Our Policies and Procedures

The following information is taken from our polices and procedures a full and complete copy can be found next to the signing in book and is available for you to read. 

Fees 

As part of Government funding every child aged 2 years old is entitled to 15 hours free childcare places. This funding comes in to place the term after your child turns 2 years old. The Government also offers 30 hours free childcare and other tax benefits to those families who qualify. If your child qualifies for the 30hrs you will need to provide the pre-school with your allocated DERN number the term before your child attends. Please note that two identification documents need to be seen and copied for the setting to apply for the funding and you will be asked to complete a parental contract. For further information, please speak to the lead practitioner 

Fee’s can be paid either at the start of each half term for the whole half term or weekly. Fees by cash or cheque (made payable to Stanion Pre School) can be paid on a Monday and Friday morning only to the pre-school treasurer who will check the amount and give you a receipt. We would prefer fees to be paid by bank transfer (please ask for account details) but cash will be accepted. Fees are still payable if your child does not attend. Please advise the setting when your child is absent by telephone or email. We ask for a month’s notice or month’s fees if your child leaves the pre-school before the end of the academic year. 

Discipline 

All children are encouraged to behave sensibly and to respect other people and their belongings. Positive re-enforcement is used to encourage good behaviour. If a child is constantly disruptive during pre-school sessions they may be withdrawn from the activities with an adult for a calming down period. Any such incidents will be discussed confidentially with the parent/carer. The use of bad language and violence is unacceptable. Physical punishment is never used. 

Snacks 

Children are provided with a snack during the session. We operate a rolling snack system, which means that children are free to have their snack when they are ready. This ensures that the children are not disturbed when involved in an activity. The emphasis is on independence and children are encouraged to butter their own bread, pour their own drinks and clear away once they have finished. Stanion pre-school operates a healthy eating policy where we offer a range of healthy snacks such as fruit, yogurts. A choice of milk and water is offered and drinking water is always available to the children.  

Nappies & Toilet Training  

We are happy for your child to attend regardless of their stage in toilet training. However, we ask parents / carers to understand that the pre-school is an exciting place for children and toilet training while going well and home may go backwards for a short period of time. We would also like parents to note that the setting believes that children have rights and if a child refuses to have their nappy changed the staff will not force the child. This is particularly important during the settling in stage when staff are building trusting relationships with the child.  However, all reasonable attempts to encourage the child will be made. For children who are in nappies we ask parents to provide nappies, wipes and nappy sacks and lots of changes of clothes.  

Medication/Sick Child  

We ask that you do not send your child to pre-school if they are sick or unwell. In the event that your child becomes poorly whilst in our care you will be contacted to come and collect them. If we are unable to get in contact with you, we will call the alternative contact person. Any medications should be handed into the office and you will be asked to sign a medication form. 

Security 

The main door is locked approximately 10 mins after the start of a session once all the children have arrived. A bell is on the door should anyone arrive after this time. Anyone unfamiliar to staff will be refused entrance and asked for identification / password. Visitors are asked to sign in on arrival and hand in any mobile phones. The door is unlocked at the end of the session for the collection of children. Where possible anyone other than the designated person should be introduced to the lead practitioner beforehand if they are collecting the child and use the appropriate password. Once a child has been handed over to a parent / carer the child then becomes that person’s responsibility. 

Safeguarding 

The lead practitioner is responsible for Safeguarding and all staff are aware of their responsibility to report any concerns they have with regard to the abuse of children.  In the event of an allegation all procedures will be adhered to accurately, responsibly and confidentially. Where it is felt there is need the setting will refer the child to the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) or Police without parental permission.  Parents are reminded that it is everyone’s duty to protect children against abuse of any kind.  Information about “what to do if you are worried that a child is being abused” is displayed on the notice board in the reception area alongside agencies you can contact such as the NSPCC and other organisations.   

Health and Safety  

We operate a non-smoking policy which applies to all staff, parents and visitors of the pre-school. Please dress your child in appropriate clothing that the child can manage themselves. For example, dungarees are difficult for children to take up and down as they go to the toilet. We also ask that your child wears clothing that you are happy to get covered in paint/glue etc. Although we do put aprons on the children, accidents often happen. We also ask all parents to leave a full change of clothes in case the child has an accident. The children belongings should be kept in a named bag in the cloakroom. It is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their child’s bag contains these items.  

