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EQUALITY & DIVERSITY

Health and Wellbeing Policy

Hopscotch aims to build and maintain a workplace environment and culture that supports healthy lifestyle choices. We believe everyone in the workplace has a responsibility to promote and maintain a healthy workplace. Hopscotch aims to increase worker knowledge and awareness of health and wellbeing issues and healthy lifestyle behaviours. We will facilitate worker’s active participation in a range of initiatives that support health and wellbeing.

Wellbeing is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.” Hopscotch intends to promote this for all our team and children and aim to use the 5 following objectives suggested by the NHS to help us.

Connect with other people

Good relationships are important for everyone’s mental wellbeing to help build a sense of belonging and self-worth. They give you an opportunity to share positive experiences and provide emotional support as well as allow you to support others. Hopscotch offer plenty of play experiences for the children to explore new friendships and encourage team work within our practice. We also offer team building experiences outside of work to encourage team bonding.

Be Physically Active and Healthy

Being active is good for your physical health and fitness and also improves your mental wellbeing as it raises your self-esteem and causes chemical changes in your brain, which can help to positively change your mood. Hopscotch encourages lots of physical activities throughout the day for the children and practitioners, such as ‘wake & shake’, trips out, and plenty of outdoor games. We also aim to provide healthy eating choices in the workplace through addressing healthy physical settings, such as food storage and preparation; food access and supply; and education.

Learn new skills

Hopscotch stimulates learning as it boosts your self-confidence and raises your self-esteem. It helps build a sense of purpose and encourages you to connect with others. We promote a broad learning environment allowing the children to learn new things daily and mix with their peers whilst they learn. We urge our practitioners to attend regular training to bring back into our practise and help their continuing professional development.

Give to others

We believe acts of giving and kindness can help improve your metal wellbeing as it creates positive feelings of purpose and self-worth as well as a sense of reward and helps you connect with other people. We encourage a lot of sharing and turn taking at nursery, helping children to build friendships and encouraging manners. We plan trips out to the community, supporting local café’s/churches etc.

Pay attention to the present moment (mindfulness)

Hopscotch encourages everyone to pay attention to their current thoughts and feelings, their body and the world around them. This helps us enjoy life more and understand ourselves better as it can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges.

Hopscotch Responsibility: Workers are encouraged to:

• Understand this policy and seek clarification from management when required.

• Consider this policy while completing work-related duties and at any time while representing the organisation.

• Support fellow workers in their awareness of this policy.

• Support and contribute to providing a safe, healthy and supportive environment for all workers.

Managers are responsible for:

• Ensuring all workers are made aware of this policy.

• Actively supporting and contributing to the implementation of this policy, including its goals and objectives.

• Managing the implementation and review of this policy.

Policy Monitoring and Review:

• This policy will be reviewed six months from implementation and then annually.

• The effectiveness of the policy will be assessed through: feedback from workers and management; and a review of the policy by management and committee to determine if objectives have been met and to identify barriers and enablers to ongoing policy implementation.

Policy Communication:

• All workers receive a copy of this policy during the induction process.

• This policy is easily accessible by all members of the organisation.

• Workers are informed when a particular activity aligns with this policy.

• Workers are empowered to actively contribute and provide feedback to this policy.

• Workers are notified of all changes to this policy.

Equality and diversity Policy

Hopscotch is committed to provide equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all practitioners, children and families. The current equal opportunities co-ordinator is Mathilda Norris. The nursery works in accordance with all relevant legislation, including: Race Relations Act 1976; Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; Sex Discrimination Act 1986; Children Act 2004, Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 and Equality Act 2010. Hopscotch nursery is open to all children and their families regardless of their sex, race, age, marital status, nationality, ethnic origin, creed or ability. We recognise that all families can successfully love and care for children and we aim to show respectful awareness of all major events in the lives of the children and families in the nursery, and in our society as a whole. All children will be respected. Their individuality and potential will be recognised, valued and encouraged. We aim to help children develop in an environment free from prejudice and discrimination. Resources will be chosen to give children a balanced view of the world and an appreciation of the rich diversity of our multi-racial society. The nursery recognises that children have a wide range of needs which differ from time to time, and will consider what part it can play in meeting these needs as they arise. Bilingual/multilingual children and adults are regarded as an asset and they and their languages will be recognised and respected at nursery. The equal opportunities co-ordinator will contact the EYDCP for support in order to make provision for children with English as an additional language. The nursery will make every effort to ensure that the time, place and conduct of any meetings will enable the majority of parents to attend so that all families have an equal opportunity to be involved in and informed about the pre-school.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Policy & Procedures

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities as Identified by the Code of Practice

Hopscotch follows the Special Educational Needs code of Practice as outlined in the Children & Families Act 2014, which highlights that all children and young people are entitled to an education that enables them to make progress. We recognise the responsibility as Early Years Educators to offer this to all children, and the need to offer additional support to children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

A child is considered to have SEND if:

a) They have a significantly greater difficulty in learning in comparison to their peers.

b) They have a disability that hinders or prevents the child from using educational facilities generally provided for the same age range.

c) Is under five and falls within the definition of (a) or (b) or would do so if special educational provision was not made for the child.

