E123_Tma03

INTRODUCTION For my TMA 03 I have chosen to focus on Health, Safety and Well-being in my setting. PART ONE I am a pre-nursery leader and have responsibility for 24 children and 2 staff. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework which outlines the principles for children’s health, safety and well-being. We also have our own school policy which covers the roles and responsibilities of staff and the Governing Body. It also sets out the arrangements that should be put in place to deal with different areas of risk, i.e. child abuse. The general welfare requirements cover five areas: Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare As mentioned in the Statutory Framework for the EYFS “the premises, both indoors and outdoors, must be safe and secure” (DCFS, 2008). We do risk assessments on a daily basis. Making sure that the toys are clean and safe to use, that the environment is safe and secure both indoors and outdoors. It is important that the children feel safe and secure within their environment as this helps to increase their confidence and self esteem. We operate a key worker system and the children can ‘bond’ with this person. It is important that the children trust the people who care for them as this makes the child feel loved, valued and cared for. We are a healthy eating school. We run a lunch club for our children and encourage our parents to provide a healthy lunch. All the children are provided with milk/water and in accordance with The National School Fruit scheme, a piece of fruit at snack time. They also have access to fresh drinking water throughout the day. Again as practitioners it is our job to make sure that the area where we prepare and eat out snack eat our snack is clean and safe and that food is prepared in accordance with the food hygiene legislation. If a child is ill whilst at school, the parents are contacted and the child taken home. The children’s behaviour is also monitored so it can be managed effectively and in a manner appropriate for their stage of development. Suitable People We have 3 members of staff in our setting and our ratio of adults to children is 1:8. All staff members are qualified in childcare and have attended first aid training, child protection training and numerous other courses. Training for staff is always ongoing. All of our staff have a good working relationship who are able to discuss benefits for the children and the setting as a whole. As cited in Study Topic 9, good communication is an “essential part of successful teamwork”, (Open University, 2004, p.13). We do have parent helpers and these are CRB checked. All staff and visitors have to sign in at reception and wear a badge to identify who they area. If members of staff are absent then they are substituted with another adult with suitable qualifications. Suitable premises, environment and equipment Our building is purpose built and is attached to the school nursery class. We share equipment throughout the foundation stage and all foundation staff take responsibility for ensuring that the equipment and toys are safe and suitable for their purpose. Organisation We plan and organise for our setting on a weekly basis. We do weekly observations on the children and we use these to help us ensure that every child receives an enjoyable challenging experience. As mentioned in Study Topic 12, “Children who are emotionally, socially and physically well are better able to develop and access learning opportunities” (Open University, 2004, p.14). We work, where necessary, in conjunction with other professionals to provide any ‘special care’ that a child may need, i.e. speech and language therapy. Documentation We have an information document which we ask the parent/carer to complete. It provides us with emergency contact numbers, any special dietary requirements/ food allergies and who has legal contact with the child. We also keep observations and profiles which help us to plan the next steps for each child. PART TWO In this section I have chosen 3 areas on which to expand: . Documentation . Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare . Suitable premises, environment and equipment Documentation Our main concern as practitioners is the health, safety and well being of every child in our setting. When a parent/carer decides to send their child to our setting we ask them to come with their child for an informal visit. It gives the child some time to explore their new setting. We also provide them with an information pack about us. It explains about who we are and what we do and helps the parent/carer to get to know us a little better. We give the parent/carer an information document to complete. This document provides us with: . Information about the child and their families, i.e. siblings; . Their religion and any special requirements; . Emergency contact numbers – these will be contact numbers for the parents/carers and also any other adults that may be picking up their child from the setting; . Special dietary requirements – any food allergies that the child may have and also any health requirements; . Information about who has legal contact with the child and any parental responsibility; . It gives us permission to seek any emergency medical treatment the child may need; . Permission to take photographs of the children to be used in the setting for displays; . Permission to apply basic first aid treatment where needed and to apply a plaster if necessary; . It gives us an incite into what the child likes to play with/things that interest them; . It also provides us with information about what the child dislikes, i.e. loud noises; . The child’s doctor/health visitor and if their injections are up to date and if they require any regular medication; . Any allergies/dietary requirements; Children as with parents are individuals. Some children do not always find it easy to leave their parents and may not have attended any other setting before. This information is the start of the two way relationship between parent/school. It gives us the starting block on which to build a safe and secure/happy relationship with both the parent/carer and the child. As mentioned in Study Topic 10 “partnership needs to be a way of life that becomes embedded in the on-going day-to-day exchanges that take place between parents, practitioners and children” (Open University, 2004, p29). Safeguarding and promoting children’s welfare Within our setting it is important to provide and safe and secure environment for our children. We have to make sure that the premises both indoors and outdoors is safe and secure. Doors are kept locked whilst we are inside the setting and we have a security system linked to the whole school. We have a phone in our setting which is linked to the main reception and has an outside line. All staff must where their badges at all times. If other people enter the building they do this via the main reception and are met by a member of staff. They have to sign in and out of the visitors book when they enter/leave the premises. If a child is to be picked up by another adult we usually ask to meet them in advance if they are not known to us or we operate a password system. Children are not taken out of the setting without parent/carers prior knowledge. We provide equal opportunities for all of our children and endeavour to meet the individual needs of each child by observing/recording behaviour. If a child has special educational needs we talk to the parent/carer about how the child will be included, valued and supported and how reasonable adjustments can be made for them. We have a commitment to working with parents and any other organisations/ agencies that may need to be involved in the child’s well being. We have a Special Needs Co-Ordinator in our setting and where necessary, arrangements are made to plan and implement an Individual Educational Plan. When necessary, reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of these plans are made. Part of our school Ethos is to value and respect others at all times. Any parent volunteers are CRB checked. Suitable premises, environment and equipment Our premises is a purpose built nursery which was built in line with Government guidelines. We are attached to a nursery and are part of the school Early Years Foundation Unit. It is a very bright room and mostly lit by natural light. We have appropriate sized furniture and lots of space for the children to play inside and outside. It is important for children to have the opportunity to do this as they may not have the opportunity to exercise and play safely at home. Stimulation and a safe place to play is one of the building blocks for life. We plan our activities, both indoors and outdoors on a weekly basis. We offer a stimulating environment with a range of directed and non-directed activities covering the six areas of learning. We regularly display the children’s work and welcome parents in to look at our displays when they have the time. We aim to provide a safe and supportive environment where children can explore. As cited in Study Topic 11 “This opportunity to explore independently in a secure environment is the beginning of children seeing themselves as separate from their parents”, (Open University, p. 14). REFERENCES a) Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) (2008), The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, Setting the Standards for Learning, Development and Care for children from birth to Five, London, DCSF. b) The Open University (2004) Study Topic 12 ‘Health and well being’, E123 Working with Children in the Early Years, Milton Keynes, The Open University. c) The Open University (2004) Study Topic 9 ‘Working with others’, E123 Working with Children in the Early Years, Milton Keynes, The Open University. d) The Open University (2004) Study Topic 10 ‘Parents as partners’, E123 Working with Children in the Early Years, Milton Keynes, The Open University. (e)The Open University (2004) Study Topic 11 ‘Growing and developing’, E123 Working with Children in the Early Years, Milton Keynes, The Open University.