Nursery Policies

At Little Angels we care for children between the ages of 0-10 years old.

The numbers and ages of children admitted to the nursery comply with the legal space requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). When considering admissions we are mindful of staff: child ratios and the facilities available at the nursery.

The nursery uses the following admission criteria, which is applied in the following order of priority:

1. Looked after children
2. A child known by the local authority to have special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND) and whose needs can be best met at the preferred nursery
3. A vulnerable child with either a Child Protection or a Child in Need Plan, or in receipt of other local authority support

1. Children who have siblings who are already with us
2. Children whose parents live within the area.

A child requiring a full-time place may have preference over one requiring a part-time place. This is dependent upon work commitments, occupancy and room availability. We operate a waiting list and places are offered on an availability basis.

We operate an inclusion and equality policy and ensure that all children have access to nursery places and services irrespective of their gender, race, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation of parents.

Prior to a child attending nursery, parents must complete and sign a contract and registration form. These forms provide the nursery with personal details relating to the child. For example, name, date of birth, address, emergency contact details, parental responsibilities, dietary requirements, collection arrangements, fees and sessions, contact details for parents, doctor’s contact details, health visitor contact details, allergies, parental consent and vaccinations etc.

Providers eligible to provide government funded places for early education

All settings registered to accept government funding (detailed in the code of practice) must offer free places eligible children for early learning sessions specified by the local authority. At Little Angels we currently provide free funded places for children is subject to availability. These places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis and can be booked a term in advance. Please note for admissions for the free nursery education we have a termly intake, beginning the term following your child reaching the age eligibility.

All funded sessions are now in line with the flexible arrangement as specified by the Government. When you register your child for their funded place, we will discuss your needs and, as far as possible with availability and staffing arrangements, we will accommodate your wishes. We reserve the right to limit and/or have specific funded sessions, according to our business requirements.

At Little Angels Day Nursery we believe good attendance plays a fundamental role in supporting children’s educational achievement and well-being and in keeping children safer. Establishing regular routines for young children supports the settling-in process and enhances their sense of security and belonging. When a child has a part-time place, regular attendance is especially important.

This policy outlines the procedures to promote and monitor attendance and those that will be followed if a child is absent from the setting. We wish to create a culture where good attendance and punctuality is valued by all and so will work with parents to work together to remove barriers to attendance. We recognize that sometimes families may need extra support with attendance; therefore, effective communication is essential between parents and the key person, who may be able to offer advice and support or referrals to other agencies that may be able to help, such as the health visiting team, Portage, or Early Help.

To promote good attendance, we will:

• Share our attendance expectations with parents prior to admission, including conveying clearly to parents that regular attendance and punctuality
  • Is expected
  • Is in the child’s best interest, and
  • That unexplained absence will be investigated
  • Keep records of attendance to enable monitoring and evaluation so that emerging patterns are addressed
  • Foster a positive attitude to good attendance by quickly responding to children's absence while also recognising and celebrating, ‘good’ and ‘improving’ attendance
  • Target attendance where there has been an issue and aim to set in place strategies and techniques to support improvement.

Whilst attendance at nursery is not statutory, authorised absence will be granted in the following circumstances, where parents inform the nursey on the first day of absence or prior to the first day of absence:

• Illness of the child
• Illness of siblings or parents
• Bereavement
• Health services appointments
• Holidays, including extended visits to family overseas
• Religious observance
• Emergency or exceptional circumstances.

Monitoring attendance

Records of children’s attendance are accurately kept and regularly monitored to ensure that we can identify any potential problems and look for patterns. All managers and staff are alert to signs that children and learners who are missing might be at risk of abuse or neglect, and appropriate action is taken when children stop attending. While we are aware that attendance is not statutory, we recognise that non-attendance could be an indicator of other concerns. All managers and staff are particularly aware of the need to monitor groups such as those who are considered to be vulnerable learners.

Procedures to record, monitor and follow up non-attendance

1. Registration will be completed at the start of each session within 10 minutes of the start time to record attendance or non-attendance.

Non-attendance:

• If a child is absent and we are informed of their reason for absence this will be recorded on the register
• If a child is absent without an explanation a telephone call (to priority and secondary numbers, e.g. home and work) will be made to the main carer to establish the reason for the absence
• If no contact is made, then we will follow this process:

• Contact any second main carer (to priority and secondary numbers, e.g. home and work)
• Contact the first emergency contact number
• Contact the second emergency contact number.

• If contact cannot be made by telephone call, a home visit may be carried out and a contact postcard will be posted through your door if there is no response
• If there continues to be no contact and there is cause for concern, the health visiting service and/or the Children and Family service will be contacted to ascertain if family support may be needed
• In more urgent cases, the police may be contacted to carry out a welfare check.

Leaving the nursery

If you decide to withdraw your child from the nursery, please see our Parent Contract and Terms and Conditions for notice periods. This will ensure that we remove your child from our systems and therefore will not expect them to attend.

If your child is transitioning to another early years provider or school, please provide us with the details of the new setting so that we can transfer essential information.

At Little Angels we encourage all our employees to maximise their attendance at work while recognising that employees will, from time to time, be unable to come to work due to sickness, illness or infectious. By implementing this policy, we aim to strike a reasonable balance between the pursuit of our business needs and the genuine needs of employees to take occasional periods of time off work because of sickness. This policy and procedure establish a framework to support individuals and the organisation in times of sickness absence. It ensures that appropriate and consistent advice is provided and that assistance and support is offered to employees and, where necessary, action is taken.

Principles

We promote good health and aim to provide a healthy working environment demonstrating commitment to health, safety and the welfare of all staff in order to maximise attendance.

Management is responsible for regularly monitoring and taking appropriate action in connection with sickness and other unplanned absence.

Exclusion periods for contagious illnesses

Working with children means that you are more likely to come in to contact with illnesses, which can be highly contagious. We take the health of children and staff very seriously; therefore, if you have any infectious/contagious illnesses you must adhere to the same exclusion periods as children. This will ensure that you are able to recover appropriately and that this infection/illness is not passed on to other staff, children or parents. The manager will advise you of any exclusion times required (see the sickness and illness and infection control policies).

Sickness Absence Reporting Procedure

Reporting sickness absence must be done in line with the following guidelines. Failure to follow these may result in delays to any sick pay you are entitled to and could potentially lead to disciplinary action.

1. On your first d Shortcode Coay of absence, you must:

• Telephone the setting within the first hour of your usual start time.
  Text messages, emails, or other forms of communication are not acceptable for reporting sickness.
• You must contact a member of the management team directly by texting their personal mobile number with as much notice as possible. For example, if your shift is due to start at 7:30am or 8:00am, you should aim to contact management at least one hour before your scheduled start time—or as early as possible—to allow time to arrange alternative cover.
• Provide brief details of your illness and an indication of how long you expect to be off work.

You should contact the Nursery every day that you are absent in the first week of absence.

1. On returning to work you must complete a copy of the ‘Employee’s statement of sickness self-certification form’. This should be signed by nursery management.
2. For absences of more than seven consecutive days, including the weekend/non-working days, you must provide a ‘fit note’ completed by a qualified medical practitioner for the period of absence.

After returning to work from any sickness absence leave, a ‘return to work’ interview will be undertaken by the employee and line manager.

During the return to work interview the following will be discussed:

• The reason for absence
• Whether and support is required and/or adjustments to the role (on a temporary or more permanent basis) and what they are. These might include regular catchup meetings, adjusted work patterns, changes of duties
• Future requirements and expectations, e.g. Improved attendance.

The return-to-work interview discussion is recorded using a set template and signed by both the manager and employee.  A copy is attached to the employee’s file.

Where an employee’s attendance record gives cause for concern because of the duration or frequency of absence, this is brought to the attention of the employee through a discussion with the manager.

Throughout any stage of discussions on sickness absence, employees may be accompanied by a work colleague.

The abuse of sick leave and pay regulations may be classified as misconduct and will be dealt with through the disciplinary procedure.

Frequent and/or persistent short-term sickness absence

Short-term absence may be short periods of one or two days occurring frequently.

Absence of this nature can be identified by one of the following indicators and should be classed as a trigger:

• Four self-certified spells of absence in one calendar year
• A total of 10 working days or more of self-certified absence in one calendar year
• Patterns of absence over a period, e.g. an individual regularly taking Mondays or Fridays off
• Where an employee’s attendance record is significantly worse than those of comparable employees, or absence problems have gone on for a considerable length of time.

Long-term sickness absence

For the purposes of the policy, long-term sickness absence is defined by the nursery as absences lasting over one month.

Where absences have lasted over 10 working days or more, the manager will contact the member of staff concerned to obtain an initial assessment of the sickness/illness.

At this point and where felt appropriate after further assessment of the sickness/illness, the manager will arrange a face-to-face meeting or telephone conference between themselves and the member of staff. The meeting will include:

• Confirming the reasons and nature of the absence and its likely duration
• Ensuring that the member of staff is aware of the nursery’s concern regarding their health and necessary absence from work
• Consideration of alternative duties or a shorter working week if this would enable a quicker return to work subject to medical advice
• Consideration to any personal issues being encountered and discuss possible ways of helping the individual resolve these
• Advising the member of staff that in their best interests they may be asked to see a registered medical practitioner or occupational health provider appointed by the nursery to enable a medical report to be prepared
• Alternatively, and if appropriate, gain agreement from the member of staff to contact their doctor or specialist in order to establish the likely length of absence and the long-term effect on capability in relation to job performance and attendance at work.

If all other avenues have been investigated, the absence continues or, following return to work, the attendance record does not improve, a subsequent meeting would be arranged. At this point and with legal advise the manager may advise the member of staff on long term sickness absence that unless there are reasonable grounds to believe there will be an improvement in the foreseeable future, their ill health may put their employment at risk with the possibility of termination by reason of capability or suitability to work with children might have to be considered, taking into account any medical information available.

The position will be reviewed periodically and ultimately it may become necessary from a business perspective to consider termination of employment. In these circumstances, the nursery will:

• Review the employee's absence record to assess whether or not it is sufficient to justify dismissal
• Consult the employee
• Obtain up-to-date medical advice through the employee’s GP and/or occupational health
• Seek legal advice, where applicable
• Advise the employee in writing as soon as it is established that termination of employment has become a possibility
• Meet with the employee to discuss the options and consider the employee's views on continuing employment
• Review if there are any other jobs that the employee could do prior to taking any decision on whether or not to dismiss
• Allow a right of appeal against any decision to dismiss the employee on grounds of long-term ill health
• Arrange a further meeting with the employee to determine any appeal
• Following this meeting, inform the employee of its final decision
• Act reasonably towards the employee at all times.

Any decision to terminate employment will be taken by the Director/Manager, making sure the capability procedure has been exhausted.

Occupational health

The nursery reserves the right to request employees to attend an appointment with an Occupational Health Advisor (e.g. consultant, GP) during their employment, if it is reasonably deemed necessary due to sickness absence, changes in health or the role, or where it is necessary to seek an expert medical opinion as to whether or not the employee can fulfil their job role or whether any reasonable adjustments should be made to the employee’s role.

The nursery will seek to engage the services of an independent Occupational Health Advisor in situations where expert medical opinion is required and work with them to identify the best course of action in circumstances of sickness absence.

Access to medical records

The Access to Medical Records Act 1988 gives individuals the right of access to medical records relating to themselves which have been prepared by a medical practitioner for employment purposes. The Act provides that:

• Employers must gain the consent of employees before requesting reports from medical practitioners
• Employers must inform employees of their rights in respect of medical reports
• The employee has the right of access to the report before the employer sees it, provided appropriate notification is given
• The employer is responsible for notifying the medical practitioner that the employee wishes to have access
• The employee may ask for a report to be amended or may attach a statement to the report
• Having seen the report, the employee may wish to withhold consent to it being supplied.

Where the nursery requests further medical information about the health of staff from an individual’s General Practitioner or Specialist, or its own occupational health provider, the provisions of the Act will be followed.

Throughout any interviews regarding sickness absence, staff are entitled to the support of and/or representation by a work colleague or recognised trade union representative.

Sick Pay

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) will be paid in accordance with Department for Work and Pensions requirements and no payment will be made for the first three working days in a period of incapacity for work.

Annual leave and sick pay

Where an employee falls sick or is injured whilst on annual leave, the nursery will allow the employee to take sick leave and take the annual leave at a later time. This policy is subject to the following strict conditions:

• The total period of incapacity must be fully certificated by a qualified medical practitioner
• The employee must contact the manager as soon as he/she knows that there will be a period of incapacity during the pre-planned annual leave in accordance with the Sickness Absence Reporting Procedure
• The employee must submit a written request no later than five days after returning to work setting out how much of the annual leave period was affected by sickness and the amount of leave that the employee wishes to take at another time
• Where the employee is overseas when he/she falls sick or is injured, evidence must be produced that the employee was sick by way of either a medical certificate or proof of a claim on an insurance policy for medical treatment received at the overseas location.

Where the employee fulfils all of the above conditions, we will allow the employee the same amount of annual leave as the amount lost due to sickness or injury.

Sickness or injury shortly before a period of planned holiday

If an employee is ill or is injured before the start of a period of planned annual leave, we will agree to the employee postponing the annual leave dates to another mutually agreed time. Any period of sickness absence will then be treated in accordance with the employer's normal policy on sickness absence.

The employee must submit a written request to postpone the planned annual leave and this must be accompanied by a letter from his/her doctor confirming that he/she is unfit to take the annual leave.

Replacement annual leave dates

Where it is agreed that an employee can take replacement annual leave at a later time, the employee should nominate replacement annual leave dates as soon as possible, with the dates being subject to the agreement of the employee's line manager in the usual way.

Employees should endeavour to take any replacement annual leave within the same holiday year as the days lost as a result of sickness or injury. In the event that part or all of the annual leave is lost due to incapacity towards the end of the nursery’s holiday year and there is insufficient time left during that year for the replacement annual leave to be taken, the employee will be permitted to carry over the replacement annual leave to the next holiday year. However, this leave must be taken as early in the new holiday year as possible.

Serious illness/injury of an employee’s immediate family

This will be looked at on an individual basis, the nursery manager will agree with you a reasonable period of leave time which will be considered as unpaid leave. You may also need to consider taking any annual leave/TOIL and working flexibly i.e. making adjustments to the length of the working day, changes in hours/days worked etc.

Death of a member of an employee’s immediate family

This leave applies on the death of an employee’s spouse, life partner, parent, brother, sister, grandparent, dependant or other relative for whom the employee has special responsibility or has had special ties. See bereavement leave policy.

Legislation

• Data Protection Act 2018
• General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679)

Related Policies 

• Whistleblowing
• Social Networking
• Safeguarding Children/Child Protection
• Online Safety

This Policy describes the rights and responsibilities of staff using resources, such as computers, tablets, the internet, landline 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 and passwords will be updated on a regular basis. 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 our password.

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 outside the nursery.

Staff are not permitted to access or use the Famly app on their personal devices or from home unless expressly authorised by management.

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 may 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

Before using any removable storage media which has been used on hardware not owned by us (e.g. USB pen drive, CDROM etc.) the contents of the storage device must be virus checked.

At Little Angels we have an open access policy in relation to accessing information about the nursery and parents’ own children. This policy is subject to the laws relating to data protection and document retention and should be used in conjunction with the Data protection and confidentiality policy and the GDPR privacy notice.

Parents are welcome to view the policies and procedures of the nursery, which govern the way in which the nursery operates. These may be viewed at any time when the nursery is open, by asking the nursery manager. The nursery manager or any other relevant staff member will also explain any policies and procedures to parents or use any other methods to make sure that parents understand these.

Parents are also welcome to see and contribute to all the records that are kept on their child. However, we must adhere to data protection laws and, where relevant, any guidance from the relevant agencies for child protection.

As we hold personal information about staff and families, we are registered under data protection law with the Information Commissioner’s Office. A copy of the certificate can be viewed on request. All parent, child and staff information is stored securely according to the requirements of data protection registration, including details, permissions, certificates and photographic images. We will ensure that staff understand 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.

We are required under legislation to keep certain records about children, parents and also staff members. Due to this legislation, we are required to keep this information for a set amount of time. Below is a brief overview of the information we keep and for how long. This policy should be used in conjunction with the Data protection and confidentiality policy and the GDPR privacy notice.

Children’s records: A reasonable period of time after children have left the provision.

Records relating to individual children e.g. care plans, speech and language referral forms: We will pass these on to the child’s next school or setting following our Local Authority’s protocols for transition and sharing of sensitive records.

Copies will be kept for a reasonable period.

Accidents and pre-existing injuries: If relevant to child protection we will keep these until the child reaches 25 years old.

Safeguarding records and cause for concern forms: We will pass these on to the child’s new educational establishment, e.g. school. In the event that we are not informed of the child’s new placement, we will keep the records until the child has reached 25 years old.

Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous occurrence (for children): As these incidents could result in potential negligence claims, or evolve into a more serious health condition, we keep records until the child reaches the age of 21 years and 3 months.

Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous occurrence (for staff): 3 years.

Type of accidents including fractures, broken limbs, serious head injuries or where the child is hospitalised: Until the child reaches the age of 21 years and 3 months.

Observation, planning and assessment records of children: We keep our planning filed since the last inspection date so there is a paperwork trail if the inspector needs to see it.

Information and assessments about individual children are either given to parents when the child leaves or to the next setting or school that the child moves to (with parents’ permission).

Personnel files and training records (including disciplinary records and working time records): 7 years.

Visitor signing in book: Up to 24 years as part of the child protection trail.

Nursery records and documentation that are not required to be kept are deleted or destroyed in line with the current data protection laws and our GDPR privacy notice which can be found.

If parents have a specific deletion or retention request regarding any data that we hold, please raise a query in writing and we will respond formally to your request.

This policy will be reviewed annually and amended according to any change in law and/or legislation.

At Little Angels the safety of all child is paramount and we have measures in place to help to protect children. However sometimes accidents do unavoidably happen.

We follow this policy and procedure to ensure all parties are supported and cared for when accidents or incidents happen[1]; and that the circumstances of the accident or incident are reviewed with a view to minimising any future risks.

Accidents

When an accident or incident occurs, we ensure:

• The child is comforted and reassured first
• The extent of the injury is assessed and if necessary, a call is made for medical support/ambulance
• First aid procedures are carried out where necessary, by a trained paediatric first aider
• The person responsible for reporting accidents, incidents or near misses is the member of staff who saw the incident or was first to find the child where there are no witnesses.
• The accident or incident is recorded on an Accident/Incident Form and it is reported to the nursery manager. Other staff who have witnessed the accident may also countersign the form and, in more serious cases, provide a statement. This should be done as soon as the accident is dealt with, whilst the details are still clearly remembered.
• Parents are shown the Accident/Incident Report and informed of any first aid treatment given. They are asked to sign it the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable after
• The nursery manager reviews the accident/incident forms at least monthly for patterns, e.g. one child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in the nursery or a particular time of the day when most accidents happen. Any patterns are investigated by the nursery manager and all necessary steps to reduce risks are put in place
• The nursery manager reports any serious accidents/incidents to the registered person for investigation for further action to be taken (i.e. a full risk assessment or report under Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR))
• The Accident File is kept for at least 22 years
• Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the parent(s) as soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately
• Where medical treatment is required the nursery manager will follow the insurance company procedures, which may involve informing them in writing of the accident
• The nursery manager/registered provider will report any accidents of a serious nature to Ofsted and the local authority children’s social care team (as the local child protection agency), where necessary. Where relevant such accidents will also be reported to the local authority environmental health department or the Health and Safety Executive and their advice followed. If the setting is an awarded Millie’s Mark setting, or working towards the award then the *manager / registered provider will also notify Millie’s Mark to meet the requirements under this scheme. Notification must be made as soon as is reasonably practical, but in any event within 14 days of the incident occurring.

Location of accident records: Famly App

Accident and incident records will be regularly reviewed to identify if there are trends or common features that could be addressed to reduce the risks of accidents and incidents in the setting. Appropriate action will be taken to address any identified concerns.

Contact Details:

Head injuries

If a child has a head injury in the setting then we will follow the following procedure:

• Comfort, calm and reassure the child
• Assess the child’s condition to ascertain if a hospital or ambulance is required. We will follow our procedure for this if this is required (see below)
• If the skin is not broken we will administer a cold compress for short periods of time, repeated until the parent arrives to collect their child
• If the skin is broken then we will follow our first aid training and stem the bleeding
• Call the parent and make them aware of the injury and if they need to collect their child
• Complete the accident form
• Keep the child in a calm and quiet area whilst awaiting collection, where applicable
• We will continue to monitor the child and follow the advice on the NHS website as per all head injuries https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/minor-head-injury/
• For major head injuries we will follow our paediatric first aid training.

Choking

When a child experiences a choking incident that requires intervention, we will:

• Record details of where and how the child choked
• Make parents aware of the incident.

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The nursery manager/staff member must:

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the injury is severe. We will not attempt to transport the injured child in our own vehicles
• Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter
• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
• Inform a member of the management team immediately
• Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support following the accident.

