Our policies

Reviewed July 2024.

The Nurture Room fully recognises its responsibilities for safeguarding children.

The Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) for The Nurture Room are:

• Katie Taylor
• Rebecca Dewes
• Rosie Clark

The Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) for The Nurture Room preschool are:

• Rosie Clark
• Nicola Shilton
• Leonie Mehta
• Katie Taylor

Safeguarding is the action taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm. Safeguarding means:

• Protecting children from maltreatment
• Preventing impairment of children’s health and 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

Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children who are identified as suffering or likely to suffer harm. Safeguarding includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.

Key commitments

At The Nurture Room we will work with children, parents, and the community to ensure the safety of children in our care and to give them the very best start in life. The key commitments of this policy for safeguarding children:

• We are committed to building a culture of safety in which children are protected from abuse and harm in all parts of the nursery provision
• We are committed to promoting awareness of safeguarding and child protection through staff training and provide an environment where Early Years educators are confident to identify where children and families may need support and seek the help they need
• We are committed to creating an environment where we always listen to and value children. This includes ensuring that children are supported to participate in decisions that affect them, and the child’s wishes or feelings are considered when deciding what action to take and what services to provide.
• We are committed to responding promptly and appropriately to all incidents or concerns of neglect and abuse that may occur and to work with statutory agencies where appropriate
• We are committed to work with families in partnership to support them to safeguard children including signposting to the local authority universal and early help provision as appropriate
• We are committed to promoting tolerance and acceptance of different beliefs, cultures and communities with our staff, children and families
• We are committed to supporting and empowering young children, through the early years curriculum, promoting their right to be confident, self-aware and resilient individuals

We will meet these key commitments through

• Ensuring that there is a Designated Safeguarding Lead on site and that all staff and volunteers know the names of the designated officers and their roles
• Working in partnership with Warwickshire safeguarding partnership & the Early Help service for guidance and support
• Ensuring that the Designated Safeguarding Leads keep their knowledge up to date through training and that this is shared through training and discussions in the setting

This training and support will allow us to:

• Provide a safe environment for the children to learn and develop
• Ensure staff are trained and regularly updated to understand the child protection and safeguarding policy and procedures, are alert to identify possible signs of abuse
• Ensure that all staff feel confident and supported to act in the best interest of the child; maintaining professional curiosity around welfare of children and share information, and seek the help that the child may need at the earliest opportunity.
• Be aware of the increased vulnerability of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), isolated families and vulnerabilities in families; including the impact of toxic trio on children and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)
• Ensure that we keep relevant and up to date records of children to build up a picture of their lived experience
• Ensure that the team are trained in appropriate touch and where needed physical intervention. A physical intervention log will be kept at the setting and families informed. For further details see the manual handling policy
• Make any child protection referrals in a timely way, sharing relevant information as necessary in line with procedures set out by Warwickshire County Council
• Prevent unsuitable people working with children at The Nurture Room. Further information provided in the safer recruitment section of the policy.

We will consider our setting, children and curriculum to:

• Develop children’s ability to establish and sustain satisfying relationships within their families, with peers, and with other adults
• Promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to by encouraging children to develop a sense of autonomy and independence
• Promoting children’s right to be strong, resilient and listened to by enabling children to have the self-confidence and the vocabulary to resist inappropriate approaches

We will work with families to:

• Ensure parents are fully aware of child protection policies and procedures when they register with the nursery and are kept informed of all updates when they occur
• Working with parents to build their understanding of and commitment to the principles of safeguarding all our children
• Support parents to understand the universal offer from the Warwickshire Local Authority

Led by the DSL, we will work together as a staff team to:

• Regularly discuss the children in our care, sharing relevant information and building up a picture of their lived experience, any changes in behaviour or other areas for concern
• Keep up to date records of the children in our care
• Review the policies and procedures to ensure they are working for the nursery setting and update and improve as appropriate

Responsibilities of the DSL:

• Arranging training for all staff in accordance with inspecting safeguarding guidance, volunteers and members of staff as part of their induction training
• Producing and updating The Nurture Room Safeguarding Policy and Procedures
• Keeping all staff and volunteers updated with current procedure through induction training and annual refresher training carried out in staff meetings
• Ensuring that visitors sign in, have seen the safeguarding leaflet and have an appropriate lanyard when on site
• Providing support and advice for staff and volunteers
• Maintaining accurate and secure child protection records
• Remedying any deficiencies or weaknesses in the settings safeguarding arrangements without delay
• To report to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) within an appropriate timescale any person (whether employed, contracted, a volunteer or a student) whose services are no longer used because he or she is considered unsuitable to work with children as a result of an investigation including external bodies.

