check is not clear, but the individual is still suitable to work with children. This will be treated on an individual case basis and at the manager’s/owner’s discretion taking the following into account:
- seriousness of the offence or other information
- accuracy of the person’s self-disclosure on the application form
- nature of the appointment including levels of supervision
- age of the individual at the time of the offence or other information
- the length of time that has elapsed since the offence or other information
- relevance of the offence or information to working or being in regular contact with children
If the individual has registered on the DBS system since 17 July 2013, managers may use the update service with the candidate’s permission instead of carrying out an enhanced DBS check
New starters are required to sign on the application form, to state that they have no criminal convictions, court orders or any other reasons that disqualify them from working with children or identify that they are unsuitable to do so
All new members of staff will undergo an intensive induction period during which time they will read and discuss the nursery policies and procedures and be assigned a mentor or buddy who will introduce them to the way in which the nursery operates
During their induction period all new staff will receive training on how to safeguard children in their care and follow the Safeguarding children and child protection policy, Lock down policy, Inclusion and equality policy and health and safety issues.
New staff members will have a probationary period for the first 3 months of work during which suitability for the position to which they have been appointed will be assessed. The nursery reserves the right to extend the probationary period if necessary
The new member of staff will have regular meetings with the manager and their mentor or buddy during their induction period to discuss their progress, support required and/or further training and professional development opportunities.

Ongoing support and checks

All staff are responsible for notifying the manager in person if there are any changes to their circumstances that may affect their suitability to work with children This includes any incidents occurring outside the nursery. Staff will face disciplinary action should they fail to notify the manager immediately
We act on any information that comes to our attention that suggests someone may no longer be suitable for their role
The nursery manager/owner will review any significant changes to an individual’s circumstances that may suggest they are no longer suitable to work with children and take appropriate action to ensure any unsuitable or potentially unsuitable employee does not have unsupervised contact with children until the matter is resolved.
Every member of staff will have two meetings a year with the manager This will provide an opportunity for the manager and member of staff to discuss training needs for the following six months as well as evaluate and discuss their performance in the previous six months
The manager and deputy will be responsible for any support the staff team may have between these reviews. This includes mentor support, one-to-one training sessions, ongoing supervision, work-based observations and constructive feedback.
We will ensure staff receive continuous support, training and supervision from management in order to provide a safe, secure and healthy environment for all children in the nursery
The nursery will provide appropriate opportunities for all staff to undertake professional development and training to help improve the quality of experiences provided for children.

Students

All students will receive an interview to ensure they are suitable for the nursery and an induction process to ensure they fully understand and are able to implement the nursery procedures, working practices and values
All students will be fully supervised to ensure they receive the appropriate support, training and information they may require
We have a short induction prior to students working with the children. It is our policy that all students are fully supervised and not left alone with children
Students on long term placements and volunteers (aged 17 or over) and staff working as apprentices in early education (aged 16 or over) may be included in the ratios at the level below their level of study, if the provider is satisfied that they are competent and responsible.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

05/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

05/03/2027

33. YOUNG WORKER POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we support young workers and apprentices as we foster and shape the workforce of the future. At times there may be students on placement within the nursery. The EYFS sets out the requirements for young people working in a setting and we will adhere to these requirements at all times.

Suitable students on longer term placements and volunteers (aged 17 or over) who are attending our setting for 6 months or more will be monitored and assessed to determine their competence levels. If we believe that they are suitable and demonstrating the high levels of competence and responsibility we expect from our staff, then we may consider including them in our staff ratios at the level below their level of study, providing they hold a valid and current paediatric first aid (PFA) qualification.

Any young person in the setting under the age of 18 is considered a child by law, therefore we will be vigilant towards their safety and well-being. We will provide each young person with a mentor or buddy within the setting who can support their well-being. Any safeguarding concerns will be dealt with according to our Safeguarding children and child protection policy.

Within our nursery we expect our young staff to:

Read, understand and adhere to all policies
Take part in our ongoing staff suitability procedures. Declare any reasons why their suitability to work with children may change during their placement
Share any safeguarding concerns they may have with the Designated Safeguarding Lead
Maintain a high standard of work, behaviour, appearance and attendance whilst with the nursery
Undertake a full induction conducted by the nursery
Access training as required by the management
If studying whilst with the setting, undertake all tasks required by the tutor to keep up to date with the course. If your coursework falls behind at any point, your placement in the setting will be at risk
Ensure that the nursery environment is safe and secure for all children at all times and report any issues as they arise
Help with the day to day running of the nursery by undertaking tasks as determined by the supervisors and management
Take part in staff meetings and all staff training as required by the nursery.

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

05/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

05/03/2027

34. STUDENT PLACEMENT POLICY

AIM

We aim to give students the experience of the quality and variety of work that goes on within the preschool, while making sure the needs of the children are kept of paramount importance.

At the induction meeting, parents are made aware that we have students on placement in the setting.

The Student Placement Officer is Alison Moran.