*If a child has an accident that may require hospital treatment but not an ambulance and you choose to transport children within staff vehicles Citation advise you consider the following in your policy:

• Requesting permission from parents
• Ratio requirements of the setting being maintained
• The age and height of the child, in regards to will they need a car seat? Further guidance can be found at childcarseats.org.uk/types-of-seat/
• There are some exceptions for needing a child seat depending again on their age. Further guidance can be found at childcarseats.org.uk/the-law/cars-taxis-private-hire-vehicles-vans-and-goods-vehicles/#under-three
• With the fitting of the car seat, we also need to ask has the individual had training in carrying in carrying this out?
• Is this transport covered under business insurance, so a call to your insurance company will be needed, or do they have business insurance on their vehicle?
• Safeguarding of the child needs to be looked at. In certain situations e.g. A designated member of staff should be appointed to plan and provide oversight of all transporting arrangements and respond to any difficulties that may arise. Wherever possible and practicable it is advisable that transport is undertaken other than in private vehicles, with at least one adult additional to the driver acting as an escort. Staff should ensure that their behaviour is safe and that the transport arrangements and the vehicle meet all legal requirements. They should ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy and appropriately insured and that the maximum capacity is not exceeded
• Emergency procedures, e.g. what happens if the child’s health begins to deteriorate during the journey.

First aid

The first aid boxes are located in: Downstairs and Upstairs Landings

These are accessible at all times with appropriate content for use with children.

The Manager/ Room Leaders are responsible for first aid checks the contents of the boxes regularly/ every Month and replaces items that have been used or are out of date.

First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations Act 1981, such as sterile dressings, bandages and eye pads. No other medical items, such as paracetamol should be kept in them.

The appointed person(s) responsible for first aid is Saadia Khalid/ Person in Charge.

All of the staff are aimed to be trained in paediatric first aid and this training is updated every three years.

All first aid trained staff are listed in every room. When children are taken on an outing away from our nursery, we will always ensure they are accompanied by at least one member of staff who is trained in first aid. A first aid box is taken on all outings, along with any medication that needs to be administered in an emergency, including inhalers etc.

Food Safety and play 

Children are supervised during meal times and food is adequately cut up to reduce the risk of choking. The use of food as a play material is discouraged. However, as we understand that learning experiences are provided through exploring different malleable materials the following may be used:

• Playdough
• Cornflour
• Dried pasta, rice and pulses.

These are risk assessed and presented differently to the way it would be presented for eating e.g. in trays,

Food items may also be incorporated into the role play area to enrich the learning experiences for children, e.g. fruits and vegetables. Children will be fully supervised during these activities.

Food that could cause a choking hazard, including raw jelly is not used.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

The nursery provides staff with PPE according to the need of the task or activity. Staff must wear PPE to protect themselves and the children during tasks that involve contact with bodily fluids. PPE is also provided for domestic tasks. Staff are consulted when choosing PPE to ensure all allergies and individual needs are supported and this is evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Dealing with blood

We may not be aware that any child attending the nursery has a condition that may be transmitted via blood. Any staff member dealing with blood must:

• Always take precautions when cleaning wounds as some conditions such as hepatitis or the HIV virus can be transmitted via blood.
• Wear disposable gloves and wipe up any blood spillage with disposable cloths, neat sterilising fluid or freshly diluted bleach (one part diluted with 10 parts water). Such solutions must be carefully disposed of immediately after use.

Needle punctures and sharps injury

We recognise that injuries from needles, broken glass and so on may result in blood-borne infections and that staff must take great care in the collection and disposal of this type of material. For the safety and well-being of the employees, any staff member dealing with needles, broken glass etc. must treat them as contaminated waste. If a needle is found the local authority must be contacted to deal with its disposal.

We treat our responsibilities and obligations in respect of health and safety as a priority and provide ongoing training to all members of staff which reflects best practice and is in line with current health and safety legislation.

This policy is updated at least annually in consultation with staff and parents and/or after a serious accident or incident.

[1] An accident is an unfortunate event or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in an injury, for example tripping over and hurting your knee.

An Incident is an event or occurrence that is related to another person, typically resulting in an injury, for example being pushed over and hurting your knee.

At Little Angels we are aware that children may have or develop an allergy resulting in an allergic reaction.

We aim to ensure allergic reactions are minimised or, where possible, prevented and that staff are fully aware of how to support a child who may be having an allergic reaction.

Our procedures

• All staff are made aware of the signs and symptoms of a possible allergic reaction in case of an unknown or first reaction in a child. These may include a rash or hives, nausea, stomach pain, diarrhoea, itchy skin, runny eyes, shortness of breath, chest pain, swelling of the mouth and/or tongue, swelling of the airways to the lungs, wheezing and anaphylaxis. Staff are trained in appropriate treatments for allergies and anaphylaxis, the differences between allergies and intolerances and that children can develop allergies at any time, especially during the introduction of solid foods
• Before a child is admitted to the setting we obtain information about special dietary requirements, preferences, food allergies and intolerances that the child has
• We have ongoing discussions with parents and, where appropriate, health professionals to develop allergy plans for managing any known allergies and intolerances. We ask parents to inform staff of any allergies or intolerances discovered after registration
• We share all information with all staff involved in the preparing and handling of food, including at mealtimes and snack times and keep a record of allergy list in the rooms boards and displayed on kitchen cabinet
• Where a child has a known allergy, the nursery manager will carry out a full Allergy Risk Assessment Procedure with the parent prior to the child starting the nursery and/or following notification of a known allergy and this assessment is shared with all staff. This may involve displaying photos of the children along with their known allergies in the kitchen/nursery rooms, where applicable
• All food prepared for a child with a specific allergy is prepared in an area where there is no chance of contamination and served on equipment that has not been in contact with this specific food type, e.g. nuts
• The manager, nursery cook and parents work together to ensure a child with specific food allergies receives no food at nursery that may harm them. This may include designing an appropriate menu or substituting specific meals on the current nursery menu
• At each mealtime and snack time we ensure staff are clear who is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child
• Seating is monitored for children with allergies. Where deemed appropriate, staff will sit with children who have allergies and where age/stage appropriate staff will discuss food allergies with the children and the potential risks
• If a child has an allergic reaction to food, a bee or wasp sting, plant etc. a paediatric first-aid trained member of staff will act quickly and administer the appropriate treatment, where necessary. We will inform parents and record the information in the incident book and on the allergy register
• If an allergic reaction requires specialist treatment, e.g. an EpiPen, then at least two members of staff working directly with the child and the manager will receive specific medical training to be able to administer the treatment to each individual child.

Food Information Regulations 2014

We incorporate additional procedures in line with the Food Information Regulations 2014 (FIR) including displaying our weekly menus on the Parent Information Board/website/online system identifying any of the 14 allergens that are used as ingredients in any of our dishes.

In the event of a serious allergic reaction and a child needing transporting children to hospital, the nursery manager/staff member will:

• Call for an ambulance immediately if the allergic reaction is severe. Staff will not attempt to transport the sick child in their own vehicle
• Ensure someone contacts the parent(s) whilst waiting for the ambulance, and arrange to meet them at the hospital
• Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child, taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter
• Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
• Inform a member of the management team immediately
• Remain calm at all times and continue to comfort and reassure the child experiencing an allergic reaction.  Children who witness the incident may also be well affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support following the incident.

This policy is updated at least annually in consultation with staff and parents and/or after a serious incident.

Legislation

• The Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay Act 2018

At Little Angels we recognise that children and their families may experience grief and loss of close family members or friends or their family pets whilst with us in the nursery. We understand that this is not only a difficult time for families, but it may also be a confusing time for young children, especially if they have little or no understanding of why their parents are upset and why this person/pet is no longer around.

We aim to support both the child and their family and will adapt the following procedure to suit their individual needs and family preferences:

• We ask that if there is a loss of a family member or close friend that the parents inform the nursery as soon as they feel able to. This will enable us to support both the child and the family wherever we can and helps us to understand any potential changes in behaviour of a child who may be grieving themselves
• The key person and/or the manager will talk with the family to ascertain what support is needed or wanted from the nursery. This may be an informal discussion or a meeting away from the child to help calm a potentially upsetting situation
• The child may need extra support or one-to-one care during this difficult time. We will adapt our staffing arrangements so the child is fully supported by the most appropriate member of staff on duty, where possible the child’s key person
• We will be as flexible as possible to adapt the sessions the child and family may need during this time.

We will adapt the above procedure as appropriate when a family pet dies to help the child to understand their loss and support their emotions through this time.

We also recognise that there may also be rare occasions when the nursery team is affected by a death of a child or member of staff. This will be a difficult time for the staff team, children and families. Below are some agencies that may be able to offer further support and counselling if this occurs.

The Samaritans: www.samaritans.org  116 123

Priory: www.priorygroup.com   0808 138 8680

Child Bereavement UK: www.childbereavementuk.org   0800 02 888 40

Cruse Bereavement Care: https://www.cruse.org.uk  0808 808 1677

British Association of Counselling: www.bacp.co.uk  01455 883300

SANDS: https://www.sands.org.uk/ 0808 164 3332

Death of a Child

If an employee experiences the death of a child under the age of 18 or suffers a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy, or has an abortion after 24 weeks (in very limited circumstances an abortion can take place after 24 weeks if the mother’s life is at risk or the child would be born with a severe disability), the employee will be entitled to two weeks paid leave, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria having been employed for at least 26 weeks.

Additionally, an employee may take parental bereavement leave in the event of the death of an adopted child while on adoption leave or the death of a child while on shared parental leave. The amount of leave depends on the circumstances and the employer will seek legal advice regarding the employee’s individual circumstances at the time of the bereavement.

Support will be given, including making reasonable adjustments on the return to work and further ongoing support, as required.

At Little Angels we care for babies and children under the age of two as well as toddlers ages 2-3 and pre-school children.

We ensure their health, safety and well-being through the following:

• Implementing the EYFS requirements at all times and caring for babies and under2’s in a separate base room with a maximum number of 12 of children on a minimum ratio of 1:3
• Allocating each baby with a key person and working in partnership with their parent/carers to meet their individual needs and routines
• Having well qualified staff that understand the needs of babies and under 2’s, ensuring that at least half of the staff team caring for children under the age of two have undertaken specific training for working with babies.

• Ensuring babies and under 2’s have opportunities to see and play with older children whilst at nursery.
• Children transitioning to the older age groups/rooms when assessed as appropriate for their age/stage (see separate Transition Policy)
• Staff supervising all babies and under 2’s and organising the environment to support both non-mobile babies and more mobile babies and under2’s.

Environment

• The environment, equipment and resources are risk assessed and checked daily before the children access the rooms/area. This includes checking the stability of cots and areas around, low/highchairs and ensuring restraints on these, pushchairs and prams are intact and working
• All doors are fitted with viewing panels and door finger-guards to prevent accidents
• Outdoor shoes are removed or covered when entering the baby area(s). Staff remind parents and visitors to adhere to this procedure. Flooring is cleaned regularly
• Sterilisers are washed out and cleaned daily
• Large pieces of furniture are fixed to the walls to stop them falling on top of babies and young children

Play and learning is planned in line with children’s individual interests and the EYFS learning and development requirements.

Resources

• Care is taken to ensure that babies and under2’s do not have access to resources/activities containing small pieces, which may be swallowed or otherwise injure the child
• Babies and young children are closely supervised during all activities
• Resources and equipment that babies and young children have placed in their mouth are cleaned/sterilised after use
• All resources are frequently cleaned
• Soft furnishings are frequently cleaned
• The use of resources that restrict babies’ movement such as baby walkers, pushchairs, jumparoos, etc will not be used on a regular basis because these can contribute to delayed physical development. We follow NHS guidelines which recommends that if these resources are to be used then it should be for no more than 20 minutes at a time.

Intimate Care 

• Babies’/toddlers’ privacy is considered and balanced with safeguarding and support needs when changing nappies and toileting

• Babies and young children have their nappies changed according to their individual needs and requirements by their key person, wherever possible. Checks are documented with the time and staff initials and information is shared with parents.
• When developmentally appropriate, we work closely with parents/carers to sensitively support toilet training in a way that suits the individual needs of the child
• Potties are washed and disinfected after every use. Changing mats are wiped with anti-bacterial cleanser before and after every nappy change
• Staff ensure all the equipment is ready before babies and young children are placed on the changing mat
• No child is ever left unattended during nappy changing time
• Intimate care times are seen as opportunities for one-to-one interactions
• Staff do not change nappies whilst pregnant until a risk assessment has been discussed and conducted. Students only change nappies with the support and close supervision of a qualified member of staff (see separate Students Policy)
• Cameras, mobile phones and other electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities are not permitted in toilet and nappy changing areas
• Nappy sacks and creams are not be left in reach of babies and children
• We always systems in place to ensure there is an adequate supply of clean bedding, towels and spare clothes

See separate Nappy changing policy.

Sleep

• Each baby/toddler has labelled nursery bedding which is washed at least weekly and when necessary, this takes into account any allergies and irritation to soap powders and any individual needs for example if a child prefers to sleep in a sleeping bag we will ask parents/carers to bring one from home
• All cot mattresses/sleep mats meet necessary safety standards
• Safe sleep guidance is followed at all times, babies are always laid to sleep on their back, with their feet touching the foot of the cot. Children under two years are not given pillows, cot bumpers or any soft furnishings in order to prevent risk of suffocation
• We also share safe sleep advice with parents/carers.
• We ensure that sheets or thin blankets come no higher than the baby's shoulders, to prevent them wriggling under the covers. We make sure the covers are securely tucked in so they cannot slip over the baby's head
• Only sheets and blankets that are of good condition are used, any loose threads are removed.
• Cots are checked before use to ensure no items are within reach i.e. hanging over or beside the cot (e.g. fly nets, cables, cord blinds)
• Babies sleeping outside have cat/fly nets over their prams and we ensure we only use prams that lie flat for sleeping so babies/toddlers are supported
• Sleeping babies/children are supervised at all times and checks are completed every 10 minutes. This may increase to five minutes for younger babies and/or new babies.

Bottles 

• Feeding times are seen as an opportunity for bonding between practitioner and child and where possible babies are fed by their key person

• Food/milk for babies is prepared in a Separate area which is specifically designated for this preparation. Handwashing is completed before preparation is undertaken

• Bottles of formula milk are only made up as and when the child needs them. Following the Department of Health guidelines, we only use recently boiled water to make formula bottles (left for no longer than 30 minutes to cool). We do not use cooled boiled water that is reheated. They are then cooled to body temperature, which means they should feel warm or cool, but not hot.

• Bottles are only made following the instructions on the formula, if during the making process there are discrepancies, a new bottle will be made
• All new staff will be shown the procedure, and only when competent and confident will they make them on their own. Students are fully supervised.
• Nursery bottles and teats are thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water and sterilised after use (they are not be washed in the dishwasher). They are replaced as and when required.
• Unwanted/left over contents of bottles are disposed of after two hours

• Babies are never left propped up or laid in a cot with bottles as it is both dangerous and inappropriate
• A designated area is available for mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies or express milk
• Labelled mothers’ breast milk is stored in the fridge.

Mealtimes

• All babies and young children are seated safely in low/highchairs used for feeding. The chairs are fitted with restraints, and these are used at all times. Children are never left unattended when eating or when in low/highchairs. Restraints are removed and washed weekly or as needed
• Mealtimes are seen as social occasions and promote interactions. Staff always sit with babies and young children, interacting, promoting communication and social skills
• Staff supervising mealtimes will have ongoing discussions with parents about the stage their child is at in regard to introducing solid foods, including to understand the textures the child is familiar with. Assumptions will not be made based on age
• Food will be prepared in a suitable way for each child’s individual developmental needs, working with parents to help children move on to the next stage at a pace right for the child
• All children are closely supervised whilst eating and if any choking incidents occur paediatric first aid will be administered
• Babies and young children are encouraged to feed themselves with support, as required
• We work together with parents regarding weaning and offer any support, as required.

See separate Nutrition and mealtimes policy for further details.

Comforter and dummies

• We have a separate ‘Use of Dummies in Nursery’ Policy to promote communication and language development

• If dummies are used, they are cleaned and sterilised. This also applies to dummies which have been dropped on the floor (see separate dummy policy)
• All dummies are stored in separate labelled containers to ensure no cross-contamination occurs
• Dummies are disposed of if they become damaged
• Comforters including teddies and blankets are kept safe and provided at sleep times, or if the child becomes unsettled.

The nursery CCTV surveillance is intended for the purposes of:

• promoting the health and safety of children, staff and visitors
• protecting the nursery building and resources.

The system comprises of 10 fixed cameras. These are placed around the nursery, inside and outside, but not in the toilets or changing areas. This is to ensure the dignity of children is maintained.

The use of CCTV to control the perimeter of the nursery for security purposes has been deemed to be justified by the nursery management. The system is intended to capture images of intruders or of individuals damaging property or removing goods without authorisation or of antisocial behaviour.

Monitoring

The CCTV is monitored centrally from the nursery office and is registered with the Information Commissioner under the terms of the Data Protection Act. This policy outlines the nursery’s use of CCTV and how it complies with the Act. The nursery complies with Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) CCTV Code of Practice to ensure it is used responsibly.

All authorised operators and employees with access to images are aware of the procedures that need to be followed when accessing the recorded images. All operators are trained to understand their responsibilities under the CCTV Code of Practice. All employees are aware of the restrictions in relation to access to, and disclosure of, recorded images. A copy of this CCTV Policy will be provided on request to staff, parents and visitors to the nursery and will be made available on the website and in the policy file.

Location of cameras

The location of CCTV cameras will also be indicated and adequate signage will be placed at each location in which a CCTV camera(s) is sited to indicate that CCTV is in operation. Adequate signage will also be prominently displayed at the entrance to the nursery’s property. Signage shall include the name and contact details of the data controller as well as the specific purpose(s) for which the CCTV camera is in place in each location.

Storage and retention

The images captured by the CCTV system will be retained for a maximum of 30 days, except where the image identifies an issue and is retained specifically in the context of an investigation/prosecution of that issue.  The images/recordings will be stored in a secure environment with a log of access kept.  Access will be restricted to authorised personnel.

Supervising the access and maintenance of the CCTV System is the responsibility of the Manager.  In certain circumstances, the recordings may also be viewed by other individuals. When CCTV recordings are being viewed, access will be limited to authorised individuals on a need-to-know basis.  Files will be stored in a secure environment with a log of access to recordings kept.

Recorded footage and the monitoring equipment will be securely stored in a restricted area. Unauthorised access to that area will not be permitted at any time. The area will be locked when not occupied by authorised personnel. A log of access to footage will be maintained.

When accessing images two authorised members of staff must be present. A written record of access will be made. A record of the date of any disclosure request along with details of who the information has been provided to (the name of the person and the organisation they represent), why they required it and how the request was dealt with will be made and kept, in case of challenge.

Subject Access Requests (SAR)

Individuals have the right to request access to CCTV footage relating to themselves under the Data Protection Activity / GDPR.  Individuals submitting requests for access will be asked to provide sufficient information to enable the footage relating to them to be identified. For example, date, time and location.

The nursery will respond to requests within 14 calendar days of receiving the request. The nursery reserves the right to refuse access to CCTV footage where this would prejudice the legal rights of other individuals or jeopardise an on-going investigation.

A record of the date of the disclosure along with details of who the information has been provided to (the name of the person and the organisation they represent) and why they required it will be made.

Where footage contains images relating to 3rd parties, the nursery will take appropriate steps to mask and protect the identities of those individuals.

Complaints

Complaints and enquiries about the operation of CCTV within the nursery should be directed to the manager of the nursery in the first instance.

Responsibilities

The manager (or deputy) will ensure:

• That the use of CCTV systems is implemented in accordance with this policy
• They oversee and co-ordinate the use of CCTV monitoring for safety and security purposes
• That all CCTV monitoring systems will be evaluated for compliance with this policy
• That the CCTV monitoring is consistent with the highest standards and protections
• They review camera locations and be responsible for the release of any information or recorded CCTV materials stored in compliance with this policy
• They maintain a record of access (e.g. an access log) to or the release of files or any material recorded or stored in the system
• That the perimeter of view from fixed location cameras conforms to this policy both internally and externally
• That all areas being monitored are not in breach of an enhanced expectation of the privacy of individuals
• That external cameras are non-intrusive in terms of their positions and views of neighbouring residential housing and comply with the principle of “Reasonable Expectation of Privacy”
• That monitoring footage are stored in a secure place with access by authorised personnel only
• That images recorded are stored for a period not longer than 30 days and are then erased unless required as part of a criminal investigation or court proceedings (criminal or civil).
• That camera control is solely to monitor suspicious behaviour, criminal damage etc. and not to monitor individual characteristics
• That under certain circumstances, the CCTV footage may be used for training purposes (including staff supervisions) or for parents to view child transitions.

Well-being is a broad term that covers how you feel about yourself and your life. It encompasses the physical, emotional (and mental), social and spiritual areas of a person. Under the Early Years Foundations Stage (EYFS) this is covered in the children’s personal, social, emotional development and physical development, both of which are prime areas of learning and development.

Physical well-being covers everything physical to do with the body:

• Growth and development
• Moving and keeping physically fit
• Caring for personal health (e.g. washing, cleaning teeth, etc.)
• Eating a balanced and nutritious diet
• Rest and appropriate sleep patterns.

Mental and emotional well-being includes:

• Acknowledging, expressing and coping with feelings and emotions
• Thought processes
• Reducing stress and anxiety.

Social well-being includes:

• Relationships
• Family (close and extended)
• Friends
• The feeling of belonging and acceptance
• Compassion and caring approaches.

Spiritual well-being can cover the following:

• Value and beliefs held
• Personal identity and self-awareness.

Children’s physical well-being is supported through our carefully planned curriculum programme which supports all types of gross and fine motor play both inside and outside. We provide nutritionally balanced meals for the children and support our staff to make healthy choices in regards to their physical health.