Safe Recruitment at The Nurture Room

The Nurture Room operate Safe Recruitment procedures. In order to minimise the risk of employing or engaging an individual who poses any risk to the children at The Nurture Room, the following procedures are followed:

• The Nurture Room apply to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS or CRB) check for all staff, including the Proprietors and regular volunteers (including parents) to verify their declaration concerning any convictions, cautions or bind overs, which they have incurred. If The Nurture Room has disclosure come back the DSL will assess whether the disclosure will affect the role the applicant has applied for
• The Nurture Room will also check to ensure that any persons employed by the setting has the appropriate qualifications to work with Early Years children
• All team members will be signed up to the DBS update service
• Staff identity is checked by seeing the applicant’s passport, or if unavailable, other photographic identification such as a drivers licence
• References are always taken up and are always obtained directly from the referee. Two written references are followed up, one of which must be the last employer. The referee is asked to comment on the applicant’s suitability to work with children and to give any details of disciplinary procedures the applicant has been subject to
• Adequate supervision at all times within the nursery
• Constant supervision of the children when outside the nursery or on trips
• Supervision of children is by DBS checked members of staff
• Any volunteers will never be left unsupervised with the children
• A staff induction policy, which includes information and training on safeguarding

Prevent Duty

From 1st July 2015 all registered early years childcare providers are subject to a duty under section 26 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015, in the exercise of their functions, to have “due regard to the need to prevent people from being drawn into terrorism”. This duty is known as the Prevent duty and to ensure that we adhere to and achieve the Prevent duty we will:

• Provide appropriate training for staff. Part of this training will enable staff to identify children who may be at risk of radicalisation and how they can respond in an appropriate and proportionate way
• We will build the children’s resilience to radicalisation by promoting fundamental British values and enabling them to challenge extremist views (for early years providers the statutory framework for the EYFS sets standards for learning, development, and care for children from 0-5, thereby assisting their personal, social and emotional development and understanding of the world)
• We will assess the risk, by means of a formal risk assessment, of children being drawn into terrorism, including support for extremist ideas that are part of terrorist ideology
• As with managing other safeguarding risks, our staff will be alert to changes in children’s behaviour, which could indicate that they may be in need of help or protection (children at risk of radicalisation may display different signs or seek to hide their views). The nature of the small setting at The Nurture Room means we already know our children well and so we will notice any changes in behaviour, demeanour or personality quickly
• We will not carry out unnecessary intrusion into family life but we will take action when we observe behaviour of concern. The key person approach means that we already have a rapport with our families so we will notice any changes in behaviour, demeanour or personality quickly
• We will work in partnership with Warwickshire safeguarding & Early Help Team for guidance and support
• Where risks and concerns are identified the usual safeguarding procedures will be followed as per this document and the internal procedures document

Training will also be provided for all staff members on issues known to affect children and young people in the UK including but not limited to FGM, Breast Ironing, County Lines grooming and recruitment and families impacted by Cuckooing. This training will include what the risks and issues are as well as signs of abuse for children, young people and their families.

All reasonably practicable actions will be taken to ensure the maintenance of a safe and healthy environment for children and staff. As part of this, risk assessments of the inside and outside environment have been created and will be regularly reviewed and smaller daily risk assessments enable us to consider the risks of particular activities and action any issues as required.

We commit to:

• Working safely in the indoor and outdoor environment
• Using protective equipment provided and by meeting statutory obligations
• Informing parents when children have been harmed or put at risk
• reporting any incidents that have led or may lead to injury to people or damage to property, plant or equipment using the nursery system
• Ensuring an investigation of accidents in order to introduce new measures to prevent a recurrence.

We promote the good health of children attending nursery and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection. This policy and set of procedures are to ensure that children come to nursery well enough to join in and if they become unwell whilst at the nursery are treated with sensitivity and respect to support them and to help us protect other children from illness and the spread of infection. For your own child’s wellbeing and the wellbeing of others we strongly discourage sending your child in when they are unwell. Below is an assessment tool which helps you to identify if your child is well enough to attend nursery.

No nursery if

• Any illness or infection within an exclusion period as specified by Public Health England
• Fever of 37.8°C or higher
• Wheezing or shortness of breath
• Continuous cough
• Diarrhoea or vomiting within the last 48 hours (please note that this is for any reason due to the risk of spread in the nursery)
• Sore throat or swollen glands
• Undiagnosed rash
• Persistent itching
• Uncovered sores (including hand, foot and mouth)
• Unable to take part in the normal nursery routine and activities inside and outside
• Has been prescribed antibiotics and has been taking the course for less than 24 hours

Join us if

• Parents and carers can be contacted and collect their child early if they become more unwell during the session
• Clear or minimal green/yellow runny nose
• Lethargy
• Redness or runny eyes

If your child become unwell while at nursery we will ensure that they are seen by a first aid trained member of the team who knows them and can make an assessment as to what to do next. If they have been sick, have had three or more loose stools or a new rash families will be contacted for collection. While the child is waiting, they will be kept company by a member of the team where possible away from the other children to prevent spread of infection. Where children are feeling under the weather, the family will be informed and they will be monitored by the team. Where the child can take part in the day to day activities of the nursery they can remain at the setting. However, if the child is unwell and becomes unable to fully take part the families will be contacted for collection.