We suggest that children do not wear jewellery; if a child wears earrings, we ask that these are studs.  We are happy for children to bring items from home to pre-school but the pre-school is not be responsible for loss or damage of these items.   

Accidents 

In the event of an accident, a first aider will see to the child immediately to assess how serious it is. If it is a minor, incident the child will be dealt with and you will be asked to sign the accident report by a member of staff. In the case of a major accident, you will be contacted immediately and the child will be given appropriate treatment. 

Special Needs & Disabilities 

We encourage the involvement of all children regardless of their needs and abilities. If you consider your child to have special needs or a disability, this should be discussed with the lead practitioner as soon as possible to ensure the best care is given to your child. 

Equal Opportunities 

We treat all children as individuals and with equal concern. All children and their families are respected for the individuality and are not discriminated against for any reason. Children are encouraged to develop positive attitudes to one another regardless of race, gender, religion, culture and ability. 

 Children’s Online Learning Journeys 

 Children attending Stanion Pre-School have a personal on-line Learning Journey which records photos, observations and comments, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage, to build up a record of your child’s experiences during their time with us. 

We use Tapestry, a system, which is hosted in the UK on secure servers.  These servers confirm to very high environmental standards and are proactively managed 24 hours a day.  Each Tapestry account has its own database and the code itself is developed using hack-resistant techniques.  Filenames are encoded for uploaded, videos and images, making Tapestry a safe and secure on-line Learning Journey tool.  The benefits to yourselves from Tapestry being on-line means you will have secure access (via a website which you login to using your email address and a password) to your child’s Learning Journey and, in addition to viewing our contributions, we encourage you to add to it by uploading photos and comments, or commenting on observations made by us. 

We have our own secure Tapestry website, which once you have provided the school with an e-mail address, we will be able to set you up with an account.  We will also give you detailed information on how to view/use your child’s Learning Journey.  If you do not have access to e-mail your child is still able to have an online Learning Journey which you can access through the use of school computer equipment during specific dates throughout the year.  In order for your child’s Learning Journey to be created please give us permission by completing the attached slip.  Also, if you provide your E-mail address, we will set up an account enabling you to access your child’s learning journey via the secure Tapestry website for your child’s class. (Please note each parent only has access to their own child’s Learning Journey) 

Please be aware that your child may appear in other children’s observations. 

Your login details and password will be emailed to you in due course. If you do not have access to a computer, please speak to a member of staff who will enable you to look at your child’s online journal. If you experience any difficulties, please speak to a member a staff to ensure that the problem in fixed.  

Early Help Assessment (EHA) 

If your child or family are having difficulties either educationally, emotionally, physically or financially the pre-school maybe able to sign post you to some help outside of the pre-school. If you are experience issues in a number of areas the pre-school can offer you an Early Help Assessment (EHA) where we can consolidate the issues and provide a holistic approach from a number of agencies. If a member of staff feels that you and your family may benefit from an Early Help Assessment you will be asked if you would like one or you can approach a member of staff and ask for an EHA to be completed. The pre-school cannot complete an EHA without your permission and all information will be treated with the upmost confidentiality.    

Confidentiality 

Confidentiality is very important to us. Any private conversations between parents and staff are kept private as is the children personal information and files. Unless we are obliged to do so, please see Information Sharing. 

 Information Sharing 

•  At Stanion Pre-School we recognise that parents have a right to know that the information they share with us will be treated as confidential, as well as to be informed   we will always seek permission to share information unless the circumstances and the reasons are such that we are obliged to share information. 
• We are obliged to share confidential information without authorisation from the person who provided it, or to whom it relates, if it is in the public interest. That is when; 
• It is to prevent a crime being committed or to intervene where one may have been, or to prevent harm to a child or adult; or 
• Not sharing it could be worse than the outcome of having shared it. 
•  Should this situation occur we follow Information Sharing: Guidance for practitioners and Managers (DCSF 2008) as set out in our information sharing policy.  

 Privacy Notice 

Parents will be issued with a Privacy Notice before a child starts at the setting. The privacy notice sets out what information we collect, why we collect it, how we store it, who we share it with and how long we keep the information. Parents are advised that they can withdraw consent at any time by contacting the Lead professional at Stanion Pre-School. Parents are also advised that should they wish to see the information the setting holds they should put this request in writing to the lead professional at Stanion Pre-School, Cardigan Road, Stanion, NN14 1BY. 

