Our Policies

These are summaries of our policies, if you would like to see the full policy, you have full access to all of our policy files on site at the nursery/preschool..

Contents:

• Wellbeing in the nursery
• Nutrition and meal times
• Intimate care
• Special educational needs and disabilities
• Transitions
• Gifted and talented children
• Visits and outings
• Sun care
• Promoting positive behaviour
• Sickness and illness
• Complaints and compliments
• Late collection policy
• Dealing with discriminatory behaviour
• Safeguarding children/Child Protection Policy
• Medication
• Outdoor play

Wellbeing in the nursery

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we ensure that all children, families, staff and visitors are welcomed and we are an inclusive setting. We support all to embrace their spiritual wellbeing and celebrate key events with them. Children’s physical well-being is supported through our carefully planned curriculum programme which supports all types of play 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.

Nutrition and meal times

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries 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. We consider 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. Where appropriate, age/stage discussions will also take place with all 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 her/his diet or allergy. Staff set a good example and eat with the children and show 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 meals and snack times children are encouraged to use their manners and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and conversation is encouraged.

Intimate care

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we believe that all children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to ensure they can grow and develop socially and emotionally. At times children need to be cuddled, encouraged, held and offered physical reassurance. Intimate care routines are essential throughout the day to meet children’s basic needs. This may include nappy changing, supporting children with toileting, changing clothes, and giving
first aid treatment and specialist medical support, where required.
In order to maintain the child’s privacy, we will carry out the majority of these actions on a one-to-one basis, wherever possible, by the child’s key person with the exception of first aid treatment which must be carried out by a qualified first aider. We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of children during intimate care routines and safeguard them against any potential harm as well as ensuring the staff member involved is fully supported and able to perform their duties safely and confidently. If any parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about intimate care procedures or individual routines, please see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

Special educational needs and Disabilities

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we are committed to the inclusion of all children. All children have the right to be cared for and educated to develop to their full potential alongside their peers through positive experiences, to enable them to share opportunities and experiences and develop and learn from each other. We provide a positive and welcoming environment where children are supported according to their individual needs and we work hard to ensure no children are discriminated against or put at a disadvantage because of their needs. Each child’s needs are unique, therefore any attempt to categorise children is inappropriate. We are committed to working in partnership with parents to meet their child’s individual needs and develop to their full potential. We are committed to working with any child who has a specific need and/or disability and making reasonable adjustments to enable every child to make full use of the nursery’s facilities. All children have a right to a broad and well balanced early learning environment. The nursery will undertake a Progress Check of all children at age two in accordance with the Code of Practice. The early years provider will also undertake an assessment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage (in the final term of the year in which a child turns five) to prepare an EYFS Profile of the child. Where we believe a child may have additional needs that have previously been unacknowledged, we will work closely with the child’s parents and any relevant professionals to establish if any additional action is required. We will then work with the local authority and other bodies to ensure that the child receives the support they need to gain the best outcomes.

Transitions

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we recognise that young children will experience many transitions in their early years; some of these planned and some unplanned. We are sensitive to the impact of such changes to children and this policy sets out the ways in which we support children going through these transitions. Some examples of transitions that young children and babies may experience are:
• Starting nursery
• Moving between different rooms within the nursery
• Starting school or moving nurseries
• Family breakdowns
• New siblings
• Moving home
• Death of a family member or close friend
• Death of a family pet.
Staff are trained to observe their key children and to be sensitive to any changes in their behaviour and personality. We respectfully ask that parents inform us of any changes in the home environment that may impact on their child so staff can be aware of the reasons behind any potential changes in the child’s behaviour.

Gifted and talented children

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries, 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 ‘gifted’ and/or ‘talented’ and extend their learning to challenge them further. ‘Gifted’ 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 and carers 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
• Working with the child’s 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

Visits and outings

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we offer children a range of local outings including walks and visits off the premises. We believe that planned outings and visits complement and enhance the learning opportunities inside the nursery environment and extend children’s experiences. We always seek parents’ permission for children to be included in such outings. In the event of a child being lost, the Lost Child Procedure will be followed. Any incidents or accidents will be recorded in writing and Ofsted will be contacted and informed of any incidents. There may be opportunities for parents to assist on outings. The manager will speak to parents prior to the visit regarding health and safety and code of conduct. In the event of an emergency whilst out on a visit, we encourage staff to find a safe haven and remain there until the danger passes. Each outing will have a detailed risk assessment, which covers all these risks and is planned ahead.

Sun care

Key persons will work with the parents of their key children to decide and agree on suitable precautions to protect children from burning, including those with more sensitive skin types and those that may be more tolerant to the sunshine, e.g. black and/or Asian colouring. Children must have a clearly labelled sun hat which will be worn at all times whilst outside in sunny weather. This hat will preferably be of legionnaires design (i.e. with
an extended back and side to shield children’s neck and ears from the sun) to provide additional protection. Children must have their own labelled high factor 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.

Promoting positive behaviour

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we believe that children flourish best when they know how they and others are expected to behave. Children gain respect through interaction with caring adults who act as good role models, show them respect and value their individual personalities. The nursery actively promotes British values and encourages and praises positive, caring and polite behaviour always and provides an environment where children learn to respect themselves, other people and their surroundings.

When children behave in unacceptable ways:
• We never use or threaten to use physical punishment/corporal punishment such as smacking or shaking.
• We only use physical intervention for the purpose of averting immediate danger or personal injury to any person (including the child) or to manage a child’s behaviour if absolutely necessary. We keep a record of any occasions where physical intervention is used and inform parents on the same day, or as reasonably practicable.
• We recognise that there may be times where children may have regular occasions where they lose control and may need individual techniques to restrain them. This will only be carried out by staff who have been appropriately trained to do so. Any restraints will only be done following recommended guidance and training and only with a signed agreement from parents on when to use it. We will complete an incident form following any restraints used and notify the parents.
• We do not single out children or humiliate them in any way. Where children use unacceptable behaviour they will, wherever possible, be re-directed to alternative activities. Discussions with children will take place as to why their behaviour was not acceptable, respecting their level of understanding and maturity.