There may be cases where a child requires medication during their time with us. If a child requires medicine, we will take time with families to familiarise ourselves with the child’s needs and will ensure this information is kept up-to-date.

When dealing with medication of any kind in the Nursery, strict guidelines will be followed. First aid-trained Early Years educators will administer medicine from its original packaging with written consent from the family member which must detail when and how to give the medication. If the medication is not in the original packaging, the nursery team are not able to administer the medication. A record will be kept of when the medicine has been administered. Prescription medication will only be administered provided it was prescribed for the child in question.

In exceptional and emergency circumstances we will administer Calpol to children if families have agreed to this in advance both in the permission forms as part of enrollment and in writing before each dose.

The Nursery will ask parents to apply factor 50 sunscreen before sunny sessions and if prior consent from families has been provided via the registration form and factor 50 sunscreen provided in bags the setting will re-apply this if needed.

If your child has an allergy, diagnosed by a medical professional, we ask that you inform us of this as soon as possible. As the majority of allergies and intolerances in the early years affect children under the age of 3, and many children grow out of their allergies and intolerances by the age of 5, please do continue to seek advice from a medical professional over the course of your child’s first 5 years.

We cannot guarantee that The Nurture Room or Nurture Room preschool is completely free of any specific allergens. However we can put systems in place to reduce the risk posed to children diagnosed with allergies.

Both sites are nut free, this means we do not use nuts in our menus and we ask families and team members not to bring nuts into the nursery. However, many foods are labelled as having “traces of nuts” and ingredients with these warnings can be used in the nursery. If this will be an issue for your child, please get in contact and we will see if a risk assessment can be put in place to keep your child safe.

If your child has a prescribed EpiPen, we ask that you ensure that an EpiPen is kept at The Nurture Room.

While we endeavour to be understanding for lateness to collect, for both the child’s safety and emotional wellbeing, if we have not had contact from parents and carers within 10 minutes of the expected pick up time we will attempt to contact the immediate parents and carers. If we are unable to reach you, we will then try the emergency contacts. If no contact has been made by parents and carers or emergency contacts after an hour, Warwickshire County Council Social Care will be contacted.

Where it becomes a pattern that children are being collected after the expected pickup time, we will have a conversation with families in the first instance. After this, if it continues, a lateness charge of £10 every 15 minutes will be applied to all days that children are collected late.

The Nurture Room has a strict policy regarding the use of mobile phones and cameras in the nursery which has been written to safeguard children. The policy applies to staff members, parents and other visitors to the setting.

Photographs

We often take photographs and videos of our children and nursery in action to aid in the recording of children’s learning and development, to share what’s happening during the day with parents and carers and to be used for promotional purposes. These photographs and videos are all taken using The Nurture Room or Nurture Room preschool phone only. No photos will be taken of a child if consent has not been gained from the parents and carers first (contained within The Nurture Room enrolment form). The primary reason for taking photos of the children is for evidence for children’s learning. Under no circumstances will these photographs be circulated outside the nursery. However, where prior permission is sought and received in writing from parents and carers beforehand, photos may also be used for the nursery website and social media pages.

Phones

Only phones, tablets and cameras provided to staff by The Nurture Room and Nurture Room preschool can be used throughout the course of the day. Family members and visitors to the site are required to keep their phones and cameras in their pockets or handbags when on nursery premises. Any phone calls must be made or taken off the nursery site.

Smart watches

Staff are not permitted to wear smart watches during nursery sessions. Where they are brought into the setting, they must be stored in a bag and can be accessed off the nursery site during break and lunch times.

The Nurture Room is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. We foster a positive atmosphere of mutual respect and trust among children and team members. We will provide equal opportunity and inclusion for all children and their families, regardless of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, social grouping, nationality, age or ability.

At The Nurture Room we believe that all children are individual and learn and develop in different ways and that all children have the right to grow and develop, play and take part in activities and experiences tailored to their individual needs. We believe that “quality first provision” where the universal offer is of high quality is the best way for children to achieve this, but that some children may require adaptation and/or more targeted support to access and make progress in different areas of the curriculum. This SEND policy sets out how we work to identify and/or support children and their families with SEND or suspected SEND. As part of this we have a designated and qualified SENDCo at the setting who works in conjunction with the whole team, families and external experts to support children with SEND.