Complaints 

If you have a complaint, please speak to your child’s key worker. If the issue has not been resolved you can then talk to the lead practitioner who initially will try to resolve the issues and will inform the committee. If the lead practitioner is unable to resolve the issue to your satisfaction the Trustees will decide on any further action. If you are unhappy with the way your complaint has been dealt with you can contact  

OFSTED EARLY YEARS 

Piccadilly Gate 

Store Street 

Manchester 

M1 2WD 

 Telephone: 0300 123 4666 

 Email: enquires ofsted.gov.uk 

 If you have any questions please speak to the  Lead Practitioner, Claire Sanders.

Our Aims and Objectives 

• We aim to provide a safe, secure, friendly, happy and welcoming atmosphere for the children, parents, visitors and staff at all times. 
• We aim to be approachable at all times. 
• We will treat any private conversations as confidential.   
• Individual feelings of each child and parent are taken on board and respected. 
• We aim to work with parents to develop and care for the child. 
• We aim to observe and record your child’s development and progress and keep the parents informed. 
• We aim to develop children’s confidence. 
• We aim to develop and extend children’s own area of interest and allow them to have their own likes and dislikes. 
• We encourage children to share, take turns and respect each other and their belongings. 
• We encourage children to have a positive self-image and to be proud of their achievements. 
• We will encourage children to learn about themselves, their environment and the world around them. 
• We will provide equal opportunities for all children. 
• We will encourage children to concentrate and listen. 
• We will encourage children to develop good relationships with their peer’s staff and other adults familiar to them 
• We will encourage children to be independent according to their developmental needs. 
• We aim to continually improve our pre-school. 

Stanion Pre-School Privacy Notice 

Stanion Pre-School , Cardigan Road, Stanion, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN14 1BY  

Introduction 

Personal data is protected in accordance with data protection laws and used in line with your expectations. This privacy notice explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, the control you have over your personal data and the procedures we have in place to protect it.  

When we refer to “we”, “us” or “our”, we mean Stanion Pre-School.  

What personal data we collect 

• We collect personal data about you and your child to provide care and learning tailored to meet your child’s individual needs. Personal details that we obtain from you includes your child’s: name, date of birth, address, and health, development and any special educational needs information. We will also ask for information about who has parental responsibility for your child and any court orders pertaining to your child. 
• Personal data that we collect about you includes: your name, home and work address, phone numbers, email address, emergency contact details, and family details.  
• We will only with your consent collect your national Insurance number or unique taxpayer reference (UTR) where necessary if you are self-employed and where you apply for up to 30 hours childcare and early education. We also collect information regarding benefits and family credits. Please note that if this information is not provided, then we cannot claim funding for your child.  
• We also process financial information when you pay your childcare and early education fees direct debit or bank transfer. We may collect other data from you when you voluntarily contact us.  
• Where applicable we will obtain details of your child’s social worker, child protection plans from social care, and health care plans from health professionals and other health agencies. 
• We may collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, data will be collected from you directly in the registration form; from identity documents; from correspondence with you; or from health and other professionals. 

Why we collect personal data and the legal basis for handling your data 

We use personal data about you and your child in order to provide childcare and early education services and to fulfil the contractual arrangement you have entered into. This includes using your data in the following ways: 

• to support your child’s well-being and development 
• to effectively manage any special education, health or medical needs of your child whilst at the setting 
• to carry out regular assessment of your child’s progress and to identify any areas of concern 
• to maintain relevant contact about your child’s well-being and development 
• to contact you in the case of an emergency 
• to process your claim for free childcare and early education, if applicable 
• to enable us to respond to any questions you ask 
• to keep you updated about information which forms part of your contract with us 
• to notify you of service changes or issues 
• to send you our e-newsletter, if you have subscribed to it 

With your consent, we would also like to: 

• collect your child’s ethnicity and religion data for monitoring purposes 
• record your child’s activities for their individual learning journal (this will often include photographs and videos of children during play) 
• sign you up for Tapestry which provides an online learning journal for  parents 
• transfer your child’s records to the receiving school when s/he transfers 
• If we wish to use any images of your child for training, publicity or marketing purposes we will seek your written consent for each image we wish to use. You are able to withdraw your consent at any time, for images being taken of your child and/or for the transfer of records to the receiving school, by confirming so in writing to the setting. You can also unsubscribe from Tapestry by notifying the setting. 
• We have a legal obligation to process safeguarding related data about your child should we have concerns about her/his welfare. 