Personal hygiene is supported in children of all ages, explaining the reasons for hand washing, tooth brushing and other routines.

Children are provided with quiet and calming areas for rest, sleep and relaxation. This supports both their physical and mental well-being.  We support children to make strong attachments with their key person as well as forge relationships with their peers in order to support their social well-being. We offer opportunities and resources for children to play singly, in pairs, small groups and large groups to support this area of development.

Children’s mental and emotional well-being is supported. We provide a safe environment that allows for caregiver to child co-regulation. This practice supports the process of children building the capacity for self-regulation, through providing activities in which children are able to recognise and express their emotions, including emotional literacy.   This enables us to provide support for children who may be experiencing big emotions they cannot cope with just yet, including sadness and over-excitement. We support children’s self-regulation through carefully planned activities and resources, modelling calming strategies and naming and talking about feelings and by providing opportunities for children to practise their self-regulation skills.

Staff use the Promoting positive behaviour policy to ensure a consistent approach.

Staff are able to recognise when a child may need support with their emotions and will provide this one-to-one or in a small group, whichever is more appropriate. Teaching children to recognise and manage their emotions at a young age helps support foundations for doing this throughout their life.

At Little Angels we strive to provide the highest quality of care and education for our children and families and believe that all parents are treated with care, courtesy and respect.  We hope that at all times parents are happy and satisfied with the quality and service provided and we encourage parents to voice their appreciation to the staff concerned and/or management. We record all compliments and share these with staff.

We welcome any suggestions from parents on how we can improve our services, and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns that parents may have. Any concerns will be dealt with professionally and promptly to ensure that any issues arising from them are handled effectively and to ensure the welfare of all children, enable ongoing cooperative partnership with parents and to continually improve the quality of the nursery.

We have a formal procedure for dealing with complaints where we are not able to resolve a concern. Where any concern or complaint relates to child protection, we follow our *Safeguarding/Child Protection Policy.

Internal complaints procedure

Stage 1

If any parent should have cause for concern or any queries regarding the care or early learning provided by the nursery, they should in the first instance take it up with the child's key person or a senior member of staff/room leader.  If this is not resolved, we ask them to discuss this verbally with the manager.

Stage 2

If the issue still remains unresolved or parents feel they have received an unsatisfactory outcome, then they must present their concerns in writing as a formal complaint to the nursery manager. The manager will then investigate the complaint in relation to the fulfilment of the EYFS requirements and report back to the parent within 14 days. The manager will document the complaint fully, the actions taken and the outcome in relation to it in the complaints log book.

(Most complaints are usually resolved informally at stage 1 or 2.)

Stage 3

If the matter is still not resolved, the nursery will hold a formal meeting between the manager, parent and a senior staff member to ensure that it is dealt with comprehensively. The nursery will make a record of the meeting and document any actions. All parties present at the meeting will review the accuracy of the record, and be asked to sign to agree it and receive a copy. This will signify the conclusion of the procedure.

Stage 4

If the matter cannot be resolved to their satisfaction, then parents have the right to raise the matter with Ofsted. Parents are made aware that they can contact Ofsted at any time they have a concern, including at all stages of the complaint’s procedure, and are given information on how to contact Ofsted. Ofsted is the registering authority for nurseries in England and investigates all complaints that suggest a provider may not be meeting the requirements of the nursery’s registration. Its risk assesses all complaints made and may visit the nursery to carry out a full inspection where it believes requirements are not met.

A record of complaints will be kept in the nursery. The record will include the name of the complainant, the nature of the complaint, date and time complaint received, action(s) taken, outcomes of any investigations and any information given to the complainant including a dated response.

Parents will be able to access this record if they wish; however, all personal details relating to any complaint will be stored confidentially and will be only accessible by the parties involved. Ofsted inspectors will have access to this record at any time during visits to ensure actions have been met appropriately.

The record of complaints is made available to Ofsted on request.

We will follow this procedure for any other compliments and complaints received from visitors to the provider, where applicable.

Contact details for Ofsted:

Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk

Telephone: 0300 123 4666

For more information about Ofsted’s role see:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/information-for-parents-about-ofsteds-role-in-regulating-childcare

Parents will also be informed if the nursery becomes aware that they are going to be inspected and after inspection the nursery will provide a copy of the report to parents of children attending on a regular basis.

At Little Angels we believe that we have a strong partnership with our parents and an open-door policy to discuss any matters arising (if applicable).

If as a parent you have any concerns or issues you wish to raise with the nursery then please follow the complaints procedure.

In the case of a parent emailing, calling or using social media to complain the nursery will direct them to the correct procedure for raising a complaint.

We have a zero tolerance on abusive calls, emails, social media contact and face to face confrontation.

Calls of an aggressive/abusive manner

The call taker receiving a call leading to abusive/aggressive will remain calm and professional and ask them to follow the complaints policy. If the abuse continues the call taker will end the call. Any abusive calls will be logged with an outline of the conversation.

 Emails of an aggressive/abusive manner

The responder will ask the parents to come into the setting to speak in person, as per our complaints policy. If the emails persist the manager may seek legal action. All emails will be kept as evidence until the matter is resolved.

Social Media

If slanderous or abusive messages appear on any social media sites, we will address these immediately with a request to follow our complaints procedure. We will endeavour to resolve any issue raised through our complaint’s procedure. If slanderous/abusive messages continue we will seek legal action against the complainant.

In the event that any person inside the nursery starts to act in an aggressive manner at the nursery, our policy is to:

• Direct the person away from the children and into a private area, such as the office (where appropriate)
• Ensure that a second member of staff is in attendance, where possible, whilst continuing to ensure the safe supervision of the children
• Remain calm and professional in order to calm the aggressive person, making it clear that we do not tolerate aggressive or abusive language or behaviour
• If the aggressive behaviour continues or escalates we will contact the police in order to ensure the safety of our staff team, children and families
• If the person calms down and stops the aggressive behaviour a member of staff will listen to their concerns and try to resolve the issue
• Following an aggressive confrontation an incident form will be completed detailing the time, reason and any action taken
• Any aggressive behaviour from a parent could result in the withdrawal of a place for the children. Parents will be informed, by the management team, in writing within 3 days of any incident that involved aggressive or threatening behaviour to their staff
• Management will provide support and reassurance to any staff member involved in such an incident
• Management will signpost parents to organisations/professionals that can offer support if applicable.

This policy will be followed in the event of any other visitors/member of the public displaying this type of behaviour either by phone, email, social media or in person.

At Little Angels we understand we need to plan for all eventualities to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all the children we care for. With this in mind, we have a critical incident policy in place to ensure our nursery is able to operate effectively in the case of a critical incident. These include:

• Flood
• Fire
• Burglary
• Abduction or threatened abduction of a child
• Bomb threat/terrorism attack
• National outbreaks of infection/health pandemics
• Any other incident that may affect the care of the children in the nursery.

If any of these incident’s impact on the ability of the nursery to operate, we will contact parents via *famly app/*phone/*email/*text message at the earliest opportunity, e.g. before the start of the nursery day.

Flood

There is always a danger of flooding from adverse weather conditions or through the water/central heating systems. We cannot anticipate adverse weather; however, we can ensure that we take care of all our water and heating systems through regular maintenance and checks to reduce the option of flooding in this way. Our central heating systems are checked and serviced annually by a registered gas engineer and they conform to all appropriate guidelines and legislation.

If flooding occurs during the nursery day, the nursery manager will make a decision based on the severity and location of this flooding, and it may be deemed necessary to follow the same procedure as the fire evacuation procedure. In this instance children will be kept safe and parents will be notified in the same way as the fire procedure (see Fire Safety Policy).

Should the nursery be assessed as unsafe through flooding, fire or any other incident we will follow our operational plan and provide *care in another location/*parents with alternative arrangements in sister nurseries/*options for childcare facilities in the local area.

Fire

Please refer to the fire safety policy.

Burglary

The management of the nursery follow a lock up procedure which ensures all doors and windows are closed and locked before vacating the premises. Alarm systems are used and in operation during all hours the nursery is closed.

The manager or most senior member of staff on site will always check the premises as they arrive in the morning. Should they discover that the nursery has been broken into they will follow the procedure below:

• In an emergency dial 999 or non-emergency dial 101 with as many details as possible, i.e. name and location, details of what you have found and emphasise this is a nursery and children will be arriving soon
• Contain the area to ensure no-one enters until the police arrive.
• Where it is safe to do so, the staff will direct parents and children to a separate area as they arrive. If all areas have been disturbed staff will follow police advice. This may include temporary short-term closure and/or following the relocation procedure under the flood section wherever necessary to ensure the safety of the children
• The manager on duty will help the police with enquiries, e.g. by identifying items missing, areas of entry etc.
• A manager will be available at all times during this time to speak to parents, reassure children and direct enquires
• Management will assess the situation following a theft and ensure parents are kept up to date with developments relating to the operation of the nursery
• Arrangements will be made to ensure the nursery is made safe and secure again.

Abduction or threatened abduction of a child

We have secure safety procedures in place to ensure children are safe while in our care, including taking reasonable steps to ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised and to prevent unauthorised persons entering the premises and at risk of abduction. Staff are vigilant at all times and report any persons lingering on nursery property immediately. All doors and gates to the nursery are locked and cannot be accessed unless staff members allow individuals in. Parents are reminded on a regular basis not to allow anyone into the building whether they are known to them or not. We also have visual reminders about closing the door behind them to prevent tailgating (another person accessing entry behind them).   Visitors and general security are covered in more detail in the supervision of visitor’s policy.

Children will only be released into the care of a designated adult; see the arrivals and departures policy for more details. Parents are requested to inform the nursery of any potential custody proceedings or family concerns as soon as they arise so the nursery is able to support the child. The nursery will not take sides in relation to any custody arrangements and will remain neutral for the child. If an absent parent arrives to collect their child, the nursery will not restrict access unless a court order is in place. Parents are requested to issue the nursery with a copy of these documents should they be in place. We will consult our solicitors with regards to any concerns over custody and relay any information back to the parties involved.

If a member of staff witnesses an actual or potential abduction from nursery we have the following procedures which are followed immediately:

• The staff member will notify management immediately and the manager will take control, dialling 999 and requesting the police, instructions from the emergency response team will be followed
• The parent(s) will be contacted
• All other children will be kept safe and secure, reassured and calmed where necessary
• The police will be given as many details as possible including details of the child, description of the abductor, car registration number if used, time and direction of travel if seen and any family situations that may have impacted on this abduction.
• Any incidents must be recorded in writing as soon as practicably possible including the outcome, who was abducted, time identified, notification to police and findings
• In the unlikely event that the child is not found, the nursery will follow the local authority and police procedure
• Ofsted will be contacted and informed of any incidents
• With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further support where necessary
• In any cases with media attention staff will not speak to any media representatives
• Post-incident risk assessments will be conducted following any incident of this nature to enable the chance of this reoccurring being reduced.

Bomb threat/terrorism attack

If a bomb threat is received at the nursery, the person taking the call will record all details given over the phone as soon as possible and raise the alarm/contact emergency services as soon as the phone call has ended. The management will follow the fire evacuation procedure and guidance from the emergency services to ensure the safety of all on the premises. The person who took the call will provide as much detail to the emergency services as possible. Ofsted will be notified. With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further support where necessary.

Any other significant incidents

All incidents will be managed by the manager on duty and all staff will co-operate with any emergency services on the scene, where applicable. The fire evacuation procedure will be followed for any other incident that requires an emergency evacuation. Other incidents e.g. no water supply, will be dealt with on an individual basis taking into account the effect on the safety, health and welfare of the children and staff in the nursery

If there is an incident outside of the nursery building and it is safer to stay inside the building will put into place the lockdown procedure. Emergency advice would be taken.

National outbreaks of infection/Health Pandemics

In the event of a national outbreak of a health pandemic, we will follow Government health advice and guidance, legal advice and advice from our insurance provider.

The setting will remain open as long as we have sufficient staff to care for the children. Depending on the nature of the pandemic we will follow all advice and implement measures to ensure that risks to vulnerable children and staff are minimised. This may include excluding infected children/staff/parents or family members from the setting for a set period of time, to prevent the spread of infection. This decision will be done in consultation with parents, staff, legal advice and our insurance provider. Each case will be reviewed on an individual basis.

The nursery manager will notify Ofsted in the event of a critical incident.

At Little Angels we recognise that we hold sensitive/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 office computer with files that are password protected in line with data protection principles. Any information shared with the staff team is done on a ‘need to know’ basis and treated in confidence. This policy works alongside the 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 General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), 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 filing cabinet or on the office computer with files that are password protected
• 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 cabinet
• Individual staff may request to see their own personal file at any time.
• Our Organisation is registered with ICO. A copy of ICO certificate is stored with policies documents.

This may form part of your Inclusion and Equality policy rather than a standalone policy. This policy also links to safeguarding and child protection, prevent duty and radicalisation and whistleblowing policies.

At Little Angels we do not tolerate discriminatory behaviour and take action to tackle discrimination. We believe that parents have a right to know if discrimination occurs and what actions the nursery will take to tackle it. We follow our legal duties in relation to discrimination and record all incidents of any perceived or actual relating to discrimination on any grounds and report these where relevant to children’s parents and the registering authority.

Definition and legal framework

Types of discrimination

• Direct discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably than another person because of a protected characteristic
• Discrimination by association occurs when there is a direct discrimination against a person because they associate with a person who has a protected characteristic
• Discrimination by perception occurs when there is a direct discrimination against a person because they are perceived to have a protected characteristic
• Indirect discrimination can occur where a provision, criterion or practice is in place which applies to everyone in the organisation but particularly disadvantages people who share a protected characteristic and that provision, criterion or practice cannot be justified as a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim
• Harassment is defined as ‘unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, which has the purpose or effect of violating an individual’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that individual’
• Victimisation occurs when an employee is treated badly or put to detriment because they have made or supported a complaint or raised grievance under the Equality Act 2010 or have been suspected of doing so.

Protected characteristics

The nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 are:

• Age
• Disability
• Gender reassignment
• Race
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation
• Marriage and civil partnership
• Pregnancy and maternity.

Incidents may involve a small or large number of persons, they may vary in their degree of offence and may not even recognise the incident has discriminatory implications; or at the other extreme their behaviour may be quite deliberate and blatant.

Examples of discriminatory behaviour are:

• Physical assault against a person or group of people
• Derogatory name calling, insults and discriminatory jokes
• Graffiti and other written insults (depending on the nature of what is written)
• Provocative behaviour such as wearing badges and insignia and the distribution of discriminatory literature
• Threats against a person or group of people pertaining to the nine protected characteristics listed above
• Discriminatory comments including ridicule made in the course of discussions
• Patronising words or actions.

Our procedures

We tackle discrimination by:

• Providing inclusive early years practice where all staff are able to identify, understand and break down barriers to participation and belonging and create an ethos of equality
• Consistently promoting the British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs to all practitioners, children and families in the setting. We value diversity and celebrate differences in children and families
• Providing training and support around this subject to support staffs understanding and confidence in challenging discriminatory practice
• Challenging any observed instances of inequalities, discrimination and prejudice as they arise in play, conversation, books or other contexts from practitioners, children and families and follow this policy, as outlines below, to ensure that discriminatory behaviours against the protected characteristics are not tolerated within our setting
• Ensuring all children and families have a sense of belonging and they can see themselves and their families identity reflected in the setting
• Expecting all staff in the nursery to be aware of and alert to any discriminatory behaviour, stereotyping, bias or bullying taking place in person or via an online arena
• Expecting all staff to intervene firmly and quickly to prevent any discriminatory behaviour or bullying, this may include behaviour from parents and other staff members
• Expecting all staff to treat any allegation seriously and report it to the nursery manager. Investigating and recording each incident in detail as accurately as possible and making this record available for inspection by staff, inspectors and parents where appropriate, on request. The nursery manager is responsible for ensuring that incidents are handled appropriately and sensitively and entered in the record book. Any pattern of behaviour should be indicated. Perpetrator/victim’s initials may be used in the record book as information on individuals is confidential to the nursery
• Ensuring any online bullying or discriminatory behaviour is tackled immediately
• Informing: the parents of the child(ren) who are perpetrators and/or victims should be informed of the incident and of the outcome, where an allegation is substantiated following an investigation
• Excluding or dismissing any individuals who display continued discriminatory behaviour or bullying, but such steps will only be taken when other strategies have failed to modify behaviour. This includes any employees where any substantiated allegation after investigation will incur our disciplinary procedures (please see the policy on disciplinary procedures).

We record any incidents of discriminatory behaviour or bullying to ensure that:

• Strategies are developed to prevent future incidents
• Patterns of behaviour are identified
• Persistent offenders are identified
• Effectiveness of nursery policies are monitored
• A secure information base is provided to enable the nursery to respond to any discriminatory behaviour or bullying.

If the behaviour shown by an individual is deemed to be radicalised, we will follow our procedure as detailed in our Safeguarding and child protection and Prevent Duty and Radicalisation Policies in order to safeguard children and families concerned.

Nursery staff

We expect all staff to be alert and seek to overcome any ignorant or offensive behaviour based on fear or dislike of distinctions that children, staff or parents may express in nursery.

We aim to create an atmosphere where the victims of any form of discrimination have confidence to report such behaviour, and that subsequently they feel positively supported by the staff and management of the nursery.

It is incumbent upon all members of staff to ensure that they do not express any views or comments that are discriminatory; or appear to endorse such views by failing to counter behaviour, which is prejudicial in a direct manner. We expect all staff to use a sensitive and informed approach to counter any harassment perpetrated out of ignorance.

At Little Angels we promote the learning and development of all children in our care. We have a quality workforce with highly qualified staff who recognise that each child is an individual, focusing on their needs, interests, learning and development. Staff plan challenging and enjoyable experiences across the seven areas of the curriculum. Our staff are ambitious for our children and guide and plan what children learn reflecting on the different rates at which they develop and adjust practice appropriately. Our aim is to support all children attending the nursery to attain their maximum potential within their individual capabilities.

We provide a positive inclusive play environment for every child, so they develop good social skills and an appreciation of all aspects of this country's multi-cultural society. We plan learning experiences to ensure, as far as practical, there is equality of opportunity for all children and a celebration of diversity.

We maintain a personalised record of every child's development, showing their abilities, progress, interests and any areas requiring further support.

For children whose home language is not English, we will take reasonable steps to:

• Provide opportunities for children to develop and use their home language in play and learning and support their language development at home; and
• Ensure that children have sufficient opportunities to learn and reach a good standard in English language during the EYFS, ensuring that children are ready to benefit from the opportunities available to them when they begin year one.

We ensure that the educational programmes are well planned and resourced to have depth and breadth across the seven areas of learning. They provide interesting and challenging experiences that meet the needs of all children and reflects the wide range of skills, knowledge and attitudes they will need as foundations for learning. Planning is based on a secure knowledge and understanding of how to promote the learning and development of young children and what they can achieve. We may use the Development matters and Birth to 5 matters for guidance to support staff to plan and deliver the EYFS learning and development requirements.

We implement the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) set by the Department for Education that sets standards to ensure all children learn and develop well. We support and enhance children’s learning and development holistically through play-based activities. We review all aspects of learning and development and ensure a flexible approach is maintained, which responds quickly to children’s learning and developmental needs. We develop tailor-made activities based on observations, which inform future planning and draw on children’s needs and interests. This is promoted through adult-led and child-initiated opportunities both indoors and outdoors.

If we are concerned about a child’s progress in any areas of learning, staff will discuss this with the child’s parents and agree how best to support the child. Staff will consider whether a child may require any additional support, or if they may have a special educational need or disability which will require specialist support.

Assessment is an integral part of our practice; we carry out ongoing assessment (formative) through daily observations and ensure that this does not take us away from interacting with the children.

Summative assessment is carried out at set points of the year including:

• Assessment on entry (starting point), including parental contributions. Progress check at age two (where applicable)
• the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (where applicable) or any other summative assessment e.g. when children transition to new rooms or leave for school

We acknowledge parents as primary educators and encourage parental involvement as outlined in our Parents and Carers as Partners policy. We build strong home links in order to enhance and extend children’s learning both within the nursery environment and in the child’s home and have regular meetings with parents to keep them up to date with their child’s progress.

We share information about the EYFS curriculum with parents and signpost them to further support via the following website:

www.foundationyears.org.uk/

We take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the premises, in the event of an emergency requiring a full lock down we will follow the lock down procedure: 

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 and blinds/curtains drawn.

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 risk locally, 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 using a repeated phrase, rainbow file, rainbow file, rainbow file via internal room phone call.

All individuals (including children) will remain in the area they are in, 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/Shutters and blind down, wherever safe to do so.

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

The manager will ensure all children, staff and visitors are accounted for and safe before returning to the office area to keep up to date with the current situation via updates. The manager on duty will manage the situation dependant the information available. If the nursery is in immediate danger of an intruder, the police will be called as a matter of urgency. 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.

At Little Angels we wish to support children to learn about sustainable practices and foster respect and care for living and non-living environments, in line with the DfE Sustainability and climate change strategy^[1].

We provide opportunities for children to develop a broad knowledge and understanding of the importance of nature, sustainability, and the causes and impact of climate change through their learned and lived experiences. Children are able to develop positive attitudes and values about sustainable practices by exploring solutions to environmental issues, learning about the world around them and how to protect it and watching adults role model positive sustainable actions and solutions .