Admission to the setting

We work in partnership with families to provide appropriate support to children with special educational needs or disabilities if they are known about before they enter the setting. Families are asked to share information around health assessments and any medical needs and physical difficulties as part of enrolment to the setting and facilities, resources, arrangements and accessibility requirements, where possible, will be put into place to allow for the admission of a child with a disability.

Practice in the setting: the graduated approach

As set out in the 2014 code of practice we use the “graduated approach” to understand the child’s current knowledge and understanding, what their next steps are and what support might need to be put in place to support progress. This is part of our universal provision. The four stages of the cycle are:

Assess: The assess part of the cycle is about gathering information to understand the strengths of the child and where there might be areas for development. This is part of the work that all of the team undertake for all children at the setting.

Plan: Once you have gathered information about the child, the plan phase is planning for the teaching and learning for the pupil. It is also important to note that the plan and do elements of the cycle do not need to be anything additional and can often be part of quality first teaching, with the child in mind.

Do: Implementing any changes to teaching and learning as a result of the assess and plan phase.

Review: This is a critical element of the cycle. Reviewing how the pupil is doing as a result of the changes to teaching and learning will support you as the teacher tightens the spiral further around the pupil.

Where there is a concern that a child is not able to access the curriculum or is not making the progress expected through universal provision, the key worker will tighten the spiral of support. This may look like more focussed assessments and observations, more targeted teaching and a shorter review cycle. Where concerns remain, we will arrange with parents a convenient time to meet to discuss our concerns and gather their thoughts with the SENDCo and key worker. At this point the setting will put a “my support plan” in place. This will aim to focus the support the around the child for a further period of 6-8 weeks (1 half term). This plan will be tailored to the child but may include:

• Continuing to tighten the spiral of support to understand the child further with targets and clear strategies in place
• Targeted assessments through observation and using Time to Talk, WellComm and GLC assessments
• Engage outside expertise such as IDS and speech and language therapists for advice of appropriate targets and how best to support
• Make changes and adaptations to the environment and provision on the basis of the need

At the end of this 6-8 weeks, a review will take place with the SENDCo, key worker and the family. Where children are 6 months or more behind in two prime areas, with family permission, a referral to IDS will be made using the information gathered. Where there are concerns about a child having ASD, we will make a referral to the Warwickshire pre school assessment service. We will then work with external agencies as appropriate to support the child, family and key workers at the setting. This may include working with others to request or contribute to an education, health and care needs assessment and put in place and follow an Education Health Care Plan as well as working with the local authority to ensure funding arrangements meet the needs and progress of children with SEND.

Where concerns remain but the threshold is not met for IDS or the Warwickshire Autism service, internal support through the SENDCo and Key worker will be put into place through extending the “my support plan” which will be reviewed on a termly basis with the family.

Our staff strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all children and their families. As part of this, understanding and valuing diversity is a key part of The Nurture Room philosophy and curriculum. We aim to support children to understand themselves, their place in the world and value diversity through exploring cultures, histories and different sorts of families through appropriate and culturally sensitive texts, play and discussions.

As dictated by Ofsted, we promote fundamental British values of democracy, rule of law, individual liberty, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs.

At The Nurture Room we use assessment to develop our understanding of the children that attend, identify their next steps, support their progress and development as well as identify any emerging SEND. The policy has been split into three main sections to represent the different assessment cycles undertaken at the nursery.

The aim of all of the assessment undertaken at The Nurture Room is to understand the uniqueness of every child, what they know and can do as well as their interests and dispositions to learn (characteristics of effective learning). While national guidance documents are used to support practitioners understanding, getting to know each child lies at the heart of assessments undertaken.

Most of the assessments undertaken at The Nurture Room are based upon playing alongside and conducting observations of the children in play. At The Nurture Room we prioritise a high staff to child ratio allowing us to spend quality time with every child.

On entry to the setting

All children enter the setting with a “starting points” document completed by the family. This acts as a starting point for the team’s understanding of the child’s strengths and areas for development. Key details about the child’s history, including any significant life events or health and education referrals are also gathered as part of the home visit.   Within 6 weeks of starting at The Nurture Room the child’s key worker will complete the following assessments:

• Time to talk about language screening
• Wellcomm language screening
• An initial assessment against the Opal assessment statements

Where no concerns are identified, children will enter the regular assessment cycle detailed below. Where concerns are identified, the key worker will work with the SENDCo to identify additional assessments that may need to be completed to “tighten the spiral” of practitioners’ understanding and support around the child.

