Our policies are written by staff and the committee and agreed by the committee. A complete set of our policies and procedures are available to parents on Tapestry in the documents section and hard copies are located in 2 folders in the red box in the foyer.
For your convenience here is a summary of our key policies.
Safeguarding policy
Kingswood Village Playgroup will work with children, parents and the community to ensure the rights and safety of children, young people* and vulnerable adults. Our Safeguarding Policy is based on the three key commitments of the Pre-school Learning Alliance Safeguarding Children Policy.
- building a ‘culture of safety’ in which children, young people and vulnerable adults are protected from abuse and harm in all areas of our service delivery.
- responding promptly and appropriately to all incidents, allegations or concerns of abuse that may occur and to work with statutory agencies in accordance with the procedures that are set down in ‘What to do if you’re worried a child is being abused’ (HMG, 2019) and the Care Act 2014.
- promoting awareness of child abuse issues throughout our training and learning programmes for adults. We are also committed to empowering children through our early childhood curriculum, promoting their right to be strong, resilient and listened to.
Health and Safety Policy
Kingswood Village Playgroup believe that the health and safety of children is of paramount importance. We make our setting a safe and healthy place for children, parents, staff and volunteers. We aim to make children, parents, staff and volunteers aware of health and safety issues and to minimise the hazards and risks to enable the children to thrive in a healthy and safe environment. We have public and employer’s liability insurance cover, our certificates are displayed on the notice board.
Managing children who are sick, infectious or with allergies
At Kingswood Village Playgroup we aim to promote the good health of the children in our care. We take steps to prevent the spread of infection and take appropriate action when children are ill.
This includes: Contacting parents/carers to collect children who become ill during a session as soon as possible; requesting that after an infectious illness (vomiting, diarrhoea or flu) parents keep children home for 48 hours; staff maintaining good hygiene practises; risk assessments being completed for children with allergies and relevant forms completed for administration of medication.
Special Educational Needs Policy
Kingswood Village playgroup provides an environment in which all children with special educational needs (SEN) are supported to reach their full potential.
▪ We have regard for the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (2014).
▪ We have in place a clear approach for identifying, responding to, and meeting children’s SEN.
▪ We support and involve parents (and where relevant children), actively listening to, and acting on their wishes and concerns.
▪ We work in partnership with the local authority and other external agencies to ensure the best outcomes for children with SEN and their families.
▪ We regularly monitor and review our policy, practice and provision and, if necessary, make adjustments.
Making A Complaint
Kingswood Village Playgroup believe that children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes. We welcome suggestions on how to improve our setting and will give prompt and serious attention to any concerns about the running of the setting. We appreciate that most concerns will be resolved quickly, by an informal approach with the appropriate member of staff. If this does not achieve the desired result, we have a set of procedures for dealing with concerns. We aim to bring all concerns about the running of our setting to a satisfactory conclusion for all of the parties involved. We keep a written record of any complaints that are not resolved informally and their outcome.
Valuing diversity and promoting inclusion and equality
Kingswood Village playgroup is committed to ensuring that our service is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children. We recognise that children and their families come from a wide range of backgrounds with individual needs, beliefs and values. We understand that all these factors can affect the well-being of children within these families and may adversely impact on children’s learning, attainment and life outcomes. We are committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity and valuing diversity for all children and families using our setting.
Promoting Positive Behaviour
At Kingswood Village Playgroup we believe that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are understood, supported and met and where there are clear, fair and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour. We understand that as children develop, they learn about boundaries, the difference between right and wrong, and to consider the views and feelings, and needs and rights of others and the impact that their behaviour has on people, places and objects. The development of these skills requires adult guidance to help encourage and model appropriate behaviours and to offer intervention and support when children struggle with conflict and emotional situations. In these types of situations our staff will endeavour to help identify and address triggers for the behaviour and help children reflect, regulate and manage their actions.
Staff recruitment
Kingswood Village Playgroup meets the Safeguarding and Welfare Requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage, ensuring that our staff and volunteers are appropriately qualified, and we carry out checks for criminal and other records through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) in accordance with statutory requirements.