We promote a holistic, open-ended curriculum which explores ideas and practices for environmental sustainability and helps children understand the interdependence between people and the environment by:

• Helping children to spend time in nature, and explore it through art and play
• Supporting children to experience the natural environment through natural materials like wood, stone, sand and recycled materials
• Supporting the environment by learning how to grow and nurture plants in the nursery garden and discovering all about the food cycle by growing, harvesting and cooking food for our nursery menu
• Helping children to learn about water conservation, energy efficiency and waste reduction through play-based activities and adult interactions
• Going on nature walks and learning about plants they see in the local area
• Encouraging parents and children to regularly walk to nursery to raise the awareness of caring for the planet
• Encouraging children to become actively involved in the improvement of their local environment, such as by developing a recycling area and encouraging children to share a recycling ethos in the home environment.

helping children to explore nature through art and play

• Supporting children to experience the natural environment through natural materials like wood, stone, sand and recycled materials
• Supporting the environment by learning how to grow and nurture plants in the nursery garden and discovering all about the food cycle by growing, harvesting, and cooking food for our nursery menu
• Helping children to learn about water conservation, energy efficiency and waste reduction through play based activities and adult interactions
• Going on nature walks and learning about plants they see in the local area
• Encouraging parents and children to walk to nursery once a week / month to raise the awareness of caring for the planet
• Developing a recycling area and encouraging children to share recycling ethos into the home environment.

As a nursery we will embed sustainability into all aspects of the operations including:

• Recycling materials for art and creative activities and encouraging parents to bring in their recycling materials for the same use
• Ensuring parents recycle children’s take-home recycled material models if they do not keep them
• Considering our carbon footprint when purchasing materials
• Shopping local where possible
• Turning off equipment and lights when not in use
• Using energy saving light bulbs
• Not leaving any equipment on standby
• Unplugging all equipment at the end of its use/the day
• Using energy saving wash cycles on the washing machine
• Hanging washing out to dry/using clothes horses rather than tumble dryers where possible
• Composting food waste
• Incorporating water-wise strategies such as ensuring taps are turned off and leaks fixed
• Using rain water butts for outdoor water play
• Recycling water from the water play to water plants outside
• Using food that we have grown in nursery meals.

Working together with all our parents and partners will help our environment to be more sustainable and make it a better place for our future generations to grow up in.

We assess our nursery’s impact on the environment on a regular basis and put procedures in place to counteract this impact.

In order to encourage children not to waste food or to play with food at mealtimes, we discourage the use of food as a play material; instead we encourage activities which involve preparing and tasting different types of food.

This policy is reviewed annually and is carefully considered in the best interests of the children, nursery and the environment.

[1] https://bit.ly/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy

At Little Angels we organise the premises and equipment to meet the needs of all the children. We provide a wide range of high-quality equipment and resources to support the delivery of our early year’s curriculum. We take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children and ensure they are not exposed to risks.

To ensure this occurs within the nursery, including in our outdoor areas, we provide:

• Play equipment and resources which are safe and, where applicable, conform to the European Standards for Playground Equipment: EN 1176 and EN 1177, BS EN safety standards or Toys (Safety) Regulation (1995)
• A sufficient quantity of equipment and resources for the number of children registered in the nursery
• High quality e-sources to meet children’s individual needs and interests and promote all areas of children's learning and development
• Involve the children in decision making about new resources and equipment, where possible
• A wide range of books, equipment and resources which promote positive images of people of all races, cultures, ages, gender and abilities, are non-discriminatory and do not stereotype
• Play equipment and resources which promote continuity and progression, provide sufficient challenges
• Sufficient storage so resources and equipment can be displayed for children to independently choose and/or stored away safely and then rotated
• Appropriate risk assessments and checks on all resources and equipment before first use to identify any potential risks and again regularly at the beginning and end of every session.

Cleaning and maintaining of all resources and equipment. We repair or replace any unsafe, worn out, dirty or damaged equipment whenever required

• An inventory of resources and equipment. This records the date on which each item was purchased and the price paid for it
• An evaluation of the effectiveness of the resources including the children’s opinions and interests
• Role models and discussions to ensure that all children respect the equipment and resources and encourage them to put them back where they belong after use. We will often use silhouettes or pictures to support the children to do this.

At Little Angels we take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children, staff and others on the nursery premises in the case of a fire or other emergency through our fire safety policy and emergency evacuation procedures.

The designated fire marshal is Muhammad Khalid Farooq.

We ensure the nursery premises are compliant with fire safety regulations, including following any major changes or alterations to the premises. The *manager/*designated fire marshal ensures we have all the appropriate fire detection and control equipment (e.g. fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire blankets and/or fire extinguishers) are in working order and seeks advice from the local fire safety officer as necessary.

They also have overall responsibility for the fire drill and evacuation procedures. These are carried out and recorded for each group of children every three months or as and when a large change occurs, e.g. a large intake of children or a new member of staff joins the nursery. These drills are planned to occur at different times of the day and on different days to ensure evacuations are possible under different circumstances and all children and staff participate in the rehearsals.

All staff receive fire safety and evacuation training (including as part of induction) to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. This includes the steps they must take to ensure the safety of children, for example keeping fire doors free from obstruction, how to safely evacuate the children and where the evacuation meeting point is situated. Each room has a specific evacuation plan, which includes information such as evacuating non-mobile babies and using alternative exits depending on where the fire may be situated.

The *Manager/*Designated Fire Marshal checks fire detection and control equipment and fire exits in line with the timescales within the checklist below.

Fire checklist

A deputy fire marshal is appointed to over this role when the fire marshal is absent.

Registration

An accurate record of all staff and children present in the building must be kept at all times and children/staff must be marked in and out on arrival and departure. An accurate record of visitors is kept in the visitor’s book. These records are taken out along with the register and emergency contacts list in the event of a fire.

No smoking/vaping policy

The nursery operates a strict no smoking/vaping policy – please see this separate policy for details.

Fire drill procedure

On discovering a fire:

• Calmly raise the alarm by *blowing the whistle/*ringing the bell/*breaking the alarm glass
• Immediately evacuate the building under guidance from the *manager on duty/*fire marshal (Collecting children’s room register, where applicable)
• Using the nearest accessible exit lead the children out, assemble at Car Park.
• Close all doors behind you wherever possible
• Do not stop to collect personal belongings on evacuating the building
• Do not attempt to go back in and fight the fire
• Do not attempt to go back in if any children or adults are not accounted for
• Wait for emergency services and report any unaccounted persons to the fire service/police.

If you are unable to evacuate safely:

• Stay where you are safe
• Keep the children calm and together
• Wherever possible alert the manager of your location and the identity of the children and other adults with you.

The Manager/Fire marshal/Room leader is to:

• Pick up the central children’s register, where applicable, staff register, nursery mobile/phone, keys, visitor book and fire bag/evacuation pack (containing emergency contacts list, nappies, wipes and blankets)
• Telephone emergency services: dial 999 and ask for the fire service
• In the fire assembly point area – Car Park, check the children against the register
• Account for all adults: staff and visitors
• Advise the fire service of anyone missing and possible locations and respond to any other questions they may have.

Remember

• Do not stop to collect personal belongings on evacuating the building
• Do not attempt to go back in and fight the fire
• Do not attempt to go back in if any children or adults are not accounted for.

This policy is updated at least annually in consultation with staff and parents and/or after a fire evacuation practice and/or fire.

At Little Angels we ensure any food we use for play with the children is carefully supervised. We will also use the following procedures to ensure children are kept safe:

• Choking hazards are checked and avoided
• We will not use whole jelly cubes for play. If we do use jelly to enhance our play then all jelly will be prepared with water as per the instructions and then used
• Small objects such as dried pasta and pulses will not be used for younger children
• All allergies and intolerances will be checked and activities will be adapted to suit all children’s needs so no child is excluded
• All activities including food will be included on the planning sheets showing all allergens so all staff and parents are aware of the ingredients
• Children’s allergies will be visible to staff when placing out food play activities to ensure all needs are met
• Any cooking activities will be checked prior to start to ensure all children are able use all the ingredients based on their individual needs
• We will use food in play to enhances the opportunities children are receiving from the activity. Many of the food will be reused in other activities, especially the dry materials.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT?

At Little Angels is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information.

This privacy notice describes how the Nursery collects and uses personal information about employees of the Nursery, children attending the Nursery and the parents of the Children, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The Little Angels is a “data controller”. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about You. We are required under data protection legislation to notify You of the information contained in this privacy notice.

This notice applies to Employees, Children and Parents. This notice does not form part of any contract of employment or other contract to provide services. We may update this notice at any time but if we do so, we will provide You with an updated copy of this notice as soon as reasonably practical.

It is important that Employees, Children and Parents read and retain this notice, together with any other privacy notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal information about You, so that You are aware of how and why we are using such information and what Your rights are under the data protection legislation.

DATA PROTECTION PRINCIPLES

We will comply with data protection law. This says that the personal information we hold about You must be:

1. Used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.
2. Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to You and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
3. Relevant to the purposes we have told You about and limited only to those purposes.
4. Accurate and kept up to date.
5. Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told You about.
6. Kept securely.

THE KIND OF INFORMATION WE HOLD ABOUT YOU

Personal data, or personal information, means any information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

There are “special categories” of more sensitive personal data which require a higher level of protection, such as information about a person’s health or sexual orientation.

Employees:

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about Employees:

• Personal contact details such as name, title, addresses, telephone numbers, and personal email addresses.
• Date of birth.
• Marital status and dependants.
• Next of kin and emergency contact information.
• National Insurance number.
• Bank account details, payroll records and tax status information.
• Salary, annual leave, pension and benefits information.
• Start date and, if different, the date of an Employee’s continuous employment.
• Location of employment or workplace.
• Copy of driving licence (where applicable).
• Recruitment information (including copies of right to work documentation, references and other information included in a CV or cover letter or as part of the application process).
• Employment records (including job titles, work history, working hours, holidays, training records and professional memberships.
• Personnel files and training records including performance information, disciplinary and grievance information, and working time records.
• Information about your use of our information and communications systems.
• Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous occurrence.

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:

• Information about an Employee’s race or ethnicity.
• Information about an Employee’s health, including any medical condition, accident, health and sickness records, including:
• where an employee leaves employment and under any share plan operated by a group company the reason for leaving is determined to be ill-health, injury or disability, the records relating to that decision;
• details of any absences (other than holidays) from work including time on statutory parental leave and sick leave; and
• where an employee leaves employment and the reason for leaving is related to their health, information about that condition needed for pensions and permanent health insurance purposes.

Children: 

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about Children:

• Name
• Date of birth
• Home address
• Dietary requirements
• Attendance information
• Photographs and video clips of the Child to signpost Children to where their belongings are stored at the Nursery that they attend, and also for general display purposes
• Emergency contact should Parents be unavailable and the emergency contact’s contact details
• Record book for each Child containing the work of the Child whilst at the Nursery, observations about the Child’s development whilst at the Nursery from Employees of the Nursery, specific examples of the Child’s progress, photographs demonstrating the Child’s development whilst at the Nursery, and personal details of the Child (e.g. their date of birth) (“Progress Report”)
• Records relating to individual Children e.g. care plans, common assessment frameworks, speech and language referral forms
• Accidents and pre-existing injuries forms
• Records of any reportable death, injury, disease or dangerous occurrence
• Observation, planning and assessment records of Children

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:

• Information about a Child’s race or ethnicity, spoken language and nationality.
• Information about a Child’s health, including any medical condition, health and sickness records.
• Information about a Child’s accident or incident reports including reports of pre-existing injuries.
• Information about a Child’s incident forms / child protection referral forms / child protection case details / reports.

Parents:

We will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about Parents:

• Name
• Home address
• Telephone numbers, and personal email addresses.
• National Insurance number.
• Bank account details.

We may also collect, store and use the following “special categories” of more sensitive personal information:

• Information about a Parent’s race or ethnicity, spoken language and nationality.
• Conversations with Parents where Employees of the Nursery deem it relevant to the prevention of radicalisation or other aspects of the governments Prevent strategy.

HOW IS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED?

Employees:

We collect personal information about Employees through the application and recruitment process, either directly from candidates or sometimes from an employment agency or background check provider. We may sometimes collect additional information from third parties including former employers, credit reference agencies or other background check agencies.

We will collect additional personal information in the course of job-related activities throughout the period of when an Employee works for us.

Children and Parents:

We collect personal information about Children and Parents from when the initial enquiry is made by the Parents, through the enrolment process and until the Children stop using the Nursery’s services.

HOW WE WILL USE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

We will only use Your personal information when the law allows us to. Most commonly, we will use Your personal information in the following circumstances:

1. Where we need to perform the contract, we have entered into with You.
2. Where we need to comply with a legal obligation.
3. Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party) and Your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.

We may also use Your personal information in the following situations, which are likely to be rare:

1. Where we need to protect Your interests (or someone else’s interests).

Situations in which we will use Employee personal information

We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Employee section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information We Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our contracts with Employees and to enable us to comply with legal obligations. The situations in which we will process Employee personal information are listed below.

• Making a decision about an employee’s recruitment or appointment.
• Checking an Employee is legally entitled to work in the UK. Paying an Employee and, if an Employee is an Employee or deemed Employee for tax purposes, deducting tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).
• Providing any Employee benefits to Employees.
• Enrolling you in a pension arrangement in accordance with our statutory automatic enrolment duties.
• Liaising with the trustees or managers of a pension arrangement operated by a group company, your pension provider and any other provider of employee benefits.
• Administering the contract we have entered into with an Employee.
• Conducting performance and/or salary reviews, managing performance and determining performance requirements.
• Assessing qualifications for a particular job or task, including decisions about promotions.
• Gathering evidence for possible grievance or disciplinary hearings.
• Making decisions about an Employee’s continued employment, engagement.
• Making arrangements for the termination of our working relationship.
• Education, training and development requirements.
• Dealing with legal disputes involving Employees, including accidents at work.
• Ascertaining an Employee’s fitness to work.
• Managing sickness absence.
• Complying with health and safety obligations.
• To prevent fraud.
• To monitor your use of our information and communication systems to ensure compliance with our IT policies.
• To ensure network and information security, including preventing unauthorised access to our computer and electronic communications systems and preventing malicious software distribution.
• Equal opportunities monitoring.

Some of the above grounds for processing will overlap and there may be several grounds which justify our use of an Employee’s personal information.

Situations in which the Nursery will use personal information of Children

We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Children section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information We Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our obligations (including our legal obligations to Children. The situations in which we will process personal information of Children are listed below.

• Upon consent from the Parents, Personal Data of Children will be shared with schools for progression into the next stage of their education.
• Personal information of Children will be shared with local authorities without the consent of Parents where there is a situation where child protection is necessary.
• The personal information of Children will be shared with local authorities without the consent of Parents for funding purposes.
• Ofsted will be allowed access to the Nursery’s systems to review child protection records.
• To ensure we meet the needs of the Children
• To enable the appropriate funding to be received
• Report on a Child’s progress whilst with the Nursery
• To check safeguarding records
• To check complaint records
• To check attendance patterns are recorded
• When a Child’s Progress Report is given to its Parent in order for that Parent to pass the same Progress Report to a school for application or enrolment purposes

Situations in which the Nursery will use personal information of Parents

We need all the categories of information in the list above (see Parents Section within the Paragraph entitled ‘The Kind of Information we Hold About You’) primarily to allow us to perform our contracts with Parents and to enable us to comply with legal obligations. The situations in which we will process personal information of Parents are listed below.

• The personal information of Parents will be shared with local authorities without the consent of Parents for funding purposes.
• To report on a Child’s attendance
• To be able to contact a Parent or a Child’s emergency contact about their Child
• To ensure nursery fees are paid

If Employees and Parents fail to provide personal information

If Employees and Parents fail to provide certain information when requested, we may not be able to perform the respective contracts we have entered into with Employees and Parents, or we may be prevented from complying with our respective legal obligations to Employees, Children and Parents.

Change of purpose

We will only use Your personal information for the purposes for which we collected it, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose. If we need to use Your personal information for an unrelated purpose, we will notify the Employee, Child or Parent, as is appropriate in the circumstances, and we will explain the legal basis which allows us to do so.

Please note that we may process an Employee’s, a Child’s or a Parent’s personal information without their respective knowledge or consent, as relevant to the circumstances, in compliance with the above rules, where this is required or permitted by law.

HOW WE USE PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION

“Special categories” of particularly sensitive personal information require higher levels of protection. We need to have further justification for collecting, storing and using this type of personal information. We have in place an appropriate policy document and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data. We may process special categories of personal information in the following circumstances:

1. In limited circumstances, with Employee or Parent explicit written consent.
2. Where we need to carry out our legal obligations or exercise rights in connection with Employee employment.
3. Where it is needed in the public interest, such as for equal opportunities monitoring or in relation to our occupational pension scheme.

Less commonly, we may process this type of information where it is needed in relation to legal claims or where it is needed to protect an Employee, a Child or a Parents’ interests (or someone else’s interests) and the Employee, Child or Parent as is appropriate is not capable of giving consent, or where the Employee or Parent has already made the information public.

The Nursery’s obligations as an employer

We will use particularly sensitive personal information of Employees in the following ways:

• We will use information relating to leaves of absence, which may include sickness absence or family related leaves, to comply with employment and other laws.
• We will use information about the physical or mental health of an Employee, or their disability status, to ensure Employee health and safety in the workplace and to assess the fitness of Employees to work, to provide appropriate workplace adjustments, to monitor and manage sickness absence and to administer benefits including statutory maternity pay, statutory sick pay, pensions and permanent health insurance.
• We will use information about an employee’s race or national or ethnic origin, religious, philosophical or moral beliefs, or an Employee’s sexual life or sexual orientation, to ensure meaningful equal opportunity monitoring and reporting.

Do we need Employee consent?

We do not need the consent of Employees if we use special categories of personal information in accordance with our written policy to carry out our legal obligations or exercise specific rights in the field of employment law. In limited circumstances, we may approach Employees for their written consent to allow us to process certain particularly sensitive data. If we do so, we will provide Employees with full details of the information that we would like and the reason we need it, so that Employees can carefully consider whether they wish to consent. Employees should be aware that it is not a condition of their contract with the nursery that they agree to any request for consent from us.

INFORMATION ABOUT CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS

We may only use information relating to criminal convictions where the law allows us to do so. This will usually be where such processing is necessary to carry out our obligations and provided, we do so in line with our data protection policy.

Less commonly, we may use information relating to criminal convictions where it is necessary in relation to legal claims, where it is necessary to protect the interests of You (or someone else’s interests) and You are not capable of giving your consent, or where an Employee or a Parent, as is relevant to the circumstances, has already made the information public.

We envisage that we will hold information about criminal convictions.

We will only collect information about criminal convictions if it is appropriate given the nature of the role and where we are legally able to do so, which includes but is not limited to Disclosure and Barring Service (“DBS”) checks. Where appropriate, we will collect information about criminal convictions as part of the recruitment process or we may be notified of such information directly by you in the course of you working for us. We will use information about criminal convictions and offences in the following ways:

• To conduct a DBS check on each Employee, to record the date of the DBS check, the number of the DBS check and the name of the body conducting the DBS check.

We are allowed to use your personal information in this way to carry out our obligations. We have in place an appropriate policy and safeguards which we are required by law to maintain when processing such data.

AUTOMATED DECISION-MAKING

Automated decision-making takes place when an electronic system uses personal information to make a decision without human intervention. We are allowed to use automated decision-making in the following circumstances:

1. Where we have notified Employees or Parents of the decision and given the Employee of the Parent as is appropriate 21 days to request a reconsideration.
2. Where it is necessary to perform the contract with an Employee or a Parent and appropriate measures are in place to safeguard the Employee’s, the Child’s or the Parent’s rights as is appropriate.
3. In limited circumstances, with explicit written consent from the Employee or the Parent, as is appropriate, and where appropriate measures are in place to safeguard Employee or Parent rights.

If we make an automated decision on the basis of any particularly sensitive personal information, we must have either explicit written consent from an Employee or a Parent as is appropriate, or it must be justified in the public interest, and we must also put in place appropriate measures to safeguard an Employee or a Parents right as is relevant in the circumstances.

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on You based solely on automated decision-making, unless we have a lawful basis for doing so and we have notified the Employee or the Parent as is appropriate in the circumstances.

DATA SHARING

We may have to share Employee, Child or Parent data with third parties, including third-party service providers and other entities in the group.

We require third parties to respect the security of Your data and to treat it in accordance with the law.

Why might the Nursery share Employee, Child or Parent personal information with third parties?

We will share Your personal information with third parties where required by law, where it is necessary to administer the working relationship with You or where we have another legitimate interest in doing so.

Which third-party service providers process my personal information?

‘’Third parties” includes third-party service providers (including contractors and designated agents), local authorities, regulatory bodies, schools and other entities within our group. The following third-party service providers process personal information about you for the following purposes:

• Local Authorities – for funding and monitoring reasons (e.g. equal opportunities and uptake of funded hours)
• Regulatory bodies – for ensuring compliance and the safety and welfare of the children
• Schools – to provide a successful transition by ensuring information about the child’s progress and current level of development and interests are shared

We will share personal data regarding your participation in any pension arrangement operated by a group company with the trustees or scheme managers of the arrangement in connection with the administration of the arrangements.

How secure is my information with third-party service providers and other entities in our group?

All our third-party service providers and other entities in the group are required to take appropriate security measures to protect Your personal information in line with our policies. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use Your personal data for their own purposes. We only permit them to process Your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

When might you share my personal information with other entities in the group?

We will share Your personal information with other entities in our group as part of our [DESCRIBE OTHER KNOWN ACTIVITIES].

What about other third parties?