The regular assessment cycle

Every 12 weeks, each child will be assessed using the development matters statements against the Prime areas (2–3 year olds) and the Prime and Specific areas (3–4 year olds) For each area, the child will be given “grade” of “working towards”, “working at”. From here, where children are meeting, two next steps will be identified and shared with all team members that work with the child.

In between the child’s 2–3rd birthday a statutory 2-year check will take place in place of one of the 12-week assessment cycles. This will be completed by the key person and ideally be done just ahead of the families 2.5-year check with the health visitor to allow for a joined-up approach.

Where children are identified as “working towards” in any of the areas, a meeting will be arranged with parents to explain and explore this further. Where the concerns are in a prime area, or represent a significant concern, further assessments will be completed to investigate possible, SEND, in conjunction with the SENDCo detailed below.

Concerns around progress

Where there are concerns around a child’s progress, further observations and assessments will be completed to “tighten the spiral” of understanding and support around the child. The key worker should work with the SENDCo to identify the best approach to take, but examples of what assessments can be used to further develop understanding can be seen below.

Communication and language

• Time to talk language grids
• WellComm language assessments
• Teaching talking assessment grids

Personal Social and Emotional

• Leuven scales
• Time to talk language grids
• Teaching talking assessment

Physical development

• Teaching talking assessment
• Leeds EY assessment grids

For children to be happy and feel safe at nursery it necessitates children learning many skills including self-regulation, how to behave during group times and social rules for learning that include using acceptable safe behaviour and forming forming positive relationships with the team and their peers. We aim to develop children’s understanding and ability to achieve this through:

• Developing children’s understanding themselves and their emotions. This form a consistent part our the curriculum through starting the day with calming breathing, emotional resources permanently part of the environment too story time and group time focused on understanding our emotions.
• Supporting children to recognise if they are becoming dysregulated and develop strategies for them to become calmer, for example quiet time with or without an adult
• Providing experiences to encourage the child to have a positive self-image through games, turn taking, stories, contributing to small group times and valuing the child’s contribution at all levels while recognising and respecting the uniqueness of each child
• Using precise praise and acknowledgement for the behaviours that we want to see such as “good sitting”; “good listening”; “good walking” etc.
• Giving positive instructions e.g. “Please walk in nursery because…” instead of “don’t run”. Through the provision of clear and consistently held boundaries we ensure children feel safe in the environment
• Encouraging social skills — “please”, “thank you”, consideration for all through turn taking. We ensure children experience turn taking and sharing at the earliest opportunity and incorporate some element of turn taking into all of our groups. We encourage children to ask for a turn themselves, with support from staff if needed
• We help children to negotiate and explain why they need to negotiate when working with others
• Recognising that each child is an individual, but there are certain times when a child has to conform to nursery procedure, e.g. group time, tidying up, fire drill, and accepting the need for different noise levels for different environments, for example “indoor voices”
• Adults being good role models and “thinking aloud” to explain their behaviour

When behaviour does not meet our expectations

• Where behaviour does not meet our expectations, always talking to child, in a positive, quiet way to emphasise that it is the action which is unacceptable and not the child
• Encouraging children to vocalise to one another that they do not like being hurt and to express their feelings, developing an emotional literacy and empowering them to keep safe. Providing time for children to solve issue between themselves in a supervised and safe way
• Helping the children to realise how other children feel and so encourage empathy. If possible, help them to recognise the impact of their behaviour, although this may not always be a realistic expectation for our youngest children
• Ensuring if a dangerous situation requires immediate action e.g. throwing wood, sand, or any other anti-social behaviour, reasons are given as to why it is dangerous. If the behaviour persists, the child will be removed from the activity, for a specified time, with additional explanations and a reinforcing of boundaries of safe acceptable behaviour during “time in” with an adult
• Moving children away from challenging situations, distracting and re-engaging children and if helpful, providing time and space to think with an adult
• Where children are experiencing sensory overload support them to move to an area of the nursery where they can feel more calm using sensory items, for example ear defenders and a weighted blanket if needed
• Where a child poses an immediate risk to themselves or others, and words have not been effective, children may have to be picked up to keep themselves and others safe. Where this does happen, it will be explained to the child before and during what is happening and logged in the physical contact log Working with families
• Enabling families to feel comfortable in approaching staff about any problem that is worrying their child e.g. concerns expressed at home or any changes in circumstances which may be affecting the child’s behaviour patterns at nursery
• Informing and involving families in the nursery’s approach to behaviour and the key use of language and strategies
• From the out set we are co-responsible and ask for family support and co-operation in dealing with any behavioural issues or concern that may occur at the nursery. We also ask they share issues from home so we have a complete picture of the child
• Where appropriate, after consultation with families, involve other agencies e.g. child psychotherapist, educational psychologist, clinical psychologist, health visitor to support with the child’s development

Settling in

When children first come to nursery they may find it is very different to any other previous experiences. For some children it will be the first time they have attended a learning environment without their families. By visiting children in their homes prior to them beginning nursery we support children to make an initial relationship with the adult who will be their key worker. We always ask that the first session in the setting is accompanied by a parent or significant adult, so the children have the security of begin to explore. The nursery will look at the use of special books from home and transitional objects or toys and a gradual building of session time to support settling in. We ask families to support this process and to work in partnership with us at this point. All families are asked to say goodbye very clearly so children do not suddenly look up and realise they have been left.