Who we share your data with  

As a registered early years provider in order to deliver childcare and early education services it is necessary for us to share data about you and/or your child with the following categories of recipients: 

• Ofsted, when there has been a complaint about the childcare and early education service or during an inspection 
• banking services in order to process direct debit , bank transfer payments 
• the local authority, if you claim up to 30 hours free child care 
• the governments eligibility checker as above, if applicable 
• our insurance underwriter, where applicable  

We will also share your data: 

• if we are legally required to do so, for example, by a law enforcement agency, court 
• to enforce or apply the terms and conditions of your contract with us 
• to protect your child and other children; for example, by sharing information with medical services, social services or the police 
• if it is necessary to protect our rights, property or safety or to protect the rights, property or safety of others  
• with the school that your child will be attending, when s/he transfers, if applicable 
• if we transfer the management of the setting out or take over any other organisation or part of it, in which case we may disclose your personal data to the prospective seller or buyer so that they may continue using it in the same way 
• Our nursery management and communication software provider  may be able to access your personal data when carrying out maintenance task and software updates on our behalf. However, we have a written agreement in place which place this company under a duty of confidentiality.   
• We will never share your data with any organisation to use for their own purposes.  

How do we protect your data? 

• We take the security of your personal data seriously. We have internal policies and strict controls in place to try to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed and to prevent unauthorised access.  
• Where we engage third parties to process personal data on our behalf, they are under a duty of confidentiality and are obliged to implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure the security of data. 

Where do we store your data? 

• All data you provide to us is stored on secure computers or servers located within the UK or European Economic Area. We may also store paper records in locked filing cabinets.  
• Our third-party data processors will also store your data on secure servers which may be situated inside or outside the European Economic Area. They may also store data in paper files.  

How long do we retain your data?  

We retain your data in line with our retention policy a summary is below: 

• You and your child’s data, including registers are retained 3 years after your child no longer uses the setting, or until our next Ofsted inspection after your child leaves our setting.  
• Medication records and accident records are kept for longer according to legal requirements. 
• Learning journeys are maintained by the setting and available at your request when your child leaves. Records are kept and archived in line with our data retention policy.  
• In some cases (child protection or other support service referrals), we may need to keep your data longer, only if it is necessary in order to comply with legal requirements. We will only keep your data for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes it was collected for and in line with data protection laws.  

Your rights with respect to your data  

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can: 

• request to access, amend or correct the personal data we hold about you and/or your child 
• request that we delete or stop processing your and/or your child’s personal data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing or where you wish to withdraw consent 
• request that we transfer your and your child’s personal data to another person 
• If you wish to exercise any of these rights at any time please contact the manager at the setting by email, telephone or when you attend the setting. 

How to ask questions about this notice 

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about any aspect of this notice or how we handle your data please contact the manager at the setting.  

How to contact the Information Commissioner Office (ICO)  

If the manager is not able to address your concern, please contact [Insert details of setting manager’s line manager/owner/director/trustee] 

If you are concerned about the way your data is handled and remain dissatisfied after raising your concern, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner Office (ICO). The ICO can be contacted at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or https://ico.org.uk/. 

Changes to this notice 

We keep this notice under regular review. Any changes to this notice will be shared with you so that you may be aware of how we use your data at all times. 

 Lunch Club 

 If you would like your child to attend lunch club you just need to bring your child in to the setting with their packed lunch. Lunch club costs £6.00. You can pay on the day or have it added to your bill. Children who access the 30hr funding do not pay for lunch club.   

We have a no nuts policy 

Please provide your child with a healthy balanced lunch 

NHS suggest;  

• Starchy foods like bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. 
• Protein foods like meat, fish, eggs or beans. 
• A dairy item, like cheese or yogurt. 
• Vegetables or salad and a portion of fruit.  

 The BBC Good Food website have a good website that contains some pack lunch ideas.

 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/school-packed-lunch-inspiration

• Please do not over fill your child’s lunch box as this can be daunting for some children.  
• Please avoid products containing nuts 
• We provide drinks so no need to bring in a drink.  
• We will put all left over food back in to your child’s lunch so you know what they are eating and not eating.  
• We will do our best to encourage children to eat their lunch. However, cannot and will not force children to eat.  
• Remember we a have two snacks per day am / pm. If your child doesn’t eat much, they still have an opportunity to eat again at snack time.  
• Please avoid putting sugary treats such as chocolate bars and sweets in your child’s lunch. This can stop them eating their healthier options and can cause upset.