We may share Your personal information with other third parties, for example in the context of the possible sale or restructuring of the business. In this situation we will, so far as possible, share anonymised data with the other parties before the transaction completes. Once the transaction is completed, we will share Your personal data with the other parties if and to the extent required under the terms of the transaction.

We may also need to share Your personal information with a regulator or to otherwise comply with the law.

DATA RETENTION

How long will you use my information for?

We will only retain Your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Details of retention periods for different aspects of your personal information are available in our retention policy which is available from the manager. To determine the appropriate retention period for personal data, we consider the amount, nature, and sensitivity of the personal data, the potential risk of harm from unauthorised use or disclosure of Your personal data, the purposes for which we process Your personal data and whether we can achieve those purposes through other means, and the applicable legal requirements.

In some circumstances we may anonymise Your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with You, in which case we may use such information without further notice to You. Once you are no longer an Employee, or a Child benefiting from the Nursery’s services or a Parent, as is appropriate, we will retain and securely destroy your personal information in accordance with [our data retention policy OR applicable laws and regulations].

RIGHTS OF ACCESS, CORRECTION, ERASURE, AND RESTRICTION

Your duty to inform us of changes

It is important that the personal information we hold about You is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes during your working relationship with us.

Your rights in connection with personal information

Under certain circumstances, by law You have the right to:

• Request access to Your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables You to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about You and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
• Request correction of the personal information that we hold about You. This enables You to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about You corrected.
• Request erasure of your personal information. This enables Employees or Parents to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove Your personal information where You have exercised Your right to object to processing (see below).
• Object to processing of Your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about Your particular situation which makes You want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object where we are processing Your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
• Request the restriction of processing of Your personal information. This enables Employees or Parents, as is appropriate, to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about You for example if You want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
• Request the transfer of Your personal information to another party.

If You want to review, verify, correct or request erasure of Your personal information, object to the processing of Your personal data, or request that we transfer a copy of Your personal information to another party, please contact the manager in writing.

No fee usually required

You will not have to pay a fee to access Your personal information (or to exercise any of the other rights).

What we may need from You

We may need to request specific information from You to help us confirm your identity and ensure Your right to access the information (or to exercise any of Your other rights). This is another appropriate security measure to ensure that personal information is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

RIGHT TO WITHDRAW CONSENT

In the limited circumstances where You may have provided Your consent to the collection, processing and transfer of Your personal information for a specific purpose, You have the right to withdraw Your consent for that specific processing at any time. To withdraw Your consent, please contact the Manager. Once we have received notification that You have withdrawn Your consent, we will no longer process Your information for the purpose or purposes You originally agreed to, unless we have another legitimate basis for doing so in law.

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE

We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time, and we will provide You with a new privacy notice when we make any substantial updates. We may also notify You in other ways from time to time about the processing of your personal information.

If you have any questions about this privacy notice, please contact Nursery Manager.

We believe in an open and transparent approach to nursery fees.

Fees

1. We are open from Monday to Friday between 8am and 6pm. Early and Late Sessions may be available - please ask for more details.
2. We close for a week at Christmas, (fees do not apply for this week) and are closed   on all Bank Holidays throughout the year. We will charge for bank holidays but will not charge for staff training days Session times. Our Fees will include Nappies, Formula milk, all meals, drinks and snacks prepared on site by our Nursery Chef.
3. Late pickups will incur a penalty charge of £1 per minute that you are late in collecting the Child.
4. There are 10% Sibling Discounts also available.
5. There is a non-refundable Registration Fee payable to secure your place for £50.
6. There is a charge of £5 per day for late fee payment, unless by arrangements.
7. All payments must normally be made by direct debit or childcare vouchers. We may agree to payment by cash, cheque or major credit/debit card, but it is your responsibility to obtain a receipt from the nursery manager as proof of payment. No payment shall be deemed to have been made until it is cleared into our bank account. If a cheque bounces, or payment fails, we may charge a reasonable administration fee (currently £ 15).
8. Childcare Fees are payable in advance, either before or at the start of your child’s sessions.
9. Monthly Direct Debit/Bank Transfers payments are requested to be taken on the 1st of each month.
10. Term Time only clients are requested to pay on a per calendar monthly basis for 11 months (September to July).
11. When your child is unable to attend our setting, full charges will be due. No refunds will be given for sickness or holidays.
12. VAT is not charged on nursery fees (nursery provision is an exempt supply for VAT purposes).
13. The quoted charges are per Child, per core day (meaning 10 hours for full day, with 5 hours per session) and include lunch and tea.
14. Extra hours/sessions will be charged for (at the ruling rate) and must be booked and paid for at least 24 hours in advance.
15. We may increase our charges once per year. We will give you a written notice of any such increase at least one month before the proposed date of increase.
16. Without restricting any other legal right that we may have, if you fail to pay us on time, we may make an interest charge of up to 1.5% percent per month or part month on late payment. Unless otherwisenotified to you in writing, interest shall accrue on a daily basis from the due date until the date of actual payment of the overdue amount, whether before or after judgment. You must pay us the interest together with the overdue amount. In addition we will be entitled to recover from you the full amount of our administrative and other costs incurred in recovering any unpaid sum including legal costs and disbursements on an indemnity basis. And Suspend all Services until payment has been made in full, which will include the suspension of the Child, or even terminate the contract permanently.
17. If you owe us any money, and make a claim against us, we may offset what you owe us against what you are claiming from us.
18. You are required to give us one month’s written notice of termination of your contract or reduction in the number of sessions/hours you require.
19. If you wish to take up your free nursery education, you are required to complete and sign a Parental Declaration on a [three-monthly] OR [termly] basis, detailing how and when you will take up the free sessions.
20. Our charges will not be made in respect of the free sessions as detailed in the Parental Declaration, but we are entitled to make a reasonable charge for meals or additional activities provided during any free session. Meals included are, breakfast and lunch for morning session, and tea and afternoon snack for afternoon session.

Help with Childcare costs

Please click on the link
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

Please contact us for a Nursery application form to claim your Free 2,3 & 4 year old Government childcare/early education hours.

A Typical Day At Little Angels Day Nursery

This is a general guide to our daily routine; it is however dependent on each individual child’s needs and therefore we can be flexible.

8am-9am Welcome and Rolling Breakfast

9am-9:30am Table top planned / themed Activity

9:30am-9:45am Carpet time/singing/book reading morning

9:45am-10:00am Key group time

10:00am-10:15am Morning Snacks

10:15am-10:45am Morning Nappies / Toileting / Free Play

10:45am-11:15am Free play Indoor/outdoor

11:15am-11:30am Tidy up/ Home time for morning session

11:30am-12:00pm Lunch time

12:00am-12:15pm Afternoon session welcome

12:30pm-1:00pm Table top planned / themed Activity

1:00pm-1:15pm Afternoon Nappies / Toileting / Free Play

1:15pm-1:30pm Carpet time/singing/book reading Afternoon

1:45pm-2:00pm Key group time

2:00pm-2:15pm Afternoon snacks

2:15pm-2:45pm Free play indoors / outdoors

2:45pm-3:00pm Tidy up/Home time for afternoon session

3:00pm-3:30pm Quiet time / book reading / carpet time

3:30pm-4:00pm Child led activity

4:00pm-4:30pm Tea time

4:30pm-4:45pm Nappies / Toileting

4:45pm-5:00pm Adult led activity

5:00pm-6:00pm Tidy up / Calm Down Time, Story Time, Getting Ready For Home Time, begin room shutdown

For Bottle Times And Sleep We Will Follow Your Child’s Routine. One To One Key Carer Time Takes Place At Different Times During The Day.

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

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 working environment for pregnant workers or for workers who have recently given birth, including undertaking appropriate risk assessments
• 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 room by room for structural defects, worn fixtures and fittings or electrical equipment and take the necessary remedial action
• 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
• 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 (see infection control policy)
• Prohibits smoking/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 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
• Ensures staff wear protective clothing when cooking or serving food
• Prohibits certain foods that may relate to children’s allergies, e.g. nuts are not allowed in the nursery
• Follows the EU Food Information for Food Consumers Regulations (EU FICby identifying the 14 allergens listed by EU Law that we use as ingredients in any of the dishes we provide to children and ensure that all parents are informed
• Follows the allergies and allergic reactions policy for children who have allergies or have a reaction at the nursery
• Ensures risk assessments are undertaken on the storage and preparation of food produce within the nursery
• 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
• Ensures staff paediatric first aid certificates or a list of staff who hold a current PFA certificate are on display (and/or made available to parents).

Responsibilities

The designated Health and Safety Officer in the nursery is Saadia Khalid/ Manager.

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

Little Angels Day Nursery, 127 Woodhouse Lane, M229NW.

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/duties will be regarded as a disciplinary matter (see separate policy on disciplinary procedures).

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 *senior member of staff in the area/*deputy manager/*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 Saadia Khalid.

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

Training table:  

At present at least one member of staff on the premises and available at times when children are present MUST hold a full paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate in the nursery and must accompany children on outings. The certificate must be for a full course consistent with the criteria set out in Annex A of the EYFS, 2021. This must be renewed every three years and the emergency PFA course is taken face to face.

In addition to this, all newly qualified entrants to the early years workforce who have completed a level 2 and/or level 3 qualification on or after 30 June 2016, must also have either a full PFA or an emergency PFA certificate within three months of starting work in order to be included in the required staff: child ratios at level 2 or level 3 in an early years setting

At nursery, we take in to account the number of children, staff, layout of premises to ensure that a paediatric first aider is able to respond to emergencies quickly.

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, legionella and lone working
• These are reviewed at regular intervals and when arrangements change
• All outings away from the nursery (however short) will include a prior risk assessment – more details are included in our outings policy
• All equipment, rooms and outdoor areas are checked thoroughly by staff before children access them or the area. These checks are recorded and initialled by the staff responsible. 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, e.g. easy to access toilet area and fresh drinking water
• 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
• We identify and assess any water sources at risk of legionella[1], and manage these risks including avoiding stagnant water
• All staff and students receive appropriate training in all areas of health and safety which includes risk assessments, manual handling, fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures. We may also use benefit risk assessments for particular activities and resources for children
• We have a clear accident 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 policy and procedure, which supports the prevention of fire and 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/hazardous areas
• All health and safety matters are reviewed informally on an ongoing basis and formally every six months or when something changes. Staff and parents receive these updates, as with all policy changes, as and when they happen
• We welcome feedback from staff and parents. They are able to contribute to any policy through informal discussions, the suggestion scheme and/or during regular meetings held at nursery.

[1] https://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/

At Little Angels we are committed to providing a workplace which supports and encourages a healthy staff team through staff training, health and safety awareness and supervisions.

Dress code

Staff must follow our dress code at all times.

Staff breaks

It is the responsibility of the nursery manager to ensure that all staff working six hours or more take a break of 20 minutes, 30 minutes or 60 minutes dependant on hours worked and ensuring that staff: child ratios are maintained.

Staff under 18 require a break of 30 minutes in circumstances where they work 4 hours a day. All breaks are taken away from an employee’s normal work area (where possible).

Personal hygiene

Staff must follow the personal hygiene code at all times and encourage children to adopt the same good personal hygiene code themselves.

All hands must be washed before handling food, after using the toilet or toileting children, after playing outside, wiping noses, messy play activities and after contact with animals.

After noses have been wiped the tissue must be disposed of hygienically and hands should be washed.

Cleaning

The nursery is committed to providing a safe, happy and healthy environment for children to play, grow and learn. Cleanliness is an essential element of this practice. The nursery is cleaned daily and regular checks are made to the bathrooms. These are cleaned at least daily (more, if necessary, i.e. at lunch time). The nappy changing facility and potties are cleaned and disinfected after every use. Any mess caused throughout the day is cleaned up as necessary to ensure that a hygienic environment is provided for staff and the children in our care.

Kitchen

Staff are made aware of the basic food hygiene standards through appropriate training and this is updated every three years. In addition, we ensure:

• Fridges are cleaned out weekly
• Microwaves are cleaned after every use
• Toasters are cleaned after every use
• The oven is cleaned out regularly and details recorded
• Freezers are cleaned out every three months and details recorded
• Plates/utensils etc. are rinsed before putting in the dishwasher and the dishwasher is cleaned out regularly and details recorded
• All cupboards are cleaned out monthly
• Fridge and freezer temperatures are recorded first thing in the morning by the manager/cook/room In charge and last thing at night
• All food is covered at all times in and out of the fridge and dated to show when each product was opened and then used in date order
• Care is taken to ensure that food is correctly stored in fridges
• When re-heating food, the temperature is over 75°C, food is checked with the probe thermometer and recorded, then cooled down before serving. Food prepared on the premises is checked with the probe thermometer before serving
• Food served but not used immediately is appropriately covered and placed in the fridge/freezer within 60 minutes. If this is not followed, food is discarded immediately
• All opened packets are dated when opened and placed in an airtight container e.g. baby food, raisins, cereal etc.
• Blended food is placed in suitable airtight containers, named and dated
• Surfaces are cleaned with anti-bacterial spray
• Only appropriate coloured kitchen cloths are used (please follow the chart on the wall). These are washed daily on a hot wash
• Windows protected by fly guards are opened as often as possible along with the vents
• All plugs are pulled out of their sockets at the end of each day and switches switched off where practicable (with the exception of the fridge and freezer)
• Children do NOT enter the kitchen except for supervised cooking activities
• Doors/gates to the kitchen are kept closed/locked at all times
• Kitchen bins are emptied when full and at the end of each day

Laundry.

• Washing machines drawers etc. are cleaned regularly
• Tumble dryer lint filters are cleared after every use
• Staff follow HSE guidance on the safe use of tumble dryers including using the 'cool down' cycle is adequate to reduce the temperature of the items and not removing them from the dryer or piled/stacked while hot but as soon as the drying/cooling cycle is complete and only using it for items that appropriate (as per washing label)
• All staff are responsible for filling/emptying the washing machine/tumble dryer, folding clean clothing/items.

Baby room

• Bottles of formula milk are only be made up as and when the child needs them. These are cooled to body temperature (37°C) and tested with a sterilised thermometer to ensure they are an appropriate temperature for the baby/child to drink safely
• Following the Department of Health guidelines, we only use recently boiled water to make formula bottles (left for no longer than 30 minutes to cool). We do not use cooled boiled water and reheat
• Bottles and teats are thoroughly cleaned with hot soapy water and sterilised after use (they are not be washed in the dishwasher)
• Content of bottles are disposed of after two hours
• A designated area is available for mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies or who wish to express milk
• Labelled mother’s breast milk is stored in the fridge
• If dummies are used, they are cleaned and sterilised. This also applies to dummies which have been dropped on the floor
• All dummies are stored in separate labelled containers to ensure no cross-contamination occurs
• Sterilisers are washed out daily.

Nursery (1-5 Years)

• Staff are trained to be aware of general hygiene in the nursery and ensure that high standards are kept at all times
• Regular toy washing rotas are established in all rooms and items recorded. Toys are washed with sanitising fluid
• Floors are cleaned during the day when necessary. Vacuum cleaner bags (where used) are changed frequently
• Staff are requested to use the appropriate coloured mop for the task or area (see chart on wall) and mop heads are washed in a separate wash at least weekly
• Face cloths are washed on a hot wash after every use and not shared between children
• Low/high chairs are cleaned thoroughly after every use. Straps and reins must be washed weekly or as required
• Every child has its own cot sheet which is washed at the end of every week or whenever necessary
• All surfaces are kept clean and clutter free
• Children are always reminded to wash their hands after using the bathroom and before meals. Staff always encourage good hygiene standards, for example, not eating food that has fallen on the floor
• Staff are positive role models and talk to the children about good hygiene routines and why they need to wash their hands, wipe their noses and cover their mouths when coughing.

Staff rooms

• It is the responsibility of every member of staff to ensure that their staff room is kept clean and tidy
• Fridges are cleaned out weekly
• Microwaves are cleaned after every use
• Surfaces are wiped down daily
• All implements used for lunch or break are washed and tidied away.

At Little Angels we expect that children are vaccinated in accordance with the government’s health policy and their age and promote this.

We ask that parents inform us if their children are not vaccinated so that we can manage any risks to their own child or other children/staff/parents in the best way possible. The nursery manager must be aware of any children who are not vaccinated within the nursery in accordance with their age.

We make all parents aware that some children in the nursery may not be vaccinated, due to their age, medical reasons or parental choice. Our nursery does not discriminate against children who have not received their immunisations and will not disclose individual details to other parents. However, we will share the risks of infection if children have not had immunisations and ask parents to sign a disclaimer.

We record, or encourage parents to record, information about immunisations on children’s registration documents and we update this information as and when necessary, including when the child reaches the age for the appropriate immunisations.

Staff vaccinations policy

It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure they keep up-to-date with their vaccinations, as recommended by the Government/NHS vaccination schedule and keep the nursery informed.

If a member of staff is unsure as to whether they are up-to-date, then we recommend that they visit their GP or practice nurse for their own good health.

Emergency information

We keep emergency information for every child and update it every six months with regular reminders to parents in newsletters, at parents’ evenings and a reminder notice on the Parent Information Board.

Inclusion is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging. Inclusive early years practice is about anticipating, paying attention, responding to and reflecting on the needs and interests of all children. A commitment to inclusion should permeate all aspects of the design of educational programmes and the structuring of environments, as well as shaping every interaction with children, parents and other professionals (Birth to 5 Matters, 2021).

Statement of intent

At Little Angels we take great care to treat each individual as a person in their own right, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all staff, children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation has no place within our nursery.

A commitment to implementing our inclusion and equality policy is part of each employee’s job description. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of the Nursery manager/ Owner at the earliest opportunity.

Appropriate steps will then be taken to investigate the matter and if such concerns are well-founded, the nursery’s disciplinary policy will be followed.

The legal framework for this policy is based on:

• Special Education Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2015
• Children and Families Act 2014
• Equality Act 2010
• Childcare Act 2006
• Children Act 2004
• Care Standards Act 2002
• Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001.

The nursery and staff are committed to:

• Recruiting, selecting, training and promoting individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, the nursery will ensure that no job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation
• Creating a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued
• Providing a childcare place, wherever possible, for children who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances
• Making reasonable adjustments for children with special educational needs and disabilities
• Striving to promote equal access to services and projects by taking practical steps (wherever possible and reasonable), such as ensuring access to people with additional needs and by producing materials in relevant languages and media for all children and their families
• Providing a secure environment in which all our families are listened to, children can flourish and all contributions are valued
• Including and valuing the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity
• Providing positive non-stereotypical information
• Continually improving our knowledge and understanding of issues of equality, inclusion and diversity and training all staff about their rights and responsibilities under the inclusion and equality policy.
• Regularly reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive practices to ensure they promote and value diversity and difference and that the policy is effective and practices are non-discriminatory
• Making inclusion a thread which runs through the entirety of the nursery, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play and activities, promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour (see dealing with discriminatory behaviour policy).

Admissions/service provision

The nursery is accessible to all children and families in the local community and further afield through a comprehensive and inclusive admissions policy.

The nursery will strive to ensure that all services and projects are accessible and relevant to all groups and individuals in the community within targeted age groups.

Recruitment

Recruitment, promotion and other selection exercises such as redundancy selection will be conducted on the basis of merit, against objective criteria that avoids discrimination. Shortlisting will be done by more than one person, where possible.

All members of the selection group are committed to the inclusive practice set out in this policy and will have received appropriate training in this regard.

Application forms are sent out along with a copy of the equal opportunities monitoring form. Application forms do not include questions that potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent.

Vacancies are generally advertised to a diverse section of the labour market. Advertisements avoid stereotyping or using wording that may discourage particular groups from applying.

At interview, no questions are posed which potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent. All candidates are asked the same questions and members of the selection group will not introduce nor use any personal knowledge of candidates acquired outside the selection process. Candidates are given the opportunity to receive feedback on the reasons why they were not successful.

We may ask questions (Under the Equality Act 2010) prior to offering someone employment in the following circumstances:

• To establish whether the applicant will be able to comply with a requirement to undergo an assessment (i.e. an interview or selection test)
• Too establish whether the applicant will be able to carry out a function that is intrinsic to the work concerned
• To monitor diversity in the range of people applying for work
• To take positive action towards a particular group – for example offering a guaranteed interview scheme
• You require someone with a particular disability because of an occupational requirement for the job.

The national College for Teaching and Leadership provides further guidance specific to working with children, which we follow:

Providers have a responsibility to ensure that practitioners have the health and physical capacity to teach and will not put children and young people at risk of harm. The activities that a practitioner must be able to perform are set out in the Education (Health Standards England) Regulations 2003. Providers are responsible for ensuring that only practitioners who have the capacity to teach remain on the staff team.

People with disabilities or chronic illnesses may have the capacity to teach, just as those without disabilities or medical conditions may be unsuitable to teach. Further information on training to teach with a disability is available from the DfE website.

Successful applicants offered a position may be asked to complete a fitness questionnaire prior to commencing the programme. Providers should not ask all-encompassing health questions, but should ensure that they only ask targeted and relevant health-related questions, which are necessary to ensure that a person is able to teach.

Staff

It is our policy not to discriminate in the treatment of individuals. All staff are expected to co-operate with the implementation, monitoring and improvement of this and other policies. They are expected to challenge language, actions, behaviours and attitudes which are oppressive or discriminatory on the grounds specified in this policy and recognise and celebrate other cultures and traditions. All staff are expected to participate in equality and inclusion training.