For some children separation from a parent or carer can be very distressing and we approach each settling difficulty differently, we will gather information about the child about routines and home, we may suggest very short separations. In some cases we may suggest that additional advice is sought. We recognise that at points of initial separation young children may cry. It is important to understand the meaning of the crying and work with families to determine the most appropriate response. We do not seek to stop all crying as it can inform us of a child’s emotional state but will develop an appropriate response that provides the fastest pathway to a settled and secure child. For example, an adult may not focus on a child who is crying in anger and is cross but may give them time and space to express the emotion before praising the calmer, quieter behaviour that follows.

Routines are an important part of The Nurture Room. Routines support children to feel safe and secure through knowing what to expect throughout the day and conducting activities in a safe and efficient manner so as much time as possible can be spent playing and learning.

Meal times are an important part of the day at The Nurture Room. We strive to make mealtimes enjoyable and developmental, supporting children to learn healthy eating habits, develop positive attitudes towards food and develop key social skills associated with eating in a group. Children are always joined by a member of staff who will support with eating where appropriate and stimulate the conversation where required. Children are therefore always supervised during mealtimes. Both settings have team members trained in Food Hygiene. We aim to meet all dietary and cultural requirements. If this applies to your child, please contact us via the contact us page for a discussion.

We will ensure that the children wash their hands before meal times, after using the bathroom and after particularly messy play or outdoor play. Children will use water and soap when washing their hands and are encouraged to do so for 20 seconds to be effective.

The below guidance supports the team to follow safeguarding guidance, maintain the dignity of the children at The Nurture Room and reduce the chance for cross infection for children and staff.

Nappy Changing

• All nappies and wipes are provided by the nursery unless specific brands are required, then the family will provide
• If a child requires any creams to be applied this must also be provided by the parent/carer and a medicine form completed including instructions for application. The cream should be kept in a sandwich bag with the child’s name on it
• Children will be changed after around 3 hours in the setting and any times in between if they are soiled or considered uncomfortable. All changes will be recorded on the daily handover sheet
• The team will check children’s nappies regularly and change when needed
• If a child becomes sore whilst they are at nursery, the parent/carer will be informed by the team when the child is collected

Toilet Training

If a child is currently toilet training or the family feel that they are ready to start, then they are advised to discuss with their child’s key person on how they approach the subject at home as it is our aim to continue the work started by the family to ensure continuity for the child.

If a child is toilet training, then parents and carers are requested to bring in plenty of spare changes of clothes. We would also request that parents and carers bring in spare changes of shoes.

Good hygiene practices are always followed at the nursery and the children are shown how to use the toilet and to wash and dry their hands each time they use it, using the pictures in the toilet for support.

Toilet Training Procedure

• If a child is toilet training then they will be taken to the toilet regularly by a designated member of staff
• Children will be encouraged to sit on the toilet and the attempt will always be celebrated and praised. Each attempt should be recorded on the daily handover sheet
• Accidents will be dealt with calmly and sympathetically and in a way which does not make the child feel they have done anything wrong
• Staff will clean the child, freshen them up and put them in clean clothes
• Dirty clothes will be placed in a nappy sack and put in the child’s bag
• Staff will record that they have changed the child on the handover sheet

Children Using the Toilet

Children who are confident in using the toilet will be allowed to do so independently. We will work with all children to teach good hand washing hygiene. Children are also supported to understand this process using the visual in the toilet. Parents/carers will still be encouraged to bring in spare changes of clothes.

Hygiene

• All staff should wear gloves when changing children and wipe down the changing mat after each change with an antibacterial wipe
• All dirty nappies and wipes should be put in a bag and then into the nappy bin
• After each change, the team member should dispose of the gloves into the nappy bin and wash their hands

Toilet support

Where support is required, all staff should wear gloves. When finished, these gloves should be put into the nappy bin and the staff member should wash their hands.

At the end of the day, the toilet will be cleaned and the nappy bin will be emptied.

At The Nurture Room we value outdoor spaces and the local community and as part of our learning will take children on trips and outings.