A child is not to be taken as having a learning difficulty solely because the language (or form of the language) in which he/she is, or will be, taught is different from a language (or form of a language) which has at any time been spoken in his/her home.

Special educational provision will be made to accommodate all children with SEND. Special Educational Provision means:

a) For a child of two years or over, educational provision, which is, additional to or otherwise different from the educational provision made generally for children of the same age, other than special schools in the area.

b) For a child under two, educational provision of any kind.

Education Act 1996 Section 312

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is Mathilda Norris.

Mathilda is responsible for any child who has a learning need or a specific disability and must ensure the environment is suitably adapted to cater for their needs. Mathilda will work closely with the child’s parents/carers and key person, as well as liaise with other professionals who may have dealings with the child. It is her duty to put together an individual plan for the child in the nursery.

Hopscotch recognises the right of each individual child, including those with SEND, to an appropriate quality of care and learning through play and education. We are sensitive to the needs and feelings of children with SEND and their families. We will ensure individual needs are recognised and addressed. Parents/carers will be involved at every stage and in any plans that are made to meet a child’s individual special needs.

Equality of opportunity for all children is essential and it is important that children with special needs have the opportunity of learning alongside their peers. SEND children’s progress will be continuously monitored, recorded and reviewed.

If we feel any child or member of staff is a victim of any inappropriate behaviour, we will ensure it is dealt with in an appropriate manor. For example, if a child were to demonstrate rude comments, their parents will be informed and their behaviour will be monitored. Similarly, if a member of staff was to demonstrate inappropriate behaviour, we would then follow the disciplinary procedure.

The Principles and Philosophy of Hopscotch Nursery

Hopscotch aims to provide an appropriate learning opportunity in accordance with the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) to all children who attend. We endeavor to identify any child who would benefit from additional support and seek the appropriate provision in order for the child to reach their full potential. Any child identified with special educational needs and disabilities, including mild concerns, or a difficulty in one particular area, will have their needs met, normally within the nursery setting, allowing for any limitations within the building and of financial provision. We will attempt to seek the views of the child by using a range of techniques suitable to his/her development. The child's parents/carers will be fully consulted, informed and involved and their vital role in supporting their child acknowledged. The child with special educational needs will continue to have full access to the EYFS.

Identification of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in children

If a parent has any concerns about their child’s development they should share these concerns with their child’s key person. The key person will be responsible for regular observations and assessments that link to the EYFS. Hopscotch also works closely with outside agencies for additional support, such as: Area Senco’s; Children’s Centres; Local Authority Advisory Teachers; and Speech & Language Therapists.

The EYFS sets out the Early Learning Goals for each area of learning, namely: Personal, Social & Emotional Development; Communication & Language Development; Physical Development; Literacy; Mathematics; Understanding the World; and Expressive Arts & Design. In line with the EYFS 2021 we closely follow the Birth to 5 Matters which identifies "stepping stones" of progress in each area of development. Any child identified as having difficulties prior to attending Nursery, or who is identified as having difficulty in moving from one stepping stone to another and requires specific or additional support, will be identified as having Special Educational Needs. Prior to any child receiving additional support, their parents/carers will be confidentially fully informed by their child's key-person and/or nursery Senco of our concerns. An enquiry will be made as to whether the parent/carers have concerns of their own. Any plans formulated will be with the full involvement, consent and co-operation of the child's parent/carers. Regular review dates will be arranged. All parents/carers may have daily access to speak with their child's key-person and the nursery Senco to review their child's Special Educational Needs records.

If it has been identified that the child has a possible individual need, it will be discussed with the parent to plan how best to support the child. The Senco may liaise with other professionals, with the parent’s consent, such as the Speech & Language Therapist, Area Senco, the Children’s Centre or the Health Visitor. This advice might involve meetings and reports in order to enable the Senco and key Person to plan for the child’s individual needs. We aim to promote the welfare and development of the child in partnership with parents and other relevant agencies.

Early Years Action

On identification of a Special Educational Need, an Action plan, drawn up of strategies/targets will be created for supporting the child. These may be different from, or additional too the normal differentiated activities of the setting. The action plan will set out:

Short term targets for the child (usually 2-3).
The teaching strategies and provision to be put in place.
The date and time for when the targets are to be reviewed (usually 4-6 weeks).
The outcome of the action

The Action plan will be drawn up by the SENCO, fully involving and taking into accounts the views and feelings of the child's parents/carers. The review date will be fixed so as to include the child's parents/carers. Any barrier such as language will be accommodated.