Staff will follow the ‘Dealing with Discriminatory Behaviour’ policy where applicable to report any discriminatory behaviours observed.

Training

The nursery recognises the importance of training as a key factor in the implementation of an effective inclusion and equality policy. All new staff receive induction training including specific reference to the inclusion and equality policy. The nursery strives towards the provision of inclusion, equality and diversity training for all staff on a annual basis.

Early learning framework

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage and ensure that all learning opportunities offered in the nursery encourage children to develop positive attitudes to people who are different from them. Our curriculum encourages children to empathise with others and to begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.

We do this by:

• Identifying a key person to each child who will ensure that each child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs and continuously observe, assess and plan for their learning and development
• Listening to children (verbally and non-verbally) and making children feel included, valued and good about themselves
• Ensuring that we know what each child knows and “can do” and have equal access to tailored early learning and play opportunities
• Reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources
• Avoiding stereotypical or derogatory images in the selection of materials
• Acknowledging and celebrating a wide range of religions, beliefs and festivals
• Creating an environment of mutual respect
• Supporting children to talk about their feelings and those of others, manage emotions and develop empathy
• Helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are unacceptable
• Knowing children well, being able to meet their needs and know when they require further support
• Ensuring that all early learning opportunities offered are inclusive of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds
• Ensuring that children whose first language is not English have full access to our early learning opportunities and are supported in their learning
• Working in partnership with all families to ensure they understand the policy and challenge any discriminatory comments made
• Ensuring the medical, cultural and dietary needs of all children are met and help
• children to learn about a range of food and cultural approaches to meal times and to respect the differences among them.

Parent information and meetings

Information about the nursery, its activities, experiences, resources are shared with parents as well as information about their child’s development. This is given in a variety of ways according to individual needs (written, verbal and translated), to ensure that all parents can access the information they need.

Wherever possible, meetings are arranged to give all families opportunities to attend and share information about their child.

We also consult with parents regularly about the running of the nursery and ask them to contribute their ideas.

At Little Angels we promote the good health of all children attending (including oral health) through maintaining high hygiene standards to help reduce the chances of infection being spread. We follow the health protection in schools and other childcare facilities guidance[1] which sets out when and how long children need to be excluded from settings, when treatment/medication is required and where to get further advice from.

Viruses and infections can be easily passed from person to person by breathing in air containing the virus, which is produced when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread through hand/face contact after touching a person or surface contaminated with viruses.

We follow the guidance below to prevent a virus or infection from spreading around the nursery.

Our staff:

• Encourage all children to use tissues when coughing and sneezing to catch germs
• Ensure all tissues are disposed of in a hygienic way and all children and staff wash their hands once the tissue is disposed of
• Develop children’s understanding of the above and the need for good hygiene procedures in helping them to stay healthy
• Wear the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when changing nappies, toileting children and dealing with any other bodily fluids. Staff are requested to dispose of these in the appropriate manner and wash hands immediately
• Clean and sterilise all potties and changing mats before and after each use
• Clean toilets at least daily and check them throughout the day
• Remind children to wash their hands before eating, after visiting the toilet, playing outside or being in contact with any animal and explain the reasons for this
• Clean all toys, equipment and resources on a regular basis by following a comprehensive cleaning rota and using antibacterial cleanser, or through washing in the washing machine
• Wash or clean all equipment used by babies and toddlers as and when needed, including when the children have placed it in their mouth
• Store dummies in individual hygienic dummy boxes labelled with the child’s name to prevent cross-contamination with other children
• Store toothbrushes (where applicable) hygienically to prevent cross-contamination
• Immediately clean and sterilise (where necessary) any dummy or bottle that falls on the floor or is picked up by another child
• Provide labelled individual bedding for children that is not used by any other child and wash this at least once a week
• Ask parents and visitors to remove all outdoor footwear, or use shoe covers, when entering rooms where children may be crawling or sitting on the floor
• Where applicable wear specific indoor shoes or slippers whilst inside the rooms and make sure that children wear them as well
• Follow the sickness and illness policy when children are ill to prevent the spread of any infection in the nursery. Staff are also requested to stay at home if they are ill and/or are contagious.

In addition:

• The nursery manager retains the right of refusal of all children, parents, staff and visitors who are deemed contagious and may impact on the welfare of the rest of the nursery
• Parents will be made aware of the need for these procedures in order for them to follow these guidelines whilst in the nursery
• Periodically each room in the nursery will be deep cleaned including carpets and soft furnishings to ensure the spread of infection is limited. This will be implemented earlier if the need arises
• In the event of an infection outbreak the nursery will, where appropriate, undertake a deep clean to ensure the spread of infection is contained
• We will follow Government health guidance, as well as seeking legal advice and information from our insurers, on any national outbreak of a virus/ pandemic and keep parents informed of any course of action. Each specific circumstance will differ and to ensure we take the most appropriate action; we will treat each case on an individual basis
• In addition, where contagious outbreaks occur, we will adopt Government guidance for all visitors to minimise the risk of further spreading of the infection
• The nursery will ensure stocks of tissues, hand washing equipment, cleaning materials and sterilising fluid are maintained at all times. These will be increased during the winter months, or when flu and cold germs are circulating.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities

At Little Angels we have morning, afternoon and all-day sessions. Parents are able to collect their child from the nursery flexibly within this time period asking them to be no later than the session end time, for example if they attend the morning session, we expect children to be collected no later than 1pm, and afternoon / all-day session no later than 6pm. We understand that some parents may arrive earlier to collect their child, this is acceptable. However, the full fees still remain in place for the allocated session times.

We give parents information about the procedures to follow if they expect to be late. These include:

• Calling the nursery as soon as possible to advise of their situation and expected time of arrival
• Agreeing a safety password with the nursery in advance to be used by anyone collecting a child who is not the parent (designated adult)
• Asking a designated adult to collect their child wherever possible
• Informing the nursery of this person’s identity so the nursery can talk to the child if appropriate. This will help to reduce or eliminate any distress caused by this situation
• If the designated person is not known to the nursery staff, the parent must provide a detailed description of this person, including their date of birth where known. This designated person must know the individual child’s safety password in order for the nursery to release the child into their care. This is the responsibility of the parent.

If a child has not been collected from the nursery, we initiate the following procedure:

• All parents/carers will be given a five-minute grace period on late collection of their child. If your child has still not been collected 5 minutes after the session has ended 1.05 p.m. or 6.05 p.m., then a £1.00 charge will be levied and for every one minute. If you are late collecting your child, they will be cared for where possible, by their key person and a senior member of staff. Your child will be inside the Nursery and reassured by the staff members. Any specific needs will be addressed.
• If your child(ren) remains uncollected 5 minutes over the set time: Nursery Manager and staff team will be made aware of the situation. No late fee is charged unless this becomes a regular occurrence.
• If your child(ren) remains uncollected 5-10 minutes over the set time: The parents or carers will be contacted; late stay fees will be collected.
• If your child(ren) remains uncollected 10-20 minutes over the set time: The manager/deputy manager will contact the first emergency contact on your child’s contact card. Please note this will not happen if the manager has been successful in contacting the parent/carer due to collect the child. Late stay fees will still be collected.
• If your child(ren) remains uncollected 20-30 minutes over the set time: The manager/deputy manager will call the second emergency contact on your child’s contact card. Please note this will only happen if the manager/deputy manager was unable to contact the first emergency contact and the parent/carer has not contacted the Nursery. Please note that late stay fees will be collected.
• If your child(ren) remains uncollected 30 minutes over the set time: The manager/deputy manager will contact the local authority’s Duty Assessment Team for advice on their next course of action. This will only happen if none of the child’s emergency numbers have made contact with the nursery.
• The nursery will inform Ofsted as soon as convenient
• Late fees will be added to your child’s account and collected with the next fee invoice. Unreasonable and / or persistent lateness may regrettably result in the nursery terminating your booking.
• The two members of staff will remain in the building until suitable arrangements have been made for the collection of the child
• The child’s welfare and needs will be met at all times and to minimise distress staff will distract, comfort and reassure the child during the process

Contact numbers:

At Little Angels we aim to ensure that no member of the team is left alone working in either a room alone or within the building at any time. However there may be occasions when this isn’t always possible due to:

• Toilet breaks
• Lunch cover
• Nappy changes
• Comforting a child that may be unwell in a quiet area
• Following a child’s interest, as this may lead staff away with a child to explore an area
• Supporting children in the toilet area that may have had an accident
• The duties some team members have, e.g. management, opening and closing the setting, carrying out cleaning or maintenance at the settings and staff operating outside operating hours.

We always ensure that our staff: child ratios are maintained.

On the rare occasions, that lone working within a room does take place we ensure that a specific risk assessment is completed prior to lone working taking place, this includes:

• how staff can manage with a variety of tasks such as talking to parents and supervising children safely
• That each member of staff required to work alone has the required qualification/training and/or skills for the role; e.g. holds a level 3 qualification, paediatric first aid, safeguarding and child protection training and basic food hygiene
• That staff members working alone are competent in their role
• That the staff member can call on others in an emergency, including procedures if there was a fire evacuation
• There are procedures in place to check in on the staff member and cover for breaks
• The member of staff and children are safeguarded at all times (relating to safeguarding/child protection policies)
• Ratios are maintained at all times.

Public liability insurance for lone working will be sought where applicable.

Staff members responsibilities when left in the building alone:

• To make a member of the management aware of when they are working and make plans to check in at their expected time of completion of the work
• To ensure they have access to a telephone at all times in order to call for help if they need it, or for management to check their safety if they are concerned
• Ensure that the building remains locked so no one can walk in unidentified
• Report any concerns for working alone to the management as soon as is practicably possible.

 Management’s responsibilities when left in the building alone:

• To ensure staff working alone are competent and confident to carry out any safety procedures e.g. fire evacuation
• To ensure that the employee has the ability to contact them or a member of the team event if their lone working is outside normal office hours (i.e. access to a phone, contact numbers of someone they can call)
• To check that the employee has someone they can contact in the event of an emergency, and the numbers to call
• To ensure that employees have the ability to access a telephone whilst lone working
• If reporting in arrangements have been made and the employee does not call in, to follow it up.

Risk assessments are also completed for these occasions including hazards and risks and how these are controlled.

At Little Angels we are committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive quality environment for all children and families.

Definition and legal framework

The description ‘looked after’ is generally used to describe a child who is looked after by the local authority. This includes children who are subject to a care order or temporarily classed as looked after on a planned basis for short breaks or respite care. Most looked after children will be cared for by foster carers with a small minority in children’s homes, looked after by family members or even placed back within the family home.

The term 'looked after child' denotes a child's current legal status. The nursery never uses this term to categorise a child as standing out from others or refers to a child using acronyms such as LAC.

The legal framework for this policy is underpinned by or supported through:

• Childcare Act (2006)
• Children Act (1989 and 2004)
• Adoption and Children Act (2002)
• Children and Young Persons Act (2008)

• Children and Families Act (2014)
• Children and Social Work Act (2017).

Our policy

Our nursery treats each child as an individual. We recognise that for young children to get the most out of educational opportunities they need to be settled appropriately with their carer. We will discuss with the child’s carer, and social worker where applicable, the length of time the child has been with the carer before they start nursery to establish how secure the child feels and whether they are ready to be able to cope with further separation, a new environment and new expectations made upon them.

We are aware that there are a number of reasons why a child may go into care and these reasons may or may not include traumatic experiences or abuse. All our practitioners are committed to doing all they can to support all children to achieve their full potential. The nursery staff team are all trained to understand our safeguarding policy and procedures. Additional training to support children’s individual needs will be planned for, where appropriate. Practitioners are supported by management at all times and we have an open door policy if they need to discuss any sensitive issues regarding the child.

Where applicable, we contribute to any assessment about the child, such as those carried out under local authorities’ assessment frameworks or Early Help Assessment (EHA) and to any multi-agency meetings, case conferences or strategy meetings in relation to the child’s learning and development. The designated person for looked after children and/or the child’s key person will attend meetings as appropriate.

The designated person for ‘looked after children’ is Saadia Khalid.

Each child is allocated a key person. The key person will support the child initially with transition and settling in and then continue to support and build up a relationship with the child, carers and any other agencies involved. Regular contact will be maintained with the carers throughout the child’s time at the nursery and with the social worker or other professionals (where applicable).

The key person will carry out regular ongoing practice such as observations to build up a picture of the child’s interests, and plan activities accordingly to support the child’s stage of learning and development and interests. This information will be shared with carers and other professionals as appropriate as well as any concerns surrounding their developmental stages.

Where necessary the *key person/designated person/manager will develop a care plan with the child’s carers and any relevant professionals. This will include:

• The child's emotional needs and how they are to be met
• How any emotional issues and problems that affect behaviour are to be managed
• The child's sense of self, culture, language/s and identity - how this is to be supported
• The child's need for sociability and friendship
• The child's interests and abilities and possible learning journey pathway
• Where applicable, how any special educational needs and/or disabilities will be supported.

In addition, the care plan may also consider:

• How information will be shared with the carer and local authority (as the 'corporate parent') as well as what information is shared with any other organisation or professionals and how it will be recorded and stored
• What contact the child has with his/her birth parent(s) and what arrangements will be in place for supervised contact. If this is to be in the setting, when, where and what form the contact will take will be discussed and agreed
• Who may collect the child from nursery and who may receive information about the child
• What written reporting is required
• Wherever possible, and where the plan is for the child to return to their home, the birth parent(s) should be involved in this planning
• With the social worker's agreement, and as part of the plan, whether the birth parent(s) should be involved in the setting's activities that include parents, such as outings, fun days etc. alongside the foster carer.

Where applicable, we will complete a Personal Education Plan (PEP) for any children aged three to five in partnership with the social worker and/or care manager and carers. We will also attend all appropriate meetings and contribute to reviews.

The key person and designated ‘for looked after children’ person Saadia Khalid will work together to ensure any onward transition to school or another nursery is handled sensitively to ensure that this is as smooth as possible and all necessary information is shared. The child’s individual file, including observations, photographs and pieces of art work and mark making will be passed on to the carer at this stage.

Key contact details:

Private Fostering

Private fostering is an arrangement made between the parent and the private foster carer, who then becomes responsible for caring for the child in such a way as to safeguard and promote their welfare.

A privately fostered child is a child under the age of 16 (18 if a disabled child) who is cared for and provided with accommodation etc. for more than 28 days and where the care is intended to continue by someone other than:

• The parents
• A person who is not a parent but has parental responsibility
• A close relative
• The Local Authority.

It is a statutory duty for us to inform the local authority where we are made aware of a child who may be subject to private fostering arrangements. We will do this by contacting the local authority children’s social care team.

At Little Angels 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, volunteers and agency staff. 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. Staff should use the nursery Low-Level Concerns Reporting Form (below).

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.

At Little Angels we have an extreme weather policy in place to ensure our nursery is prepared for all weather conditions that might affect the running of the nursery such as floods, snow and heat waves.

If any of this impact on the ability of the nursery to open or operate, we will contact parents via Famly App/phone/email/text message.

We will not take children outdoors where we judge that weather conditions make it unsafe to do so.

Flood

In the case of a flood, we will follow our Critical incident policy to enable all children and staff to be safe and plan for continuity of care.

Snow or other severe weather

If high snowfall, or another severe weather condition such as dense fog, is threatened during a nursery day then the manager will decide whether to close the nursery. This decision will take into account the safety of the children, their parents and the staff team. In the event of a planned closure during the nursery day, we will contact all parents to arrange for collection of their child.

In the event of staff shortages due to snow or other severe weather, we will contact all available off duty staff and/or agency staff and group the children differently until they are able to arrive. If we are unable to maintain statutory ratio requirements after all options have been explored, we will contact Ofsted to inform them of this issue, recording all details in our incident file. If we feel the safety, health or welfare of the children is compromised then we will take the decision to close the nursery.

Heat wave

We are committed to ensuring that all children are fully protected from the dangers of too much sun and UV rays as severe sunburn in childhood can lead to the development of malignant melanoma (the most dangerous type of skin cancer) in later life.

Staff will make day-to-day decisions about the length of time spent outside depending on the strength of the sun and find the right balance to protect children from sunburn by following the NHS guidance. The benefits are discussed with parents and their wishes followed with regard to clothing, hats and sun cream.

We follow guidance from the weather and UV level reports and use the following procedures to keep children safe and healthy in the sun:

• Children must have sun cream with prior written consent for staff to apply. This enables children to have sun cream suitable for their own individual needs.
• Staff must be aware of the expiry date and discard sunscreen after this date. Sun cream containing nut-based ingredients will not be allowed in the setting
• Parents are requested to supply sun hats and light-weight cotton clothing for their children suitable for the sun, with long sleeves and long legs
• Children’s safety and welfare in hot weather is the nursery’s prime objective so staff will work closely with parents to ensure all appropriate cream and clothing is provided
• Staff will make day-to-day decisions about the length of time spent outside depending on the strength of the sun (UV levels); children will not be allowed in direct sunlight between 11.00am – 3.00pm on hot days from March to October, following NHS sun safety advice
• Shaded areas are provided to ensure children are able to go out in hot weather, cool down or escape the sun should they wish to or need to
• Children will always have sun cream applied before going outside in the hot weather and at frequent intervals during the day
• Children are encouraged to drink cooled water more frequently throughout sunny or warm days and this will be accessible both indoors and out
• Children are made aware of the need for sun hats, sun cream and the need to drink more fluids during their time in the sun
• Key persons also work with the parents of their key children to decide and agree on suitable precautions to protect children from sunburn, taking into account individual skin types and tolerance to sun exposure. This includes children with sensitive skin and those with darker skin tones, who may still be at risk of sun damage.

Vitamin D

Sunlight is important for the body to receive vitamin D. We need vitamin D to help the body absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet. These minerals are important for healthy bones, teeth and muscles. The main source of vitamin D is summer sunlight on our skin, while keeping your child's skin safe in the sun.

We also promote the NHS recommendation to parents that all young children should still have vitamin drops, even if they get out in the sun.

At Little Angels we recognise that there are times when staff need to carry out manual handling especially in relation to lifting babies and young children. Staff must all be aware and adhere to the nursery’s manual handling policy to prevent/minimise any injuries can result from poor manual handling. We instruct all staff in correct handling techniques and expect them to follow these to minimise the risks of injury.

We know that lifting and carrying babies and young children is different to carrying static loads and therefore our manual handling training reflects this. All staff will receive training in manual handling within their first year of employment and will receive ongoing training as appropriate.

Preventing injuries

As with other health and safety issues, we recognise that the most effective method of prevention is to remove or reduce the need to carry out hazardous manual handling. Wherever possible, we review the circumstances in which staff have to carry out manual handling and re-design the workplace so that items do not need to be moved from one area to another.

Where manual handling tasks cannot be avoided, for example lifting children when changing nappies, we carry out a risk assessment by examining the tasks and deciding what the risks associated with them are, and how these can be removed or reduced by adding control measures.

Our manual handling assessment considers the following:

• The tasks to be carried out
• The load to be moved (including moving children)
• The environment in which handling takes place
• The capability of the individual involved in the manual handling.

We expect staff to use the following guidance when carrying out manual handling in order to reduce the risk of injury.

Planning and procedure

• Think about the task to be performed and plan the lift
• Consider what you will be lifting, where you will put it, how far you are going to move it and how you are going to get there
• Never attempt manual handling unless you have read the correct techniques and understood how to use them
• Ensure that you are capable of undertaking the task – people with health problems and pregnant women may be at particular risk of injury. Complete risk assessments as required
• Assess the size, weight and centre of gravity of the load to make sure that you can maintain a firm grip and see where you are going
• Assess whether you can lift the load safely without help. If not, get help or use specialist moving equipment e.g. a trolley. Bear in mind that it may be too dangerous to attempt to lift some loads
• If more than one person is involved, plan the lift first and agree who will lead and give instructions
• Plan your route and remove any obstructions. Check for any hazards such as uneven/slippery flooring
• Ensure lighting is adequate
• Control harmful loads – for instance, by covering sharp edges or by insulating hot containers
• Check whether you need any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and obtain the necessary items, if appropriate. Check the equipment before use and check that it fits you
• Ensure that you are wearing the correct clothing, avoiding tight clothing and unsuitable footwear
• Consider a resting point before moving a heavy load or carrying something any distance.

Carrying children

• If the child is old enough, ask them to move to a position that is easy to pick up, and ask them to hold onto you as this will support you and the child when lifting
• Do not place the baby/child on your hip, carry them directly in front of you in order to balance their weight equally
• Wherever possible, avoid carrying the baby/child a long distance
• Where a baby is young and is unable to hold onto you, ensure you support them fully within your arms
• Avoid carrying anything else when carrying a baby or child - make two journeys or ask a colleague to assist you and only carry one child at a time
• If a baby/child is struggling or fidgeting whilst you are carrying them, stop, place them back down and use reassuring words to calm the baby/child before continuing
• Students and pregnant staff members will not carry babies/children.

Position for lifting

Stand in front of the load with your feet apart and your leading leg forward. Your weight should be even over both feet. Position yourself, or turn the load around, so that the heaviest part is next to you. If the load is too far away, move toward it or bring it nearer before starting the lift. Do not twist your body to pick it up.

Lifting

Always lift using the correct posture:

• Bend the knees slowly, keeping the back straight
• Tuck the chin in on the way down
• Lean slightly forward if necessary and get a good grip
• Keep the shoulders level, without twisting or turning from the hips
• Try to grip with the hands around the base of the load
• Bring the load to waist height, keeping the lift as smooth as possible.