For every outing, trip or visit we ensure that safety is of paramount importance by:

• Conducting a risk assessment at least 1 week in advance of the outing
• Inform families with full details of the outing
• Ensure the children are always accompanied by someone who is paediatric first aid trained and who will carry a first aid kit at all times
• Ensure required ratios of adult to children are always adhered to
• Ensure essential records for each child are carried out with us

The Nurture Room opening times are 8.30am until 1.30pm Monday to Friday during term time, following the Warwickshire Schools calendar. We will also be closed for 5 INSET days across the year and on any bank holidays that fall outside of the school holidays.

The Nurture Room preschool opening times are 8.45am until 3.15pm Monday to Friday during term time, following the Warwickshire Schools calendar. We will also be closed for 5 inset days across the year and on any bank holidays that fall outside of the school holidays.

In order to register for a place, families firstly need to complete the securing a place form. On receipt, we will get in contact for a conversation with you about your child and their requirements. Following this conversation, if you are happy to proceed, we will send the enrolment form and on receipt of the form, the place will be given to your child and we will confirm this to you via an email.

Where we currently don’t have space for your child, or we have space on different days to your requirements, we will add you to a waiting list. When a space becomes available, priority will be given on the basis of the date that the register Your Interest form was completed.

Around 6 weeks before your child is due to start we will contact you to arrange a home visit. This home visit will last approximately 30 minutes with the aim to meet you and your child in their home environment, hear about what your child enjoys and listen to your and their feelings about starting. As part of this visit we will discuss with you how your child will settle best into the nursery.

If you wish to increase the number of sessions your child attends, or change the days that your child attends, please email hello@nurtureroom.co.uk. If there is space available, we will make the change as soon as possible. Please note that if there are children due to start or are on the waiting list for the days requested, priority will be given on the basis of the date that the request was received.

If you wish to decrease the number of sessions that your child attends, you will need to email hello@nurtureroom.co.uk. Half a term’s notice is required, therefore if you wish to reduce your child’s days after Easter, you will need to inform the nursery by the end of the day on Friday of the February half term holiday.

If you wish to cancel your child’s place, you will need to email hello@nurtureroom.co.uk. A half term notice period required. Therefore if you wish for your child to stop attending after Easter, you will need to inform the nursery by the end of the day on the Friday of the February half term holiday. Please note that you may wish to withdraw your child earlier, but you will still be charged until this date and/or the funding from the government will be claimed.

If your child turns 4 during the academic year we will assume that your child will not be returning to The Nurture Room after the summer holidays. If you are intending to defer your child’s school start date, or homeschool your child and wish them to still attend The Nurture Room, please speak to us as soon as possible so we can plan for this at the nursery.

Payment is taken monthly in advance. Payment is split across 11 months with 11 equal payments taken over the year.

Failure to pay will result in refusal of care for your child.

If your child has attended additional sessions after the payment for the month has been made, we will add these sessions to your following invoice.

Where a child leaves the setting mid-year, parents and carers will either be provided with a final invoice or a refund depending on the child’s balance.

When your child is not able to attend the nursery, we ask that you inform us as soon as possible.

For a planned absence please email hello@nurtureroom.co.uk.

For an unplanned absence due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, please email hello@nurtureroom.co.uk as soon as possible, ideally before the session begins, to inform us that your child will not be attending that day and the reason.

For child absences, either planned or unplanned, a fee refund will not be provided.

In the rare event that the nursery is forced to close, for example on advice of Public Health England, we will inform parents as soon as we are aware via email. Parents will be refunded for the sessions missed while the nursery is shut.

In order to provide a quality early years and childcare service and comply with legislation, The Nurture Room will need to request information from parents about their child and family. Some of this will be personal data and some may be classed as special category data.

The Nurture Room takes families’ privacy seriously, and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), The Nurture Room will process any personal data according to the seven principles below:

1. The nursery must have a lawful reason for collecting personal data, and must do it in a fair and transparent way. We will be clear about what data we are collecting, and why.

2. The nursery must only use the data for the reason it is initially obtained. This means that the nursery may not use a person’s data inappropriately or to market a product or service to them that is unconnected to the reasons for which they shared the data with us in the first place, unless required to do so by law.

3. The nursery must not collect any more data than is necessary. We will only collect the data we need in order to provide appropriate childcare services and abide by relevant laws.

4. The nursery will ensure that the data is accurate, and ask parents to check annually and confirm that the data held is still correct.

5. The nursery will not keep data any longer than necessary. We must only keep the data for as long as is needed to complete the tasks it was collected for and in compliance with relevant laws.

6. The nursery must protect the personal data. The Nurture Room is responsible for ensuring that the nursery, and anyone else charged with using the data, processes and stores it securely.

7. The nursery will be accountable for the data. This means that The Nurture Room will be able to show how the nursery is complying with the law.

