Equal opportunity policy

Admissions

We aim to ensure that families from all sections of our community have access to the preschool. Please refer to our admissions policy for further details.

  • We advertise our service widely.
  • We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.


Employment

  • Posts are advertised widely and all applicants are judged on fair criteria.
  • The applicant who best meets the criteria is offered the post, subject to references.
  • All job descriptions include a commitment to equality and diversity as part of their specifications.
  • Our job description includes a statement on our commitment to equality of opportunities.
  • Interview questions are open-ended and provide opportunity for self-expression and individuality.


Training

  • We have a commitment to staff training. All staff are made aware of training opportunities and given equal chance to attend.
  • All staff undergo regular training to ensure the policy is consistently applied.


Learning Environment

  • We understand that some children may need extra support to express their feelings and come to terms with them. We encourage the children to contribute to keeping the environment clean and tidy.
  • We ensure that children have an opportunity to go outside on a daily basis all year round and can move freely between the inside and outside environments.
  • We help children to understand how to behave outdoors and inside by talking about personal safety, risks and safety of others.
  • We create an indoor environment that is reassuring and comforting for all children.
  • Our environment supports every child’s learning through planned experiences and activities that are challenging but achievable.
  • We gain information on the individual needs of children by constantly observing, assessing and liaising with their parents. The information gathered is used to plan appropriate activities.


Valuing Diversity

  • We welcome the diversity of family life and work with all families.
  • Where necessary we make reasonable adjustments to the environment and resources indoors and out, to meet their individual needs
  • We encourage children to contribute stories of their everyday life into the Pre-school. For example each child has the opportunity to take home a soft toy to share their home life experiences
  • We encourage parents/carers to take part in the life of the preschool and to contribute fully.
  • We challenge inappropriate attitudes and practices by offering relevant support and training in the first instance..


Food

  • We work in partnership with parents to ensure that the medical, cultural and dietary needs of all children are met. We aim to offer a snack menu which is varied as well as nutritionally balanced. Seasonal produce is selected and we aim to incorporate a vast range of foods in the children’s diets.
  • We help children to learn about a range of food from different cultures through planned activities. Fresh drinking water is made available to the children at all times.

 

Achieving Positive Behaviour

The preschoo’s designated Behaviour Management Officer is – Andra Constantin

  • Threatening or abusive behaviour or any expression of prejudice or discriminating behaviour towards or between staff or families will not be tolerated.
  • It is everyone’s responsibility to challenge and report all such incidents to the manager or committee chairperson.
  • All incidents of racial discrimination are a serious offence and will be responded to accordingly.
  • Our curriculum includes working on valuing difference and understanding the effects of our behaviour on others. We have positive expectations that children are kind, respectful, care for resources, care for belongings and care for living things.
  • We endeavour to keep up-to-date with legislation, research and thinking on handling children’s behaviour.
  • We check that all staff have relevant in-service training on handling children’s behaviour.
  • We familiarise new staff and volunteers with the Pre-school’s rules for Achieving Positive Behaviour.
  • We require all staff, volunteers and students to provide a positive model of behaviour by treating children, parents and one another with friendliness, care and courtesy.
  • We require all staff, volunteers and students to use positive strategies for handling any conflict by helping children find solutions in ways which are appropriate for the children’s ages and stages of development — for example distraction, praise and reward.
  • We expect all members of the preschool — children, parents, staff, volunteers and students — to keep to the rules, requiring these to be applied consistently.
  • We praise and endorse desirable behaviour.
  • We avoid creating situations in which children receive adult attention only in return for undesirable behaviour.
  • We recognise that codes for interacting with other people vary between cultures and we require staff to be aware of – and respect – those used by members of the preschool.
  • We never send children out of the room by themselves.
  • We never use physical punishment.
  • We do not use techniques intended to single out and humiliate individual children. We emphasise it is the behaviour NOT the individual that is undesirable.
  • We only use physical restraint, such as holding, to prevent physical injury to children or adults and/or serious damage to property. Details of such an event (what happened, what action was taken and by whom, and the names of witnesses) are brought to the attention of our preschool leader and an Event Report is written. A parent is informed on the same day.
  • Any injuries or accidents (eg. bites) are always recorded and reported to parents. This is done sensitively with regard to confidentiality.
  • We do not shout or raise our voices in a threatening way to respond to children’s behaviour.
  • We work in partnership with children’s parents. Parents are regularly informed about their children’s behaviour. We work with parents to address recurring unacceptable behaviour, using objective observation records to help us to understand the cause and to decide jointly how to respond appropriately.
  • If a child’s behaviour is persistently challenging and presents a significant and consistent risk to themselves or others, we may discuss with parents/carers the possibility of contracting a shadow teacher. This will allow time for staff and parents/carers to make reasonable adjustments to manage the child’s behaviour. We will consider fully the views of the parents/carers and child on developing approaches and strategies to manage the child’s behaviour and plan for the child’s return to our setting.