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| Policies and Procedures |
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Policies There is a folder listing all our policy documents. You are welcome to look at them or borrow them at any time. The Pre-school's policies help us to make sure that the service provided by the Pre-school is a high quality one and that being a member of the Pre-school is an enjoyable and beneficial experience for each child and their parents/carers. The managers and staff of the pre-school work together to adopt the policies and a review of the policies takes place annually. This review helps us to make sure that the policies enable the Pre-school to provide a quality service for its members and the local community. They include: And many more included in your policy booklet when you join. Students/volunteers We may occasionally have childcare NVQ/Diploma students who spend part of their training with us but they are not included in the staff ratio numbers. Voluntary workers are welcome to help but only after obtaining an enhanced CRB certificate, satisfactory references and completing the induction system. Admissions and Attendance It is our intention to make our pre-school accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community. We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the pre-school through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures. We ensure that the existence of the pre-school is widely advertised in places accessible to all sections of the community. We ensure that information about our pre-school is accessible - in written and spoken form - and, where appropriate, in different languages. Describe the pre-school and its practices in terms which make it clear that it welcomes all parents and carers from all cultural, ethnic, religious and social groups, with and without disabilities. We arrange our waiting list on a first come first served basis, within each intake period. In addition our policy may take into account the following: Children start with a minimum of two sessions per week unless there are medical reasons or special needs for starting with one. We may accept children on one session after the main waiting list has been satisfied. Children already attending the pre-school have priority for new sessions over the waiting list. We keep a place vacant, if this is financially viable, to accommodate an emergency admission. We monitor the gender and ethnic background of children joining the group to ensure that no accidental discrimination is taking place. We consult with families about the opening times of the pre-school to avoid excluding anyone. We are flexible about attendance patterns to accommodate the needs of individual children and families. To help meet initial administration costs, a non refundable registration fee is payable. This is payable on your child's start date which is £8.00. Charges will be billed to parents before the start of each half term. Collect fees for the proceeding term during the first week. (If for any reason this is not possible please make an appointment to discuss this in confidence with the Pre-school manager as soon as possible. If fees are not paid in full by the half term period then this will result in your child's place being withdrawn.) Ask for fees to be paid in full during absences holidays/illness etc in order to secure the child's place at the pre-school. Ask parents/carers to submit child's admission information pack supplied by pre-school and keep all information up to date e.g. new telephone numbers. Expect four weeks written notice prior to child leaving preschool, if this does not occur you will have to pay the equivalent in fees. Special needs We have an experienced Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) who works on an individual basis with children who have special needs. However, all children are considered special in our group and we aim to help each and every child to achieve their full potential. The pre-school works to the requirements of the 1993 Education Act and The Special Educational Needs Code of Practice (2000). The pre-school's current Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator is Niki Monk. Complaints Procedure Our pre-school believes that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We anticipate that most concerns will be resolved quickly by an informal approach to the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns. You will find this in the policy booklet available at any time. Parents may approach Ofsted directly at any stage of this complaints procedure. In addition, where there seems to be a possible breach of our registration requirements, it is essential to involve Ofsted as the registering and inspection body with a duty to ensure the National Standards for Day Care are adhered to. The address and telephone number of our Ofsted regional centre is availble in the booklet. Email: earlyyears@ofsted.gov.uk Web: http://www.ofsted.gov.uk Child protection We all have a duty to be aware that abuse does occur in our society. Our policy sets out the procedures that will be taken if we have reason to believe a child in our care is subject to emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect. Our prime responsibility is the welfare and well being of all children in our care. As such we believe that we have a duty to the children, parents/main carers and staff to act quickly and responsibly in any instance that may come to our attention. The Pre-school has a duty to report any concerns relating to abuse to the Local Authority. The children Act 1989 (section 47[1]) places a duty on the Local Authority to investigate such matters. The Pre-school will follow the procedures set out in the Local Authority Child Protection Guidelines and will seek their advice on all subsequent procedures. Health In cases of sickness, diarrhoea or infection please do not return children to Pre-school until at least 24 hours after the end of the illness. If your child is on Antibiotics please allow 24 hours before returning to Pre-School in case of allergy. Clothing We provide protective clothing for the children when they play with messy activities but accidents do occur, so it's better not to send children in their best clothes, and please send a FULL change of clothes including socks and vests. We encourage children to gain the skills that help them to be independent and look after themselves. These include taking themselves to the toilet and taking off - and putting on - outdoor clothes. Clothing that is easy for them to manage will help them to do this. Please provide a coat in cold weather and a sun hat and sunscreen in hot weather. |
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