The Nurture Room has registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals.

The Nurture Room expects parents to keep private and confidential any sensitive information they may accidentally learn about the staff, the nursery or the other children and families attending the nursery, unless it is a child protection issue.

The Nurture Room will ask parents for personal data about themselves and their child/children in order to deliver a childcare service. The nursery is required to hold and use this personal data in order to comply with the statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, Ofsted, Department for Education and my local authority.

Parents/carers and those with parental responsibility have the right to inspect records about their child at any time. This will be provided without delay and no later than one month after the request. Requests can be made verbally and we will ensure we have received the correct information. We may need to check the identity of the person making the request if, for example, the request was made via an unknown email address. We will ask parents to regularly check that their personal data is correct and update it where necessary.

The GDPR provides the following rights for individuals:

1. The right to be informed
2. The right of access
3. The right to rectification
4. The right to erasure
5. The right to restrict processing
6. The right to data portability
7. The right to object
8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

The Nurture Room will keep all paper-based records about children and their families securely locked away in a filing cabinet and make sure keys are also securely stored.

For records relating to individual children, families stored in a digital format, such as on a computer, smartphone, stored externally or in cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox, including digital photos or videos, parents’ permission will be obtained. The Nurture Room will ensure any external or cloud based services have adequate security around the data. The information will be stored securely, for example, in password-protected files, to prevent viewing of the information by others with access to the computer or device.

The Nurture Room is expected to share information with other childcare providers if a child also attends another nursery.

The Nurture Room is also required to share information with Warwickshire County Council regarding childcare and early years funding entitlements.

In some cases we may need to share information without parents’ consent, if there is a child protection concern, criminal or tax investigations, health and safety reports etc.

Ofsted may require access to the records at any time.

The Nurture Room records all accidents and will inform parents via a text or call and then use an incident form on collection.

Because the nursery is insured with PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years), we will notify PACEY of any accidents which may result in an insurance claim, e.g. an accident resulting in a doctor or hospital visit. PACEY will log and acknowledge receipt of the correspondence and forward the information to the company providing the public liability insurance policy to enable a claim number to be allocated.

The nursery will also inform Ofsted and the local child protection agency and the Health and Safety Executive of any significant injuries, accidents or deaths as soon as possible.

The Nurture Room will only share information without your prior permission if it is in a child’s best interests to do so. For example in a medical emergency we will share medical information with a healthcare professional. If we are worried about a child’s welfare the nursery has a duty of care to follow the Local Safeguarding Children Board procedures and make a referral. Where possible we will discuss concerns with you before making a referral.

The Nurture Room is required by law to keep some data for some time after a child has left the nursery. The Nurture Room has a review plan in place so that any data is disposed of appropriately and securely. Safe disposal of paper would be with the use of a cross cut shredder. Any IT hardware is securely disposed of according to guidelines.

The Nurture Room will investigate any suspected data breaches and take prompt action to correct any areas of concern. If we suspect that data has been accessed unlawfully, we will inform the relevant parties immediately and report to the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours of the breach being identified. The Nurture Room will keep a record of any data breach.

At The Nurture Room we work in partnership with families to continually reflect and improve on our provision. Where there is a concern, we encourage families in the first instance to have an informal chat with the manager of the setting to share your feedback. If you feel that your issue is not resolved, please share this in writing to hello@nurtureroom.co.uk and we will arrange a formal meeting for you to share your concern. During this meeting we will document the concern. We will then investigate the issue and provide a written response within 28 days which will include the issue, action taken and any resulting outcomes. This complaint will be logged in the relevant child’s file as well as the complaint logs at the nursery to support with continued improvement. All files are held electronically by the setting for a minimum of three years.

Families may approach Ofsted directly at any stage of this complaints procedure. The email address and telephone number for Ofsted are:

• Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk
• Phone number: 0300 123 4666

These contact details will also always be on display in the nursery itself. Ofsted produces guidance on concerns and complaints about childminders and childcare providers. This is available on https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-childcare and provides guidance on the complainant’s right to contact Ofsted.

If a child appears to be at risk, our setting follows the procedures of the Front Door safeguarding procedure set out by Warwickshire local authority. In these cases, both the parent and nursery are informed and the relevant person at the nursery, where appropriate, will work with Ofsted or the Area Safeguarding Children Committee to ensure a proper investigation of the complaint, followed by appropriate action. A record of complaints against our setting and/or the children and/or the adults working in our setting is kept, including the date, the circumstances of the complaint and how the complaint was managed and the outcome.

We will keep a record of concerns and complaints for at least three years. We must provide Ofsted, on request, with a written record of all complaints made during any specified period, and the action which was taken as a result of each complaint.