Our childcare policies at Toad Hall Nursery

At Toad Hall Nursery Group, we believe that for children to feel safe and secure they need to have clear boundaries and an understanding of behaviours that are appropriate and acceptable to the situation.

We understand children’s behaviour is a form of communication and children will experiment with their behaviour in relation to other people, places and objects. Children learn behaviours from watching others, so positive, warm, consistent, respectful, antidiscriminatory behaviour must always be role modelled by our staff.

Children are provided with opportunities, activities and resources to express their feelings and emotions.

At some stage/s children may display periods of challenging behaviour that need to be managed carefully e.g. uncontrolled outburst of anger and frustration, biting and testing boundaries. When this happens staff will work closely with parents/carers, using positive age-appropriate strategies to help and support children and ensuring they are getting consistent messages and support.

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs) can provide support to staff and parents/carers if required.

We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum as laid out in the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) 2021. This outlines seven areas of learning and the characteristics of learning. We plan our learning environments to enable play across the seven areas, indoors and out. We particularly develop these learning environments to provide a ‘home-from-home’ feel which provides space for exploration and challenge and promotes the development of children’s characteristics of learning.

We enhance the curriculum with in-house ‘initiatives’ for the Prime areas of learning and literacy and maths. These initiatives help practitioners to continue to develop their understanding of these key areas of the curriculum so that Toad Hall can offer the best in learning and development to all our children. Practitioners working with the youngest children focus mainly on the three Prime areas which reflect the key skills and capacities all children need to develop and learn effectively.

Those working with older children and whose progress gives cause for concern will, with the support of their manager or SENCO, discuss this with the child’s parents and/or carers and agree how to support the child signposting to outside agencies when appropriate.

Practitioners, observe, assess, and work with parents/carers to plan for every child’s learning. At two years old practitioners share a ‘Progress check’ with parents/carers to confirm learning in the Prime areas and development across the Early Years Foundation stage. This is a formal assessment followed when children are five and are then assessed against the Early Learning Goals. The individual needs and interests of each child are planned for through identifying next steps in their development. These are incorporated across the learning environments and into spontaneous and formal planning. This highly individualised approach ensures that children have engaging experiences and every child reaches their potential.

We encourage children whose home language is not English to develop and use their home language in play. With children who are new to English practitioners must work with parents and carers to establish whether there is any cause for concern about language delay.

The curriculum is delivered through play within planned learning environments and with the quality interactions and expertise of our regularly trained practitioners. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. As children move through nursery adults will lead more activities to set appropriate challenge and expectations for children as they progress through to school.

The aim of Toad Hall Nursery Group’s Food Safety Policy is the production of safe, wholesome, nutritious food for all its children, staff and visitors. This will be achieved by ensuring the selection of food items available are prepared and served in a safe and hygienic manner via Toad Hall Nursery Group staff or any contractor employed for food production.

We are committed to ensuring the standards of hygiene and safety adopted in respect of our food operations are over and above those required by the law. We have a commitment to the principles of hazard analysis and have identified the potential food hazards in our operations and implemented effective control and monitoring procedures at those points critical to food safety.

We set a standard of excellence, which it will achieve by adhering to the following principles:

• The safety of the product will be of the highest standard.
• The quality of the product will be of the highest standard.

Our policy is to ensure that all food handlers are trained to levels commensurate with their work activity. All members of management and staff will apply considerable effort, both individually and collectively, towards achieving food safety.

We work closely with an External Strategic Advisor, who is a qualified Environmental Health Officer. She acts as our competent person to ensure we are meeting all legal requirements and provides support and advice on regulatory matters. Annual, unannounced full audit visits are carried out at each of our nurseries to:

• Monitor regulatory compliance with food safety.
• Monitor practices and procedures.
• Coach both managers and staff to achieve the best for the nurseries and the children
• in their care.
• Provide independent, accurate and timely advice where needed.

Each nursery is annually inspected by Environmental Health with regards to food hygiene and health and safety. We are proud that all our nurseries have a 5* rating.

It is the policy of The Toad Hall Nursery Group to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of the children it cares for, its staff members and other persons who may be affected by its operations.

We strive to ensure that, through the implementation of the procedures in our Health and Safety Manual, no child registered with the Company, member of staff, member of the public or other visitor to the premises is put at any unnecessary risk to their health and safety.

We seek to implement this Policy by providing and maintaining places of work, equipment and learning environments which are safe, with controlled risks to health and by providing suitable arrangements for the welfare of our employees and others. Necessary information, training and supervision will be provided to ensure the implementation of this Policy and to maintain safe, creative learning environments.

All staff members will observe health and safety requirements throughout the Company's premises and in all work activities. Staff members must do everything that is reasonably practicable to avoid or reduce health and safety risks. Each nursery has a Health and Safety Representative on site.

Our Health and Safety Manual contains the specific health and safety policies and procedures we follow. It is reviewed annually and will be updated as often as is necessary, to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and good practice. Expert advice will be sought, when necessary, in all aspects of health and safety.

We work closely with an External Strategic Advisor, who is a qualified Environmental Health Officer. She acts as our competent person to ensure we are meeting all legal requirements in relation to health and safety and provides support and advice on regulatory matters. Annual, unannounced full audit visits are carried out at each of our nurseries to:

• Monitor regulatory compliance with food/fire and Health and Safety.
• Monitor practices and procedures.
• Coach both managers and staff to achieve the best for the nurseries and the children in their care.
• Provide independent, accurate and timely advice where needed.

