POLICIES
Our policy statements are listed below.
Page No.
1. ADMISSONS 2
2. FUNDING, DEPOSITS, HOLDING OF HOURS 2
3. CLOSURE CONTINGENCY 3
4. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT 4
5. RESERVES 4
6. PAYMENT OF FEES 5
7. SETTLING IN PRE-SCHOOL 6
8. BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT 7
9. PHYSICAL HANDLING OF CHILDREN 9
10. BULLYING 9
11. HEALTH AND SAFETY 10
12. SICKNESS 14
13. STAFFING AND EMPLOYMENT 16
14. STAFF SUPERVISIONS 17
15. STUDENT PLACEMENTS 17
16. SELECTING PLAY EQUIPMENT AND TOYS 18
17. DIET 19
18. SAFEGUARDING 20
19. MOBILE PHONES AND CAMERAS 25
20. SOCIAL NETWORKING 25
21. WEBSITE 26
22. COLLECTION OF CHILDREN 28
23. CONFIDENTIALITY 29
24. EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY 30
25. SPECIAL NEEDS 32
26. COMPLAINTS 34
All of our policies are designed to offer the best possible experience for the children and families in the pre-school. Our policies are reviewed on a regular basis and comments and suggestions from parents are always welcome.
Policies are subject to change with reasonable notice.
1. ADMISSIONS POLICY
It is our intention to make our pre-school accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community.
We ensure that the existence of the pre-school is widely known in all local communities. By putting posters advertising the pre-school in places where all sections of the community can see them.
After statutory requirements have been met our registration system gives priority according to the following criteria
,
1. Siblings of existing children
2. Children starting school the following September who were not allocated a
place in the previous year but were on the waiting list.
3. Date of registration
4. A move from another area, etc
5. Distance from preschool
We have an equal opportunities policy, details of which can be found in Section 16.
We are flexible about session patterns so that we may accommodate the needs of individual children and families.
We consult with families about the opening times of the pre-school to avoid excluding anyone.
Children under 3 years of age will usually be offered 6 hours per week. The full funded hours will be offered the term after the child’s third birthday, if these hours are available.
2. Funding, Deposits and Holding of Hours
Funding can be taken as term time only or as ‘stretched’. Stretched includes hours during the school holidays that we are open. To have stretched hours you will need to have less hours during the term time weeks. School holiday hours we are open will be notified the term before the school year begins.
30 hour funding:
If taking 30 hours of funding, 2 whole days from 08.00 to 16.00 must be taken as part of the hours. The other 14 hours can be taken as you require subject to availability.
30 hour funding may be taken as ‘stretched funding’ and this will need to include 1 full day from 08.00 to 16.00.
15 hour funding for 3 and 4 year olds: term time and ‘Stretched’
This may be taken in a minimum of 3 hour time slots.
One full day should be included where possible and at least one afternoon must be included.
15 hour funding for 2 year olds: term time and stretched
Hours will be offered up to 15 subject to availability.
Deposit for a place at Squirrels:
From the 1st March 2017 a non- refundable deposit will be required to secure a place at Squirrels Preschool, payable on registration (to include 1 x t-shirt). The deposit will be £35.00 for school year 2017/2018. If start date is postponed the deposit becomes forfeit and the parent will need to re-register with another deposit. (No t -shirt will be included if one has already been given out).
Further hours:
Due to past financial repercussions of holding hours for children who then don’t take up the extra sessions, we have had to adopt the following policy:
If you do not wish to take up all the hours offered at the beginning of the school year e.g. child is offered 6 hours and you only want to do 3 in September and pick up 3 more in January a further deposit of £35.00 is required plus a £15.00 administration fee. If you wish to increase your child’s hours by more than 3hrs after the first term and would like these hours held for you, the amount of the second deposit will be increased (please refer to the table below ). We require a term’s notice for this. This second deposit (not the admin fee) will be refunded to you when your child has completed a term of the further hours. We can only keep hours open for 1 term.
No of hours being held / 2nd Refundable Deposit required / Non -refundable admin feeUp to 3hrs / £35.00 / £15.00
3-9hrs / £50.00 / £15.00
9-15hrs / £75.00 / £15.00
15-30hrs / £100.00 / £15.00
3. CLOSURE CONTINGENCY
Squirrels will only be closed as a last resort and for one or more of the following reasons:
· Advice from Hampshire County Council.
· A significant number of children and or staff are suffering from a contagious illness.
· There are not enough staff and committee members to maintain the legal adult:child ratio.
· Weather conditions make it unsafe for staff and children to travel to pre-school.
· The room does not meet health and safety requirements, eg. No heating, not enough toilets working.
Should it be necessary to close pre-school during the day, every attempt will be made to contact parents or the emergency contact person for every child present. Two members of staff will remain until all children are collected.
If we are unable to open pre-school this information will be posted on our website
www.squirrelspreschooltotton.co.uk
Information regarding reopening of pre-school will also be posted on the website.
If possible a member of staff will be available to answer the phone: 02380 862266.
Alternatively contact our admin officer, Kay: 07906 762439
http://www.hants.gov.uk/schoolclosures
4. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT POLICY
Parents are the first educators of their children. The aim of the pre-school is to support their essential work, not to supplant them. We will
Make all new parents aware of the pre-schools systems and policies.