Sickness and illness

To take appropriate action of children who become ill and to minimise the spread of infection we implement the following procedures:
• If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, we contact their parent(s) and ask them to pick up their child as soon as possible. During this time, we care for the child in a quiet, calm area.
• We follow the guidance published by Public Health England (Health Protection in Schools and other childcare facilities) and advice from our local health protection unit on exclusion times for specific illnesses, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, measles and chicken pox, to protect other children in the nursery.
• Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea, they must not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours.
• We inform all parents if there is a contagious infection identified in the nursery, to enable them to spot the early signs of this illness. We thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment and resources that may have come into contact with a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection.
• We notify Ofsted as soon as is reasonably practical, but in any event within 14 days of the incident of any food poisoning affecting two or more children cared for on the premises We ask parents to keep children on antibiotics at home for the first 48 hours of the course (unless this is part of an ongoing care plan to treat individual medical conditions e.g. asthma and the child is not unwell) This is because it is important that children are not subjected to the rigours of the nursery day, which requires socialising
with other children and being part of a group setting, when they have first become ill and require a course of antibiotics.
• We have the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be taken by the manager on duty and is non-negotiable.
• We make information/posters about head lice readily available and all parents are requested to regularly check their children’s hair. If a parent finds that their child has head lice, we would be grateful if they could inform the nursery so that other parents can be alerted to check their child’s hair.

Complaints and compliments

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 deputy manager.
Stage 2
If the issue 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 and report back to the parent within 28 working days. The manager will document the complaint fully and the actions taken
in relation to it in the complaints logbook. (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 complaints 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. It 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, result 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.

Late collection policy

If a child has not been collected from the nursery after a reasonable amount of time (30 minutes) has been allowed for lateness, we initiate the following procedure:
• The nursery manager will be informed that a child has not been collected
• The manager will check for any information regarding changes to normal routines, parents’ work patterns or general information. If there is no information recorded, the manager will try to contact the parents on the telephone numbers provided for their mobile, home or work. If this fails, the manager will try the emergency contacts shown on the child’s records
• The manager/staff member in charge and one other member of staff must stay behind with the child (if outside normal operating hours). During normal operating times, the nursery will plan to meet required staff ratios. If the parents have still not collected the child, the manager will telephone all contact numbers available every 10 minutes until contact is made. These calls will be logged on a full incident record.
• In the event of no contact being made after one hour has lapsed, the person in charge will ring the local authority children’s social services emergency duty team.

Dealing with discriminatory behaviour

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries 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 any perceived or actual relating to discrimination on any grounds and report these where relevant to children’s parents and the registering authority.

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.

Safeguarding Children/Child protection Policy

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children and to give them the best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect, be helped to thrive and to be safe from any abuse in whatever form. We support the children within our care, protect them from maltreatment and have robust procedures in place to prevent the impairment of children’s health and development. In our setting we strive to protect children from the risk of radicalisation, and we promote acceptance and tolerance of other beliefs and cultures (please refer to our inclusion and equality policy for further information). Safeguarding is a much wider subject than the elements covered within this single policy, therefore this document should be used in conjunction with the nursery’s other policies and procedures. Safeguarding children is everybody’s responsibility. At Ruislip Stars Nurseries all staff, students and visitors are made aware of and adhere to, the policy. This policy works alongside these other specific policies to cover all aspects of child protection:

• • Online safety
• • Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
• • Prevent Duty and Radicalisation
• • Domestic Violence, Honour Based Violence (HBV) and Forced Marriages
• • Looked After Children
• • Monitoring staff behaviour
• • Social networking
• • Mobile phone and electronic device use
• • Safe recruitment of staff
• • Disciplinary
• • Grievance
• • Promoting positive behaviour

Medication

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries, we promote the good health of children attending nursery and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection (see sickness and illness policy). If a child requires medication, we will obtain information about the child’s needs for this, and will ensure this information is kept up to date. We follow strict guidelines when dealing with medication of any kind in the nursery and some of these are set out below.

Medication prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist
(Medicines containing aspirin will only be given if prescribed by a doctor)
• Prescription medicine will only be given when prescribed by the above and for the person named on the bottle/packaging for the dosage stated
• Medicines must be in their original containers with their instructions printed in English • The nursery will not administer a dosage that exceeds the recommended dose on the instructions unless accompanied by written instructions from a relevant health professional such as a letter from a doctor or dentist
• The parent must be asked when the child has last been given the medication before coming to nursery; and the staff member must record this information on the medication form. Similarly, when the child is picked up, the parent or guardian must be given precise details of the times and dosage given throughout the day. The parent’s signature must be obtained at both times.

Non-prescription medication (these will not be administered)
• The nursery will not administer any non-prescription medication
• If the nursery feels the child would benefit from medical attention rather than nonprescription medication, we reserve the right to refuse nursery care until the child is seen by a medical practitioner
• If a child needs liquid paracetamol or similar medication during their time at nursery, parents must visit the setting to administer the medication

Outdoor play

At Ruislip Stars Nurseries we are committed to the importance of daily outdoor play and the physical development of all children regardless of their age and stage of development. We provide outdoor play in all weathers. Where possible and appropriate, we make outdoor activities accessible to children with learning difficulties and disabilities to ensure inclusive use of the outdoor area. We recognise that children need regular access to outdoor play in order to keep fit and healthy, develop their 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.