Moving a baby/child or load

• Move the feet, keeping the baby/child or load close to the body
• Proceed carefully, making sure that you can see where you are going
• Lower the baby/child or load, reversing the procedure for lifting
• Avoid crushing fingers or toes as you put the baby/child or load down
• If you are carrying a load, position and secure it after putting it down
• Make sure that the baby/child or load is rested on a stable base and in the case of the baby/child ensure their safety in this new position
• Report any problems immediately, for example, strains and sprains. Where there are changes, for example to the activity or the load, the task must be reassessed.

The task

• Carry children or loads close to the body, lifting and carrying the load at arm’s length increases the risk of injury
• Avoid awkward movements such as stooping, reaching or twisting
• Ensure that the task is well designed and that procedures are followed
• Try never to lift loads from the floor or to above shoulder height. Limit the distances for carrying
• Minimise repetitive actions by re-designing and rotating tasks
• Ensure that there are adequate rest periods and breaks between tasks
• Plan ahead – use teamwork where the load is too heavy for one person.

The environment

• Ensure that the surroundings are safe. Flooring should be even and not slippery, lighting should be adequate, and the temperature and humidity should be suitable
• Remove obstructions and ensure that the correct equipment is available.

The individual

• Never attempt manual handling unless you have been trained and given permission to do so
• Ensure that you are capable of undertaking the task – people with health problems and pregnant women may be particularly at risk of injury.
• Where applicable and age/stage appropriate encourage children to use ladders up to the changing table for nappy changes rather than lifting. Where this is not appropriate always follow the lifting process
• Use cots with a drop down side and avoid bending to lift babies from their cot.

Introduction

Menopause is the time during an individual’s life when menstruation periods permanently stop and an individual experiences hormonal changes. It is defined as occurring when the individual has experienced no periods for 12 consecutive months and no other biological or psychological cause can be identified. However, menopausal symptoms can begin months or years before periods stop and this stage is known as the perimenopause.  According to the NHS website[1] symptoms last around four years after an individual’s last period, although some can experience them for much longer.

The purpose of this policy is to provide details of how the nursery will support our staff who may be experiencing issues as a result of symptoms of the menopause. We aim to create a culture that encourages discussions to take place about any matters associated with the menopause and to create supportive working environment.

Aims

The aims of this policy are to:

• Foster an environment in which colleagues can openly and comfortably instigate conversations or engage in discussions about menopause
• Ensure everyone understands what menopause is, can confidently approach the subject and are clear on our policy and practices
• Educate and inform staff about the potential symptoms of menopause and how they can support individuals experiencing these symptoms at work
• Ensure that those who are experiencing menopause symptoms feel confident to discuss them and ask for any support and reasonable adjustments so they can continue to be successful in their roles
• Reduce absenteeism due to menopausal symptoms
• Assure individuals that as a responsible employer, we are committed to supporting their needs during menopause.

 Employee responsibilities

All employees should contribute to a respectful working environment and be willing to support colleagues who may be experiencing the menopause. It is important that employees talk openly with their line manager if they need support with menopausal symptoms. All employees are responsible for:

• Taking personal responsibility to look after their health
• Being open and honest in conversations with managers
• Contributing to a respectful and productive working environment
• Being willing to help and support their colleagues
• Understanding any necessary adjustments their colleagues are receiving as a result of their menopausal symptoms.

During any discussions, your manager will consider your individual situation and evaluate if any adjustments can be made. Your individual needs will be addressed sensitively and confidentiality will be maintained.

Employer responsibilities

Managers are responsible for:

• Ensuring that no one experiences less favourable treatment as a result of the menopause
• Ensuring that any conversations are kept strictly confidential
• Putting in place any required support and/or adjustments where reasonably possible
• Recording any agreements made
• Holding regular reviews with employees regarding support required, including follow up meetings to review adjustments that have been made
• Seeking additional advice from occupational health where necessary
• Agreeing with the employee if other colleagues should be informed about any adjustments that have been agreed (even if the reason is not disclosed).

When responding to an employee experiencing difficulties caused by menopause, managers will maintain an open-door policy so that employees feel comfortable in approaching them. They will support staff to talk openly about their current situation and will not make presumptions about how it is affecting them.

We understand that employees may feel uncomfortable discussing personal information with their manager. If this is the case, they are encouraged to discuss their situation with another senior member of staff.

Workplace adjustments

As with any longstanding health-related condition, sympathetic and appropriate support from the nursery is crucial to provide employees with the support that they need. Above all, it is important to listen to individuals and respond sympathetically to any requests for adjustments at work.

There are numerous symptoms of the menopause that can affect an individual both physically and mentally. The menopause affects individuals in different ways and symptoms can start during the perimenopause and last for many years.

Some of the more common symptoms include:

• Hot flushes
• Difficulty sleeping
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Low mood or anxiety
• Problems with memory or concentration
• Anxiety
• Heavy and/or painful periods
• Panic attacks.

The following options are available to any employee who may be experiencing menopausal symptoms, depending on the needs of the individual and the business needs of the nursery.

Flexible working

We recognise that flexibility may be of significant benefit to someone who is experiencing menopausal symptoms. The Special considerations for employees policy describes ways in which the nursery may be willing to consider temporary changes to working arrangements, such as more frequent breaks or a change to start and finish times. If an employee does not wish to temporarily change their working arrangements, then this should be discussed with their line manager and any agreed changes will be regularly reviewed with the member of staff.

Temperature control

We strive to achieve a comfortable working temperature for employees. We will allow flexibility within the dress code where reasonable.  We will also consider any other appropriate adjustments, for example changing an employee’s work location including to nearer a window, providing blinds on windows, ensuring there is always the opportunity to access toilet facilities or providing cooling aids such as a desk fan.

Sickness absence

See the Absence management procedure.

If an employee is unwell due to menopausal symptoms, the nursery will provide them with all reasonable support during this period. It is important that employees feel that they are able to be open with their line managers about the reasons for any absences and feel supported by them.  We would also encourage employees to discuss any relevant concerns with their GP and confirm to the nursery any relevant advice that the GP has provided.

Available support

Employees are encouraged to inform their line manager at an early stage if they are experiencing menopausal symptoms that could affect their work to ensure that symptoms are treated as an ongoing health issue rather than as individual instances of ill health.

Early notification will also help line managers to determine the most appropriate course of action to support an employee's individual needs. Employees who do not wish to discuss the issue with their direct line manager may find it helpful to have an initial discussion with a trusted colleague or another manager instead.

Employees and managers may find external sources of help and support useful including the following:

Information about the menopause, menopausal symptoms and treatment options (https://www.menopausematters.co.uk/)

Support for women experiencing premature menopause or premature ovarian insufficiency (https://www.daisynetwork.org/)

Information about events where strangers gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss the menopause (https://www.menopausecafe.net/)

[1] https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/menopause/

At Little Angels we take all reasonable steps to ensure children are kept safe while on outings. We assess the risks or hazards that may arise for children and identify steps to remove, minimise and manage those risks and hazards. This includes the consideration of adult to child ratios and carrying out regular head counts of children throughout any outing or visit.

In the unlikely event of a child going missing whilst on an outing we have the following procedure which we implement immediately:

• All staff are aware of the procedure when a child goes missing and supply information to support the search, e.g. a recent photograph taken before leaving the premises and a detailed description of clothing
• The designated person in charge or most senior member of staff is informed immediately and all staff present will be informed. Some staff will be deployed to start an immediate thorough search of the area, ensuring that all other children remain supervised, calm and supported throughout
• If appropriate, on-site security will also be informed and a description given
• The designated person in charge or most senior member of staff will immediately inform the police
• The designated person in charge or most senior member of staff will then inform the nursery who will contact the child’s parents giving details of what has happened. If the whole nursery is on an outing, all contact details will be taken on the trip by the person in charge
• During this period, some staff will be continually searching for the missing child, whilst other staff maintain the safety and welfare of the remaining children
• It will be the designated person in charge or most senior member of staff responsibility to ensure that there are adequate staff to care for the children and get them back safe, a member of staff to meet the police and someone to continue the search (this may mean contacting relief staff)
• Any incidents must be recorded in writing as soon as practicably possible including the outcome, who was lost, time identified, notification to police and findings
• In the unlikely event that the child is not found, the nursery will follow the local authority and police procedure
• Ofsted will be contacted and informed of any incidents
• With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further support where necessary
• In any cases with media attention staff will not speak to any media representatives
• Post-incident risk assessments will be conducted following any incident of this nature to enable the chance of this reoccurring being reduced.

At Little Angels we take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of children on the premises, we only release children into the care of individuals who have been notified us by the parent and have safety systems in place to ensure that children do not leave the premises unsupervised e.g. exit buttons, high handles, double doors, intercom systems, locks etc.

In the unlikely event of a child going missing within/from the nursery, we have the following procedure which will be implemented immediately:

• All staff will be aware of the procedure when a child goes missing and supply information to support the search, e.g. a recent photograph and a detailed description of clothing
• The nursery manager will be informed immediately and all staff present will be informed. Some staff will be deployed to start an immediate thorough search of the nursery, followed by a search of the surrounding area, whilst ensuring that some staff remain with the other children so they remain supervised, calm and supported throughout
• The manager will call the police as soon as they believe the child is missing and follow police guidance. The parents of the missing child will also be contacted
• A second search of the area will be carried out
• During this period, available staff will be continually searching for the missing child, whilst other staff maintain as near to normal routine as possible for the rest of the children in the nursery
• The manager will meet the police and parents
• The manager will then await instructions from the police
• In the unlikely event that the child is not found the nursery will follow the local authority and police procedure
• Any incidents must be recorded in writing as soon as practicably possible including the outcome, who was lost, time identified, notification to police and findings
• Ofsted will be contacted and informed of the incidents
• With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further support where necessary
• In any cases with media attention staff will not speak to any media representatives

• Post-incident risk assessments will be conducted following any incident of this nature to enable the chance of this reoccurring being reduced

At Little Angels 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 and acceptable IT use policies, to ensure children are kept safe when using the nursery devices online. 

Mobile Phones and Smart Devices (e.g., Smart Watches)

Staff Responsibilities

• Staff are not permitted to use mobile phones or smart devices during working hours in areas where children are present.
• Mobile phones must be switched off or on silent and stored in the designated phone boxes in the office throughout the working day.
• Smart watches (e.g., Apple Watches) that allow messaging, calls, or image storage are also not permitted during contact hours with children. Staff must remove these before starting their shift and store them with their phones.

• Staff may access their phones during designated breaks in the staff room or other child-free areas only.

• In the event of a genuine emergency, staff may request temporary access to their phone with prior permission from the Nursery Manager or Deputy.
• All routine or urgent contact during the day should go through the nursery landline.

• Any member of staff found using a personal phone or smart watch in a prohibited area or time will be subject to disciplinary action in line with the nursery’s safeguarding and staff conduct policies.
• The Nursery Manager/DSL reserves the right to inspect the contents of a staff member’s device if there are serious concerns about inappropriate use. If necessary, the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and police will be contacted immediately.
• 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
• 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/passcodes for nursery devices must not be shared or written down, and will be changed regularly
• During outings, staff only use mobile phones belonging to the nursery.
• Only nursery owned devices will be used to take photographs or film videos
• Nursery devices will not be taken home with staff and will remain secure at the setting when not in use.

Visitors and Parents

• Parents and visitors are not permitted to use mobile phones while on nursery premises.
• All visitors must leave personal devices in the office and are accompanied at all times by a staff member.
• Parents taking calls upon arrival or pick-up will be politely asked to end the call or step outside.

Cameras and Capturing Images

Use of Nursery Devices

• Only designated nursery devices (cameras and tablets) may be used to take photographs or videos of children.
• These devices must:
  • Be stored securely in a lockable cabinet or office when not in use.
  • Only be used for legitimate educational or developmental purposes.
  • Be checked and cleared regularly by the designated safeguarding lead or manager.

Storing and Sharing Images

• Images taken on nursery devices must never place a child in a compromising or inappropriate position.
• Images are downloaded to secure nursery storage systems and, where appropriate, uploaded to the secure FAMLY app, accessible only to verified parents/carers of the individual child.
• Under no circumstances should staff use personal devices to capture or store images of children.

• Staff are not permitted to access or use the Famly app on their personal devices or from home unless expressly authorised by management.
• 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/areas without permission from parents of all the children included in the picture.

Consent and Data Protection

• Written parental consent is obtained upon registration regarding:

• Use of their child’s image for observation, records, or displays, sharing images on FAMLY and within internal nursery communications.
• Sharing images on nursery social media accounts and nursery publicity material, e.g. brochure, posters, flyers, website for promotional reasons, photographed and named in the press and on publicity materials

• No child will be included in digital records or publications without signed consent.
• This policy complies with UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 standards.

Outings and Off-Site Visits

• For all group outings, a nursery mobile phone is taken by the designated staff member for emergency use only.
• Personal phones must remain stored and unused.
• The nursery phone must only be used for:
  • Contacting the nursery
  • Emergency contact with emergency services
  • Keeping in contact with parents if a planned delay occurs

Staff Vigilance and Reporting

• All staff have a duty to remain vigilant and immediately report any concerns or breaches of this policy to the Nursery Manager or Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL). Please refer to our Whistleblowing Policyfor further guidance.

At Little Angels we plan our teaching and learning so that each child can aspire to achieve their full potential.

The purpose of this policy is to help to ensure that we recognise and support the needs of those children in our nursery who have been identified as ‘more able' and/or 'talented' and extend their learning to challenge them further.

'More able' refers to a child who has a broad range of achievement at a level well above average, typically in the more academic subjects.

'Talented' refers to a child who excels in one or more specific fields, typically those that call for performance skills, such as sport or music, but who does not necessarily perform at a high level across all areas of learning.

With this in mind we will ensure all children are fully supported and challenged by:

• Working together with parents to establish starting points on entry to nursery
• Observing, assessing and planning activities in line with the individual child’s needs and interests
• Providing challenging next steps to enhance the learning opportunities
• Where applicable, working with the nursery SENCO (see SEND policy), other services and professionals to ensure we can fully support the child’s individual needs
• Working with the child’s future primary school to provide activities that will stretch the child further in line with the child’s future curriculum
• Support transitions by providing key information to the next provision.

We ensure staff are aware of some early development signs of children that may be more able or talented including the following indicators.

More able children in language and literacy:

• Are able to read and respond to a range of texts at a more advanced level
• Use a wide vocabulary and variety of words in conversations and play
• Are able to write fluently and with little support

More able children in mathematics:

• Explore a broader range of strategies for solving a problem
• Establish their own strategies for problem solving
• Are able to manipulate numbers in a wide range of ways, e.g. adding, subtracting.

The management monitors all outcomes for children by tracking cohorts and individual children across the whole setting. This will include more able and talented children.

Management will ensure that all children are progressing at an appropriate rate from their starting points through challenging and supportive activities and opportunities.

At Little Angels we ensure that all families are included and supported fully, no matter how big or small. There are more and more multiple births occurring in the UK, twins, triplets and even more. As a nursery we accommodate all families and work together with parents to ensure all children are treated as individuals and supported to make the best progress they can.

This policy should be read in conjunction with our Settling in Policy and Partnership with Parent Policies. In addition to these to support the needs of multiple birth families, we will:

• Acknowledge multiple birth relationship as special and to be celebrated as well as enabling children to develop as individuals
• Work with parents to explore each child’s individual preferences, interests, needs and starting points including, where applicable ways for staff to identify them apart
• Complete individual forms for each child to discover their individual routines, specific requirements, dietary needs etc.
• Recognise and celebrate all individual achievements
• Report back on each child separately at the end of the day to the parents
• Consider separation if this is beneficial for their development. Parents, and where appropriate the children, will be involved in the decision for when, where and how this may occur (e.g. focused activities, outdoor play)
• Arrange parental consultations for each child. Each child will receive the same time during the consultation as any other child in the setting. Assessments will be shared based on their individual progress and comparisons between the children will not be made, any concerns will be discussed as per SEND policy
• Understand that each child is unique and not expect them to behave in the same manner, excel in the same areas or enjoy the same activities.

This policy is used as a stand-alone policy within our Respectful Intimate Care Policy.

At Little Angels we support children’s care and welfare on a daily basis in line with their individual needs. All children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to ensure they can grow confidently and feel self-assured. Wherever possible, each child’s key person will change nappies according to the child’s individual needs and requirements.

Our procedure meets best practice identified by the UK Health Security Agency’s Preventing and controlling infections document^[1].

We enable a two-way exchange between parents and key persons so that information is shared about nappy changing and toilet training in a way that suits the parents and meets the child’s needs.

When developmentally appropriate, we work closely with parents/carers to sensitively support toilet training in a way that suits the individual needs of the child and ensures consistency between home and nursery.

We have appropriate designated facilities for nappy changing which meet the following criteria:

• Facilities are separate to food preparation, serving areas and children’s play areas
• Changing mats have a sealed plastic covering and are frequently checked for cracks or tears. If cracks or tears are found, the mat is discarded. Disposable goles and aprons can be used for added protection
• Clean nappies are stored in a clean dry place; soiled nappies are placed in nappy sacks’ before being placed in the bin. Bins are foot-pedal operated, regularly emptied and always at the end of the day and placed in an appropriate waste collection area, an apron and gloves must be worn when doing this.
• Wash nappy bins on a Friday and leave to air by not replacing a bin liner and lid over the weekend.

Staff changing nappies will:

• Use a new pair of gloves for each nappy change / wash hands before and after nappy change
• Clean disinfect and dry mats thoroughly after each nappy change.
• Ensure they have all the equipment they need before each nappy change
• All children should be encouraged to use the steps to access the mat on the changing table, staff are not to lift heavy children onto the changing table.
• Keep nappy bags, gloves and aprons out of reach of babies and children.
• We ask that where any non-prescribed creams are needed e.g. Sudocrem, Prior written permission is obtained from the parent. In case of an emergency, to prevent cross infection a disposable spatula must be used to get the cream and when applying creams, a gloved hand is used.
• As a minimum; children should be changed at least once in the morning, after they wake from mid-day nap and once in the afternoon. If children’s nappies feel heavy, it will be changed immediately, rather than waiting for a designated change-time. Likewise if a child has a bowel movement, they should be changed immediately.

Toilet Training:

• If your child is currently toilet training or you feel that they are ready to start, then parents/carers are advised to discuss with their child’s key person on how they approaching the subject at home. When parents first discuss it with key persons. It is our aim to continue the work started by the parent/carer to ensure continuity for the child.
• When children are toilet training, we would recommend that they wear pants to enable them to recognise the feeling of being wet.
• If a child is potty training, then parents are requested to bring in plenty of spare changes of clothes.

• We would also request that parents bring in spare changes of shoes and we would recommend that children wear shoes, such as ‘crocs’ to enable them to be washed and dried easily.
• Soiling – if a child has a wetting accident, the soiled underwear needs to be placed in a nappy sack and then into the child’s bag or on their peg immediately. Any child having a bowel movement accident needs to be cleaned appropriately, if the underwear is badly soiled, place in a nappy sack and keep in the toilet area until parent collects explain to the parent the condition of the underwear giving them the choice of keeping the underwear or allowing the staff to dispose appropriately in the nappy sack. The same procedure applies with any garments soiled with blood.
  • There are child sized toilets and potties provided and the children are encouraged to use the one they feel most comfortable with.
  • If a child feels most comfortable with their own potty from home, then parents/carers are welcome to bring it in.
  • Good hygiene practices are always followed at the nursery and the children are shown how to use the potty or toilet and to wash their hands each time they use it.
  • The child must arrive in pants ready for toilet training.

Toilet Training Procedure:

• If a child is potty training, then they will be taken to the toilet regularly by a designated member of staff.
• Children will be encouraged to sit on the potty and the attempt will always be celebrated and praised.
• Accidents will be dealt with calmly and sympathetically and in a way which does not make the child feel they have done wrong.
• Staff will clean the child, freshen them up and put them in clean clothes.
• Dirty clothes will be placed in a nappy sack and put in the child’s bag.
• However if staff run out of spare changes of clothes then they may have no other option but to place the child in a nappy.
• Staff will record that they have changed the child on the daily changing sheet.
• Children will be routinely checked to ensure they are clean.

Children Using the Toilet:

• Children who are confident in using the toilet will be allowed to do so independently, but toileting will be overseen by a member of staff.
• It will also be monitored that children are washing their hands correctly.
• Parents/carers will still be encouraged to bring in spare changes of clothes.