Each nursery is annually inspected by Environmental Health with regards to food hygiene and health and safety. We are proud that all our nurseries have a 5* rating.

Toad Hall Nursery Group staff work in close partnership with parents and carers, recognising that we are an extension and not a replacement of parental care and that we have been chosen by parents/carers to provide a stimulating, educational, safe, secure and high-quality environment for their children. This partnership starts from our first contact with them, building those relationships through mutual trust and respect.

We actively seek information from parents and carers on their child’s routines, development, interests, likes and dislikes and new experiences, to enable us to plan for each child’s individual needs and next steps in their development.

Our open-door policy welcomes parents and carers and offers the opportunity to spend time in the nursery and join with activities wherever possible.

On a daily basis, staff verbally communicate with each parent or carer telling them about activities, achievements and any special events that occurred during the day. Our under 2’s rooms provide a communication book alongside this.

Parents and carers are encouraged to contribute to their child’s learning and development and are encouraged to come into nursery as frequently as they wish to.

Development records in the form of a Learning Journal are kept on each child and parents/carers are actively encouraged to add information to these.

In November 2021 Toad Hall Nursery Group won the Nursery Management Today (NMT) ‘Engagement with Parents’ award.

Toad Hall learning environments support children at play with a focus on well-being, being able to trust and rely on others and have a sense of belonging both to the group and to the natural world. We encourage finding out and exploring and learning actively through discovery and problem solving. We aid and encourage independent learning and supporting children in making choices and decisions about their own play.

Play allows children to explore ideas and feelings, to develop social skills and make relationships. At play they can be challenged, take risks, make mistakes and try things out. They can have direct hands-on opportunities to experience things that are meaningful to themselves.

Children have a great need for sensory stimulation and movement for their development. This is why we provide Forest school, play with real tools under supervision such as woodwork, and daily play outdoors enabling children’s natural ways of growing, learning and thriving.

We want children to find excitement and a sense of adventure through providing environments that encourage imagination where they can discover new things about themselves and their world.

We aim to feed children’s curiosity and wonder and to provide satisfaction of their deep drive to learn and make meaning. To do this we provide rich multi-sensory experiences and plan for individual and group play within a framework of safety.

We are committed to ensuring that all people that we come across in the course of our work are safeguarded. People who use, or work as part of our services, have a right to live and work in environments free from abuse, neglect and discrimination.

We do not investigate issues of concern in relation to safeguarding adults. Local councils and the police hold the lead responsibilities for co-ordinating the local interagency framework for safeguarding adults.

We will, however, bring to the attention of the local Adult Social Care Services and the police any concerns or allegations identified through any part of our work.

Our Safeguarding Adults Policy is available to parents and carers to ensure that they are fully aware of our safeguarding policies and procedures.

Toad Hall Nursery Group will work with children, parents/carers, external agencies and the community to ensure the safety and welfare of children and to give them the very best start in life.

To safeguard children in our care we comply with the Local Safeguarding Children Partnership (LSCP) safeguarding and child protection procedures, and make sure that all adults working with, and looking after children are able to put the procedures into practice. We have a duty under section 40 Children Act 2006 to comply with the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) 2021.

The statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (HMGov) 2018, defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:

• Protecting children from maltreatment,
• Preventing impairment of children’s health or development,
• Ensuring that children grow up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care; and
• Taking action to enable all children to have the best outcomes.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy sets out how we do this.

We make our safeguarding and child protection role and responsibilities clear to parents and carers, such as the reporting of concerns, information sharing, monitoring of the child, and liaising at all times with the local Children’s Social Care Team.

Our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy is available to parents and carers to ensure that they are fully aware of safeguarding policies and procedures.

Every nursery has a safeguarding notice board containing a copy of the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy, contact details for referral and other useful information.

Each nursery has designated staff who take the lead responsibility for safeguarding. The details of the nursery’s Designated Lead (DSL) and Deputy/ies (DSD) is clearly displayed on the Safeguarding Contacts Form which is displayed around the nursery. Whilst the nursery is open the DSL or an appropriately trained deputy will always be available.

Our nurseries provide an environment in which all children, including those with special educational needs or who are disabled, are supported to reach their full potential:

• We have regard for the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014).
• We ensure our provision is inclusive to all children who have special educational needs or who are disabled.
• We support parents/carers and children who have special educational needs or are disabled.
• We identify the specific needs of disabled children and those with special educational needs and meet those needs through a range of SEND strategies.
• We work in partnership with parents/carers and have a graduated approach for working with other agencies in meeting individual children’s needs in line with the Local Offer.
• We monitor and review our policy, practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.
• We designate a member of staff to be the Special Educational Needs Disability Co-ordinator (SENCO).
• Our SENCO’s are offered regular training and support to help them develop their knowledge and skills in working with children who have particular needs, and their families.
• Our SENCOs will support parents/carers with children with particular needs.
• Our SENCOs work with and support the nursery staff to ensure children with special educational needs or who are disabled can reach their full potential.
• We ensure that the provision for children with special educational needs or are disabled is the responsibility of all members of the setting.
• We use a system for planning, implementing, monitoring, evaluating and reviewing all children’s developmental needs.
• Wherever possible special facilities or adaptations will be made to meet the individual needs of children.