Nursery Policies – Golden Star Day Nursery

Whistle-Blowing Policy

At Golden Star Day Nursery we expect all our colleagues, both internal and external, to be professional at all times and hold the welfare and safety of every child as their paramount objective.

We recognise that there may be occasions where this may not happen and we have in place a procedure for staff to disclose any information that suggests children’s welfare and safety may be at risk.

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

The policy is underpinned by the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, which encourages people to raise concerns about misconduct or malpractice in the workplace, in order to promote good governance and accountability in the public interest.

Golden Star Day Nursery takes its commitment to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children and Young People very seriously and expects all staff, students and volunteers to do the same.

We aim to ensure that all people working with children are suitable to do so and we are therefore extremely vigilant when recruiting new staff to join our team.

Safety & Security

We promote children's right to be strong, resilient and listened to by creating an environment inour setting that encourages children to develop a positive self-image, which includes their heritagearising from their colour and ethnicity, their languages spoken at home, their religious beliefs,cultural traditions and home background.
We promote children's right to be strong, resilient and listened to by encouraging children todevelop a sense of autonomy and independence.
We promote children's right to be strong, resilient and listened to by enabling children to have theself- confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches.
We help children to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers,and with other adults.
We work with parents to build their understanding of, and commitment to, the principles ofsafeguarding all our children.What it means to promote children’s rights and entitlements to be ‘strong, resilient andlistened to’.

Safe Recruitment Policy

Golden Star Day Nursery takes its commitment to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children and Young People very seriously and expects all staff, students and volunteers to do the same.

We aim to ensure that all people working with children are suitable to do so and we are therefore extremely vigilant when recruiting new staff to join our team.

Our procedure is as follows:

We only use reputable newspapers and the job center website when advertising any vacancies.
The adverts always contain the statement written above, regarding our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young adults.
All applicants will be required to complete an application form and will then receive a letter from the nursery stating whether they have been successful in reaching the next stage (face to face interview) or not.
Ensure all candidates are aware they will need an enhance CRB disclosure and the company will require to carry out their own.
CV’s to be rigorously checked for gaps of employment or addresses and experience
All shortlisted candidates will receive a job description and where possible, have their references checked before attending an interview.
During an interview applicants will be asked to prove:
Their criminal history (disclosing anything that will show up on a DBS)
Detailed enquiries will also be made regarding any gaps in their employment.
The nursery manager and proprietor (or supervisor) will be present at interview although the final decision regarding employment will remain with the proprietor at all times.
Each applicant will receive communication from the nursery stating whether they have been successful or not.
An invitation for an interview with all the information detailed that they will need to bring along, including two forms of photo id.

We then ask for feedback from the staff and senior staff on their performance within the room and with the children.

Healthy Eating & Drink Policy

Snack and meal times are an important part of Golden Star Day Nursery. Healthy Eating represents a social time for children and adults and helps children to learn about healthy eating. We promote healthy eating and, at snack and meal times, we aim to provide nutritious food which meets the children's individual dietary needs.

Food is important to children. Food is multicultural and children can learn about different ways to make, serve and eat different dishes. We encourage children to be involved in the preparation of snacks and the importance of hygiene whilst preparing snacks. Food activities/eating/play equipment is selected to give children opportunities to explore acknowledge and value similarities and differences between themselves and other cultures.

We provide and/or serve food and drinks for children at the following times: breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack and tea. Drinking water is available to children at all times. We maintain the highest possible food hygiene standards with regard to the purchase, storage, preparation and serving of food. We are registered as a food provider with the local authority Environmental Health Department. All staff receives mandatory training on Food Safety.

When planning the Nursery’s mealtimes, consideration is also given to food safety as well as staff role modelling and family and cultural values and practices.

Golden Star Day Nursery will use the following strategies to provide a safe, supportive and social environment in which children can enjoy eating.

Promote and encourage correct hand washing procedures with staff and children.
Children will be supervised whilst eating at all times.
Staff will sit with children and, where possible, eat and enjoy the same food.
Staff will promote a positive, relaxed, social eating environment with children.
Staff will promote positive discussion about the foods being served to children.
Food will not be used as a punishment or reward, whether by its provision or denial.
Staff will provide positive encouragement and role modelling.
The food preferences of the children will be respected.
Cultural food events and practices are celebrated.
Staff discusses food from a variety of cultures.
Staff talks about health and nutrition.
Staffs encourage self-help and, where necessary, assist children at mealtimes.

Precautions to prevent and treat choking are known by all staff and implemented. Please refer to the factsheet “Preventing choking on food” that is attached to this policy. Children will be seated and supervised and food offered will be grated or chopped finely to prevent choking.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Policy

Statement of Intent

Golden Star Day Nursery is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families. We will ensure that our service is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children. We recognise that children come from diverse backgrounds. Children grow up in diverse family structures which include two parent and one parent families; some children will have two parents of the same sex.

Some children have close links with extended families of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins; while others may be more removed form close kin, or may live with other relatives or foster carers. Some children have needs that arise from disability or impairment, or may have parents that are affected by disability or impairment.

Some children come from families who experience social exclusion or severe hardship; some have to face discrimination and prejudice because of their ethnicity, the languages they speak, their religious or belief background, their gender or their impairment.

We understand that these factors affect the well-being of children and can impact on their learning & attainment. This setting is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity value diversity for all children & families. This policy sets out the way we achieve this in the different areas of the setting.

Anti-Bullying Policy

At Golden Star Day Nurserywe aim to provide a high quality child centred education for all the children enrolled in school. This will be achieved through a broad and balanced curriculum with developmentally appropriate learning in which all children are encouraged to reach their full potential. This will all be achieved within our secure, happy, caring, stimulating and fun nursery environment.

We promote an ethos of treating everyone with respect and ensure that there are strategies in place for dealing with bullying sensitively if, and when it occurs. If bullying does occur at our nursery, pupils are listened to and both the victim and bully are helped and supported.