Encourage parents on an individual basis to play an active part in the management of the pre-school.
Ensure that parents are informed on a regular basis about their child’s progress.
Ensure that all parents have opportunities to contribute from their own skills, knowledge and interest to the activities of the pre-school.
Involve parents in shared record keeping about their own child, either formally or informally.
Ensure that all parents are fully informed in advance about meetings, conferences, workshops and training.
Hold meetings in venues that are accessible and appropriate for all.
Encourage and value the contributions of parents.
Make all parents aware of the systems for registering queries, complaints or suggestions.
In accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, the following documentation is in place:
· Admissions policy;
· Complaints procedure;
· Record of complaints; and
· Activities provided to the children.
5. RESERVES POLICY
It is the policy of this pre-school that we shall hold no more than 12 months operating costs and no less than 6 months. If at any time the reserves fall below this minimum the pre-school shall endeavour to replace the amount within a time limit set by the committee.
The money stored in the reserves shall be used for emergencies such as failure of payment from Hampshire Early Education; redundancies in the event of closure; and large construction projects for the pre-school.
6.PAYMENT OF FEES POLICY
Squirrels Pre-school is a registered charity and is not permitted to operate at a loss, nor operate as a profit making organisation. We charge fees for each session of the Pre-School to cover our costs and to benefit children at the Pre-school. Late payment of fees adversely affects our cash flow and increases our administrative costs. This Policy sets out payment of Squirrels fees, receipt of funding and how we handle unpaid invoices to protect the financial position of the Pre-school for the benefit of all children in the Pre-school.
Fees are payable for sessions taken up to and including the term in which children have their 3rd birthday. If you decide to take your child out of Squirrels before eligible for funding we will require 2 weeks notice and fees will be charged for these sessions. For terms following the one in which they have their 3rd birthday, all children may receive government funding.
The Government currently funds children for up to 15hrs per week (or 30hrs per week from Sept 2017 if eligible) for 38 weeks a year, up to a maximum of 570hrs (or 1140hrs). This maximum 570hrs runs for the child’s birthday year, not the academic year. For example, if your child’s birthday is in November, their funding with run for the three terms January to December; if your child’s birthday is in February, their funding will run for the three terms April to March; please therefore be aware that once the 570 hours have been exceeded, payment will be required for the sessions. Please speak with Kay Batten for further information.
Any funding can be split between Squirrels and another setting, ie nursery. To receive government funding, an application must be completed each term by parents and returned to preschool by the specified date. We will provide these forms to you at the relevant time. Failure to submit an application means you will be liable to pay the full fees. As a setting we are also registered to claim 2yr old funding for eligible families. Please speak to Niki if you wish to know more.
Fees - Our fees from Sept 2017 are £5.00 per hour for children under 3 years of age. In the term after the one in which your child is 3 and therefore eligible for funding, our fees are £5.50 per hour for any top-up sessions they attend over and above the hours you have claimed funding for with this setting. Fees are subject to change with one term’s notice.
Accounts are calculated each term and invoices are usually issued as close to the beginning of term as possible. Payment is required within one week of invoices being issued or as indicated on the invoice. Payment options include internet banking – please help Squirrels to keep running costs down by using the online banking facility where possible.
Fees continue to be payable if a child is ill or on holiday. In cases of prolonged illness or absence parents should consult the management committee about fee payment. If, on receipt of the invoice, you feel you are unable to make the full payment within the time allowed please immediately contact the Pre-school to discuss payment options. The Pre-school will work with families to ensure payment is received as soon as possible.
Failure to make payment - Failure to pay your invoice by the payment date will result in a reminder email being sent to you and failure to make payment within one week of the payment date will result in an administrative fee of £10 being added to the invoice and the Pre-school will again remind you that payment has not been received. Continued failure to make payment will result in Squirrels having to take legal action to recover the fees. This will result in further charges being added to your invoice. Action to recover these fees will incur and include, but are not limited to:
· Further charges for late payment.
· Persistent late payment could result in your child’s place at the Pre-school being terminated.
· If payment has not been received by the end of the term your child’s place will be terminated.
· Issue of Court Proceedings to recover funds owed.
7.SETTLING IN AT PRE-SCHOOL POLICY
We want all children who attend Squirrels Pre-school to feel safe and happy in the absence of their parents. To recognise other adults as a source of authority, help and friendship and to be able to share with their parents afterwards the new learning experiences enjoyed in the pre-school.
In order to accomplish this we will,
· Make home visits to get to know the child in their own environment.
· Where necessary, provide introductory visit sessions for children and their parents.
· Introduce flexible admission procedures, if appropriate, to meet the needs of individual families and children.
· Make clear to families from the outset that they will be supported in the pre-school for as long as it takes to settle their child there.
· Reassure parents whose children seem to be taking a long time settling into the pre-school.
· Introduce new families into the group on a staggered basis,
· Encourage and support parents, where appropriate, to separate from their child for brief periods at first, gradually building up to longer absences.
· If a child indicates behaviour indicating anxiety or unhappiness, the parent/carer may be required to stay or re-attend until the child is fully settled.