We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of the children whilst being changed and safeguard against any potential harm, as well as ensuring the staff member involved is fully supported and able to perform their duties safely and confidently. We aim to support all parties through the following actions:

• Promoting consistent and caring relationships through the key person system and ensuring all parents understand how this works and who is caring for their child
• Using this one-to-one time as a key opportunity to talk to children and help them learn, e.g. through singing and saying rhymes during the change
• Ensuring that the nappy changing area is inviting and stimulating and change this area regularly to continue to meet children’s interests
• Ensuring all staff undertaking nappy changing have suitable enhanced DBS checks
• Training all staff in the appropriate methods for nappy changing
• Ensuring that no child is ever left unattended during the nappy changing time
• Making sure staff do not change nappies whilst pregnant until a risk assessment has been discussed and conducted
• Ensuring suitably competent and responsible students only change nappies with the support and supervision of a qualified member of staff
• Conducting thorough inductions for all new staff to ensure they are fully aware of all nursery procedures relating to nappy changing
• Ensuring hygiene procedures are followed appropriately, e.g. hands washed before and after nappies are changed and changing mats cleaned before and after each use
• Following up procedures through supervision meetings and appraisals to identify any areas for development or further training
• Working closely with parents on all aspects of the child’s care and education as laid out in the Parents as partners policy. This is essential for any intimate care routines which may require specialist training or support. If a child requires specific support, the nursery will arrange a meeting with the parent to discover all the relevant information relating to this to enable the staff to care for the child fully and meet their individual needs
• Ensuring all staff have an up-to-date understanding of child protection and how to protect children from harm. This includes identifying signs and symptoms of abuse and how to raise these concerns as set out in the Safeguarding children and child protection policy
• Balancing the right for privacy for the children with the need for safeguarding children and adults by making sure intimate care routines do not take place behind closed doors
• Cameras, tablets and mobile phones are not permitted within toilet and intimate care areas
• Operating a Whistleblowing policy to help staff raise any concerns relating to their peers or managers and helping staff develop confidence in raising concerns as they arise in order to safeguard the children in the nursery
• Conducting working practice observations of all aspects of nursery operations to ensure that procedures are working in practice and all children are supported fully by the staff. This includes all intimate care routines
• Conducting regular risk assessments of all aspects of nursery operations including intimate care and reviewing the safeguards in place. The nursery has assessed all the risks relating to intimate care routines and has placed appropriate safeguards in place to ensure the safety of all involved.

If any parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about nappy changing procedures or individual routines, please see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

[1]  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/preventing-and-controlling-infections

At Little Angels we are committed to promoting children’s health and well-being. This is of the upmost importance for the nursery.

Smoking and the use of e-cigarettes has proved to be a health risk and therefore in accordance with legislation, the nursery operates a strict no smoking/vaping policy within its buildings and grounds. It is illegal to smoke in enclosed places.

All persons must abstain from smoking/vaping while on the premises. This applies to staff, students, parents, carers, contractors and any other visitors to the premises.

Staff accompanying children outside the nursery, are not permitted to smoke/vape. We also request that any parents accompanying nursery children on outings refrain from smoking/vaping while caring for the children.

Staff must not smoke/vape while wearing nursery uniform as it is essential that staff are positive role models to children and promote a healthy lifestyle. Where staff choose to smoke/vape during breaks, they are asked to smoke/vape away from the main entrance and nursery premises. They should have a change of clothes and wash their hands before going back to the children. Staff should wait for 30 minutes after smoking before holding babies or children, even with a change of clothes.

It is not permitted for any member of staff to reduce any of their breaks to use the time to have an additional break for smoking. This policy also applies to E-cigarettes. Employees who do not comply with the no smoking policy will be subject to disciplinary action.  

We respect that smoking/vaping is a personal choice, although as an organisation we support healthy lifestyles. We follow Public Health England advice and aim to help staff and parents to stop smoking/vaping by:

• Providing factsheets and leaflets
• Providing information of local help groups
• Providing details of the NHS quit smoking helpline https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/
• Offering information regarding products that are available to help stop smoking

At Little Angels we believe that mealtimes should be happy, social occasions for children and staff alike. We promote shared, enjoyable positive interactions at these times.

We are committed to offering children healthy, nutritious and balanced meals and snacks, which meet individual needs and requirements. following the Department for Education nutrition guidance^[1].

Our approach to food and healthy eating

• A balanced and healthy breakfast, midday meal, tea and two daily snacks are provided for children attending a full day at the nursery
• Menus are planned in advance and in line with example menu and guidance produced by the Department for Education (copies can be provided on request). These are rotated regularly, reflect cultural diversity and variation and are displayed for children and parents to view; parents and children are involved in menu planning
• Menus include at least 3 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables per day
• We provide nutritious food at all snack and mealtimes, avoiding large quantities of fat, sugar, salt and artificial additives, preservatives and colourings
• Quantities offered take account of the ages of the children being catered for, in line with recommended portion sizes for babies and young children.

Sustainability

• To provide cost-effective foods, we purchase staple long-life ingredients in bulk, use frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables if appropriate, prepare home-made sauces using raw ingredients, and use left-over foods where possible
• We plan menus to ensure that fruits and vegetables are seasonal and at their cheapest, we use a variety of meat, fish and vegetable alternatives
• We grow and use our own herbs.

Mealtime environment

• No child is ever left alone when eating or drinking to minimise the risk of choking, and a qualified paediatric first aider is always present during meal and snack times
• Staff set a good example, eat with the children, and demonstrate good table manners. Meal and snack times are organised so that they are social occasions in which children and staff participate in small groups. During meal and snack times children are encouraged to use appropriate table manners and staff promote conversation to support social development
• Staff use meal and snack times to help children to develop independence through making choices, serving food and drinks, and feeding themselves
• Any child who shows signs of distress at being faced with a meal they do not like will have their food removed without any fuss. If a child does not finish their first course, they will still be given a helping of any second dish
• Children not on special diets are encouraged to eat a small piece of everything
• Children who refuse to eat at the mealtime are offered food later in the day
• Children are given time to eat at their own pace and are not rushed.

Drinks

• Only milk and water are provided as drinks to promote oral health
• Fresh drinking water is always available and accessible. It is frequently offered to children and babies, and intake is monitored
• In hot weather staff will encourage children to drink more water to keep them hydrated.

Baby feeding and weaning

• We follow babies’ individual feeding patterns following conversations with parents. We regularly review these to ensure they continue to meet the baby’s needs
• We feed babies responsively according to their needs and support mothers with breastfeeding, through providing suitable places to breastfeed in the setting and making provision for expressed breastmilk
• We prepare infant formula milk if required, following NHS guidelines
• Weaning is introduced in collaboration with parents, including discussions about the stage their baby is at, the types of foods and textures their baby is eating at home and how these are presented to the baby; no assumptions are made based on the age of the baby
• The nursery provides parents with daily written records of feeding routines for children under 5’s.

Commercial baby food and drink

• We provide fresh food for babies and do not use pre-made commercial baby food or drinks
• We do not permit parents to provide commercial baby food or drinks.

Management of food allergies and dietary needs

• All allergens are displayed alongside the menus to show the ingredients of each meal
• Individual dietary requirements are respected. Before a child joins the nursery, we gather information from parents regarding their children’s dietary needs, including any special dietary requirements, preferences and food allergies that a child has, and any special health requirements. All information is shared with staff involved in preparing and handling food
• Where appropriate, we will carry out a risk assessment in the case of allergies and work alongside parents to put into place an individual dietary/allergy plan for their child. This will be regularly reviewed and any changes shared with all staff
• We give careful consideration to seating to avoid cross contamination of food from child to child. Where appropriate, an adult will sit with children during meals to ensure safety and minimise risks
• At each meal and snack time, we ensure a nominated practitioner is responsible for checking that the food being provided meets all the requirements for each child
• Where appropriate, discussions will also take place with children about allergies and potential risks to make them aware of the dangers of sharing certain foods
• Staff show sensitivity in providing for children’s diets and allergies. They do not use a child’s diet or allergy as a label for the child, or make a child feel singled out because of their diet or allergy.

Provision for cultural and dietary preferences

• Where possible, we provide foods from the diet of each of the children’s cultural backgrounds, providing children with familiar foods and introducing them to new ones
• Cultural differences in eating habits are respected.

Learning about food and cooking with children

• Staff support children to make healthy choices and understand the need for healthy eating
• We promote positive attitudes to healthy eating through play, growing, shopping and cooking opportunities and discussions.

Celebrations and special occasions

• We will sometimes celebrate special occasions with treats such as cake, sweets or biscuits. These will be given at mealtimes to help prevent tooth decay and not spoil the child’s appetite
• We do not allow parents to bring in cakes on special occasions
• We consider celebrating with alternatives such as stickers and badges, bubbles, fruit platters, choosing a favourite story, becoming a special helper, playing a party game, dancing and/or singing their favourite song, and so on
• We ensure that all food brought in from parents meet health and safety requirements and that ingredients are listed, following the Food Information for Consumers (FIR) 2014.

Food safety and hygiene

• All staff who prepare and handle food are competent to do so and receive training in food hygiene which is updated every three years
• All staff are trained in preparing foods safely to avoid the risk of choking, following the Foods Standards Agency guidelines
• All staff are aware of the symptoms and treatments for allergies and anaphylaxis
• All staff are aware of the differences between allergies and intolerances, including that they need to maintain vigilance as children can develop allergies at any time
• In the very unlikely event of any food poisoning affecting two or more children on the premises, whether or not this may arise from food offered at the nursery, we will inform Ofsted as soon as reasonably practical and in all cases within 14 days. We will also inform the relevant health agencies and follow any advice given.

Food brought from home

• We do allow children to bring packed lunches into the setting.  We provide parents with guidelines for nutritious content and signpost to the NHS packed lunch guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/
• We share the Food Standards Agency choking hazards guidance to support parents to prepare foods to reduce choking hazards
• We do not provide reheating services for children’s packed lunches
• Children’s lunch boxes are checked prior to giving the contents to the children to ensure any risks from potential allergens or choking hazards are managed.

Our policy is developed in partnership with parents, staff and children and reviewed on a regular basis.

[1] https://bit.ly/EYFS_nutrition_guidance

This policy should be read in conjunction with the Data protection and confidentiality policy, Acceptable internet use policy and GDPR privacy notice.

Our nursery is aware of the growth of the internet and the advantages this can bring. 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 Saadia Khalid.

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:

1. Content: being exposed to illegal, inappropriate or harmful material; for example, pornography, fake news, racist or radical and extremist views
2. 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
3. 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 content blockers and filters are on all our devices, e.g. computers, laptops, tablets and any mobile devices
• Ensuring all devices are password protected and have screen locks. Practitioners are reminded to use complex strong passwords, keep them safe and secure, change them regularly and not to write them down
• Monitoring all internet usage across the setting
• Providing secure storage of all nursery devices at the end of each day
• Ensuring no social media or messaging apps are installed on nursery devices
• Reviewing all apps or games downloaded onto devices ensuring they are age and content appropriate
• Using only nursery devices to record and /or photograph children in the setting
• Ensuring that staff do not to use personal electronic devices with imaging and sharing capabilities, including mobile phones, smart watches and cameras
• 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
• Ensuring children are supervised when using internet connected devices
• Using tracking software to monitor suitability of internet usage (for older children)
• 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’
• When using online video chat, such as Zoom, Teams, Skype, FaceTime etc. (where applicable) discussing with the children what they would do if someone they did not know tried to contact them
• Providing training for staff, at least annually, in online safety and understanding how to keep children safe online. We encourage staff and families to complete a free online safety briefing, which can be found at https://moodle.ndna.org.uk/
• 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. No personal use will be tolerated (see Acceptable internet use policy)
• Monitoring children’s screen time to ensure they remain safe online and have access to material that promotes their development. We ensure that their screen time is within an acceptable level and is integrated within their programme of learning
• Making sure the physical safety of users is considered, including the posture of staff and children when using devices
• 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, then we will follow our Safeguarding children and child protection policy and report all online safety concerns 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
• 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
• Staff have access to information and guidance for supporting online safety, both personally and professionally

• 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.

Cyber Security

Good cyber security means protecting the personal or sensitive information we hold on children and their families in line with the Data Protection Act. We are aware that cyber criminals will target any type of business including childcare and ensure all staff are aware of the value of the information we hold in terms of criminal activity, e.g. scam emails. All staff are reminded to follow all the procedures above including backing up sensitive data, using strong passwords and protecting devices to ensure we are cyber secure.

To prevent any attempts of a data breach (which is when information held by a business is stolen or accessed without authorisation) that could cause temporary shutdown of our setting and reputational damage with the families we engage with, we inform staff not to open any suspicious messages such as official-sounding messages about 'resetting passwords', 'receiving compensation', 'scanning devices' or 'missed deliveries'.

Staff are asked to report these to the manager as soon as possible and these will be reported through the NCSC Suspicious email reporting service at report@phishing.gov.uk.

At Little Angels we recognise the importance of daily outdoor play and the physical development and are committed to ensure all children have daily access regardless of their age and stage of development. Where possible this includes the children having free access to the outdoors allowing them the freedom 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 Office guidance on physical activity. [1]

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.

We ensure outdoor play is adequately supervised and we have robust safety checks in place, including regular head counts.

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 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 possible and in line with the children’s needs, we will also often have snacks and meals outdoors and some children will sleep outdoors (see sleep policy).

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 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
• Sun care
• Caring for babies and toddlers
• Missing child from nursery
• Missing child from outings
• Parents as partners
• Supervision of children
• Safeguarding children and child protection
• Visits and outings.

[1] www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-physical-activity-guidelines

Our Nursery refer to the Health and Safety Executive’s ‘Five Steps to Risk Assessment’ https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm. The Five Steps to Risk Assessment publication and risk assessment templates can be downloaded from the Health and Safety Executive’s website at www.hse.gov.uk. Citation Plc can also offer further support with risk assessments at www.citation.co.uk.

At Little Angels we take all reasonable steps to ensure staff and children in our care are not exposed to risks. We promote the safety of children, parents, staff and visitors by reviewing and reducing any risks.

Risk assessments

Risk assessments document the hazards/aspects of the environment that needs to be checked on a regular basis. These include who could be harmed, existing controls, the seriousness of the risk/injury, any further action needed to control the risk, who is responsible for what action, when/how often will the action be undertaken, and how this will be monitored and checked and by whom.

The nursery carries out written risk assessments regularly. These are regularly reviewed and cover potential risks to children, staff and visitors at the nursery. When circumstances change in the nursery, e.g. a significant piece of equipment is introduced or new activity/experience; we review our current risk assessment or conduct a new risk assessment dependent on the nature of this change.

All staff are trained in the risk assessment process to ensure understanding and compliance of how they manage risks.

All outings away from the nursery are individually risk assessed and adequately staffed with paediatric first aid trained practitioners. For more details please refer to the visits and outings policy.

At Little Angels we welcome all parents as partners and support a two-way sharing of information that helps establish trust and understanding. We are committed to supporting parents in an open and sensitive manner and include them as an integral part of the care and early learning team within the nursery. Working together ensures we can meet the individual needs of the family and child and provide the highest quality of care and education.

The key person system supports engagement with all parents and we use strategies to ensure that all parents can contribute to their child’s learning and development. We ask parents to contribute to initial assessments of children’s starting points on entry and they are kept well informed about their children’s progress. We encourage parents to support and share information about their children’s learning and development at home and the key person seeks to engage them in guiding their child’s development at home too. The key person system ensures all practitioners use effective, targeted strategies and interventions to support learning that match most children’s individual needs.

Our policy is to:

• Recognise and support parents as their child’s first and most important educators and to welcome them into the life of the nursery
• Generate confidence and encourage parents to trust their own instincts and judgement regarding their own child
• Welcome all parents into the nursery at any time and provide an area where parents can speak confidentially with us as required
• Welcome nursing mothers. The nursery will make available a private area whenever needed to offer space and privacy to nursing mothers
• Ensure nursery documentation and communications are provided in different formats to suit each parent’s needs, printed copies or electronic communications
• Ensure that all parents are aware of the nursery’s policies and procedures. A detailed parent prospectus will be provided and our full policy documents will be available to parents at all times by asking nursery Manager on the nursery website
• Maintain regular contact with parents to help us to build a secure and beneficial working relationship for their children
• Support parents in their own continuing education and personal development including helping them to develop their parenting skills and inform them of relevant conferences, workshops and training, where required
• Create opportunities for parents to talk to other adults in a secure and supportive environment through such activities as open days, parents’ evenings and a parents’ forum
• Inform parents about the range and type of activities and experiences provided for children, the daily routines of the setting, the types of food and drinks provided for children and events through *regularly distributed newsletters/*the nursery website
• Operate a key person system to enable parents to establish a close, working relationship with a named practitioner and to support two-way information sharing about each child’s individual needs both in nursery and at home. Parents are given the name of the key person of their child and their role when the child starts and updates as they transition through the setting
• Inform parents on a regular basis about their child’s progress and involve them in shared record keeping. Parents’ evenings are held at least twice a year. The nursery consults with parents about the times of meetings to avoid excluding anyone
• Actively encourage parents to contribute to children’s learning through sharing observations, interests and experiences from home. This may be verbally, sharing photographs or in written form
• Agree the best communication method with parents e.g. email, face-to-face, telephone and share information about the child’s day, e.g. food eaten, activities, sleep times etc.
• Consider and discuss all suggestions from parents concerning the care and early learning of their child and nursery operation
• Provide opportunities and support for all parents to contribute their own skills, knowledge and interests to the activities of the nursery including signposting to relevant services, agencies and training opportunities
• Inform all parents of the systems for registering queries, compliments, complaints or suggestions, and to check that these systems are understood by parents
• Make sure all parents have access to our written complaint’s procedure
• Share information about the Early Years Foundation Stage, young children's learning in the nursery, how parents can further support learning at home and where they can access further information
• Provide a written contract between the parent(s) and the nursery regarding conditions of acceptance and arrangements for payment
• Respect the family’s religious and cultural backgrounds and beliefs and accommodate any special requirements wherever possible and practical to do so
• Inform parents how the nursery supports children with special educational needs and disabilities
• Find out the needs and expectations of parents. We will do this through regular feedback via questionnaires, suggestion system and encouraging parents to review working practices. We will evaluate any responses and publish these for parents with an action plan to inform future, policy and staff development.

Our personnel policy refers to our rules of conduct to support the relationship with employees in the attainment of the nursery objectives.

At Little Angels we aim to have a high quality staff team that act at all times in the best interests of children’s safety and welfare. To achieve this we have a range of policies to support the recruitment, development and retention of staff.

The nursery’s policies in respect of personnel are governed by the following:

• The best interests of the children, their welfare, safety, care and development
• The statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage
• The individual needs of the children, including maintaining continuity of care
• Compatibility between all members of staff and the building of a good team spirit
• Consideration of the advancement of each member of staff both by internal and external training to help them achieve their maximum potential
• Equal pay for work of equal value
• Compliance with the current legislation including the principles of the Equality Act 2010 and all current legislation governing discrimination.

We will ensure:

• The provision of a person specification and job description for every member of staff prior to an interview
• All interviews follow our recruitment procedures to ensure safe and fair and non-discriminatory recruitment occurs
• The provision of a statement of terms and conditions and contract for every member of staff in employment (contract to be received by new employee on the first day of employment)
• Prior to commencement of employment, the successful applicant shall be provided with an offer letter (conditional on an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) clearance and satisfactory references) with the induction procedure and any details of other information relevant for their first day of work
• New members of staff will be provided with copies of all the policies and procedures and we will ensure their understanding and adherence to these over an induction period. They will receive induction training including information about emergency evacuation procedures, safeguarding, child protection, and health and safety issues
• All staff receive effective supervision including support, coaching and training to promote the best interests of children. Staff are also provided with ongoing training and professional development opportunities to ensure they offer quality learning and development experiences for children that continually improves
• We promote staff well-being (see Well-being for Staff Policy) and foster team working through regular meetings and team events/outings
• Discrimination or harassment of any member of staff relating to sex, race, sexual orientation, gender, gender reassignment, age, religion or belief and disability will not be acceptable. This includes unwanted verbal or physical third party harassment by those not employed by the nursery.

This policy is reviewed at least annually in consultation with staff.

At Little Angels we aim to promote the health and well-being of the whole setting through encouraging physical activity and providing consistent messages to children, parents and staff.

We are aware that children of all ages should be active. Being active is important for children under five because it helps them to build and maintain a good level of health; physical activity is essential for growth and development. Children under five need time to play and learn new skills; the early years are also an important time to establish good habits relating to physical activity.

We follow the guidelines set out by the Chief Medical Officer regarding how much physical activity children under five should be taking part in:

Children who are not yet walking

• Physical activity should be encouraged from birth, through floor-based play, reaching, grasping, rolling etc. Babies should also have 30 minutes tummy time everyday, spread throughout the day

Children who are confident walkers

• Children should be physically active for at least three hours throughout the day. For preschoolers, 60 minutes of this time should be moderate to vigorous activity.

Our nursery curriculum includes planning our indoor and outdoor activities. For children who cannot walk, we encourage movement through the use of treasure baskets and floor play which helps encourage children to reach and grasp.

More confident walkers we encourage the children to participate in dancing, obstacle courses etc. We ensure that the children have as much time outdoors as possible.

We conduct risk assessments, both internally and for off-site visits to ensure the safety of all the children in our care.

We minimise the amount of time children spend being sedentary (except sleeping time). This includes low-energy activities such as sitting or lying down which limits the child’s opportunity to move. Children are only required to sit when eating and not for extended periods of time.

All children, including those with special education need and disabilities (SEND) are entitled to a comprehensive programme of physical activities.

We are confident in providing advice to parents and carers in relation to families adopting healthy lifestyles and being physically active. We encourage parents to walk, scoot or cycle with their children for part or all the way to the nursery. We enable this by providing a safe place to store scooters and buggies. We hold information sessions to help parents understand the importance of being physically active.

Our staff aspire to be positive role models for our children. We aim to take part in physical activity whenever possible, e.g. as part of practitioner sessions and sharing hobbies such as running, cycling, dancing etc. Alongside this, we join in when the children are doing physical activity at nursery.

All physical activity is in line with our Health and safety - general policy and Overall approach to risk assessments policy.

Use of any external personnel including activity leaders and volunteers will be in line with the Supervision of visitors’ policy.

Our nursery Physical activity and nutrition coordinator (PANCo) is Saadia.

The role of the PANCo in our setting includes offering physical activity and nutrition advice and support for children, staff and families within the setting.