EXPECTATIONS OF STUDENTS

The needs of the children are of the paramount importance and placements will not be accepted, if they hinder the essential work of the preschool.

Students will attend an induction session before commencement of placement.

Students will hold an up to date DBS Enhanced Disclosure.

Students will agree to abide to the groups policies and guidelines.

Students will follow the confidential procedures at all times.

Students will follow the Safeguarding and health and safety guidelines given to them at their induction meeting. Students on long term placements will be required to complete the online safeguarding course as recognized by the nursery.

Students will obtain written permission from a parent if direct observations are to take place.

Students will attend regularly and keep the Manager informed of any changes to days attending or illness.

STUDENT SUPPORT

Staff will support the student with their assessments and learning development within the preschool setting.

Staff will not leave students unattended with any child.

Staff will ensure that student’s tutors contact details are obtained, the level of knowledge is discussed and tutors are kept informed by staff of attendance and contacted if issues arise. Support is given to students from their tutors by visits and observations.

All staff are introduced to the student during their induction process.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Student Placement Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones and Alison Moran, agreed by the staff team March 2024.

35. VOLUNTEERS POLICY

At Harvey Road Preschool we recognise the immense benefits that volunteers bring to the nursery. In return we hope to give volunteers an opportunity to share their skills in a different environment and to undertake new experiences.

Status of volunteers

A volunteer is not an employee and will not have a contract of employment with the nursery. We will, however, insist that the volunteer follows all nursery procedures in the same manner as a paid employee to ensure consistency, safety and quality of care and early learning for the children. Volunteers will be supervised at all times.

Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

All volunteers will have suitability checks conducted in the same way as paid employees. This will include an enhanced DBS check. These checks will be conducted before any volunteer starts their time within the nursery and will also include two written references.

Training

Volunteers will be offered training and/or support as appropriate. We will provide any training and support required for the role, including safeguarding and child protection, paediatric first aid (where applicable) and health and safety training. The purpose of this is to enable the volunteer to be supported and enhance their development in their voluntary role within our team.

Policies and procedures

Volunteers are expected to comply with all the nursery’s policies and procedures. The volunteer’s induction process will include an explanation of this.

Confidentiality

Volunteers should not disclose information about the nursery, staff, children and families as stated in the Data protection and confidentiality policy and should follow the nursery confidentiality procedures at all times.

Volunteer's induction pack

On commencing their volunteer work, the volunteer will be given a pack containing:

General information about the nursery
A copy of the Volunteers policy
A confidentiality statement which will require reading, signing and returning to the nursery manager
Details of access to all nursery relevant policies and procedures.
During the induction period, volunteers will read the main policies of the nursery including Safeguarding children and child protection, Health and safety – general policy and Promoting positive behaviour policy. The designated member of staff will discuss the policies to ensure the volunteer understands and adheres to this.

Volunteer support

The nursery has a designated officer who will take the volunteer through their induction and support and advise them throughout their time in the nursery.

Our designated officer for volunteers is Alison Moran

This policy was adopted on

Signed on behalf of the nursery

Date for review

05/03/2026

Vivienne Jones

05/03/2027

36. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

AIM

We will listen to comments/complaints made by parents, carers and staff and aim to sort them out as quickly as possible and without disruption to the education of the children.

Our complaints Officer is Vivienne Jones

PARENTS REPORTING A COMPLAINT

Firstly parents/carers are asked to speak to the Manager, who will try to sort the matter out promptly and efficiently.
Send the complaint in writing into preschool.
If after approaching the manager, you are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact the Preschool Learning Alliance who will mediate between yourselves and the group. You may also choose to contact Ofsted. Tel:- 0300 1231231 or write to them at Early Years Ofsted, Piccadilly Gate, Store Street, Manchester M1 2WD.
If the complaint is about the Manager you can speak with the group Deputy who will in turn take the matter up with Manager or Ofsted whichever the complaint requires.

STAFF REPORTING A COMPLAINT

Speak to the Manager or Deputy
File the complaint in writing.
If not satisfied with the response contact Ofsted at the above address.

DEALING WITH A COMPLAINT

Any complaint will be dealt with promptly with a verbal acknowledgement of the initial investigation from the Manager or Deputy within 24 hours.
If the complaint is not settled in 24 hours, the Manger will further investigate the complaint and a written response will be sent out within 3 working days.
All records of the complaint will be kept on file along with notes taken from verbal communication and a report of the outcome.

MONITERING AND REVIEWING THE POLICY:

This Policy will be reviewed in response to changes in legislation and within the setting.

The Complaints Officer will review the policy annually and be responsible for making sure the policy is being carried out within the setting and liaising with other staff.

Revised by Vivienne Jones, agreed by Staff Team

March 2025

Harvey Road Preschool

St. Michaels and All Angels Church

Rowlands Road

Yardley

Birmingham

B26 1TD

07976165582

E.mail harveyroadpreschool@hotmail.com

Postal Address

C/o. 40 Kingscliff Road

Small Heath

Birmingham

B10 9JT

Contact Person

Mrs. Vivienne Jones

Manager

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