If little or no progress has been made over a longer period of time, as shown in the recorded outcomes, or the child has sensory or physical needs that require additional equipment or intervention or advice from a specialist service, then this next level will be considered so that external support agencies can become involved. The decision is usually made at a Team around the child (TAC) meeting with the SENCO, key-person/s and parents/carers. Any external support agencies that become involved will have access to all the records kept at Hopscotch regarding the Special Educational Needs of a child.

Roles and Responsibilities

Mathilda Norris, the Nursery Manager, has responsibility for the daily management of all aspects of the settings work, including the provision for children with Special Educational Needs. Mathilda works with the team to determine Hopscotch's general policy and approach to provision for children with Special Educational Needs.

All practitioners are involved in the implementation of the SEND Policy and are fully aware of the procedures for informing the SENCO if they have a concern for the child's needs.

The child's key-person/s will ensure that when an action plan has been drawn up and signed by the parents/carers a copy of this policy will be given to them.

The SENCO and outside agencies will inform and support practitioners.

The SENCO or key-person will ensure that the parents/carers will have knowledge of BANES Parent Partnership service.

Monitoring and Review.

Our Special Educational Needs policy will be reviewed annually by our SENCO involving input from the team. The policy will be continuously monitored by our SENCO to ensure compliance with the SEN Code of Practice (February 2002). BANES SENCO training and cluster groups held twice termly provide support and advice.

The SENCO will have time allocated for their responsibilities for monitoring, collecting and recording data, and for monitoring and reviewing the policy.

Behaviour Policy

Hopscotch acknowledge that it is the child’s behaviour that is unacceptable, not the child. We are responsible for managing children’s behaviour in an appropriate way and will not threaten corporal punishment, nor will we use or threaten any punishment which could adversely affect a child's well-being. We aim to present all children with a code of behaviour. We promote the development of a sense of right and wrong behaviour by teaching your child the appropriate way to act. We discourage unacceptable behaviour whilst your child is in our care. Sometimes it is necessary to help children understand their own boundaries in certain situations, explaining why we do not accept certain behaviour and to exercise firm and consistent restraint.

If at any time a child displays unacceptable behaviour, staff will approach the situation in the following way:

(a) intervene at the time of conflict in order to establish the cause of upset;

(b) talk to the children involved to gauge their feelings and reactions to the situation;

(c) ask each child how they and the other child must be feeling so that both may realise that it is not just one person involved;

(d) in younger children who are not yet able to reason diversionary tactics, distraction would be used at this time;

(e) where possible, staff will anticipate and defuse difficult situations before disagreements arise that children might find hard to handle.

At no time during disciplining your child would staff use physical punishment, e.g. smacking, shaking or slapping. If there is a need for reasonable force, we will review the situation and if necessary, use physical contact to remove any child from risk of being harmed. It is our belief that using negative words like “naughty” are unhelpful and leave no room for movement.

Biting Policy

Biting is fairly common amongst young children and it is one of the things that concerns adults the most. Biting is often very painful and frightening for the child who is bitten. It can also be frightening for the child who bites, because it upsets the child and makes adults very angry. Biting can make the child who bites feel very powerful because of the strong reaction that it brings. This power can be frightening for the children because they need to feel secure that their feelings can be controlled. It happens for different reasons with different children and under different circumstances. The first step in learning to control it, is to look at why it may be happening.
Parents of the child that is biting would be informed and the keyperson will have an initial discussion with the parent.
Using the who, what, when and where method to pinpoint the problem:
Who was involved? What happened before or after? How was the situation handled? When did the biting occur? Where did it happen?
If all the above measures have been put in place and the child continues, the parents will be invited to a meeting with the management team where further discussions regarding what the parents are doing to help stop the child biting.
In the rare case that the child continues biting, the child may be removed from the Nursery for a short period of time for the safety of the other children.
Our policy is not to disclose the name of the child who does the biting.
In the case of the older children the following would apply:

(a) the child will be removed from the situation in the company of an adult;
(b) child and adult will spend time talking about the conflict;
(c) whilst reassuring the child that it is the behaviour which is unacceptable and not the child, firm guidance will be given should the unacceptable behaviours arise again;
(d) the child will be removed, reassured and guidelines reaffirmed consistently by all staff as the need arises. At all times praise is freely given to the child at the slightest sign of positive change in behaviour;
(e) during this period the Manager will talk with the parent/carer in order to inform them of the situation and to ask if they are experiencing similar difficulties;
(f) advice will be given if it is needed regarding help from outside agencies e.g. Inclusion Officer Health Visitor, GP.