Security & Safeguarding

Security

We take security very seriously - we have a facial recognition door entry system on the front door, fingerprint entry on the buggy store, and CCTV on all entry and exit points of the nursery, ensuring that we always know who is in the building at any time. We also have a buzzer on the front door with a camera to allow any visitors to be identified before being allowed access to the building.

When your child starts, we take a facial scan and one fingerprint scan from the main carers, which of course are unique to you, and which registers on our central system each time you enter or depart from the nursery. We will only allow children to leave with another person if you have previously notified us, and upon checking the password that you have provided. A photograph emailed in advance also helps.

If we are ever in any doubt, you will be called to double check that you have authorised your child to be collected by someone else.

Please ensure the front door is properly secure after entering or exiting the building.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding children is at the forefront of our practice and we expect that all parents and staff have a commitment to ensuring that children are safe, secure and protected from harm in every area of their wellbeing.

We have stringent safeguarding policies and robust recruitment procedures to ensure that all paid or voluntary staff looking after children are suitable to do so. This includes ensuring that every person has a current enhanced DBS (and is on the update service which is monitored twice annually or as needed) and references have been sought and decisions have been made on their suitability accordingly.

New staff also complete a three month probationary period.

Our lead safeguarding officer is in charge of keeping children safe and is the main point of contact for anyone with concerns. We welcome reports of concerns from everyone in our community.

Staffing, Key Person & Ratios

We are a team who work closely together and continuously strive to receive ongoing training to further benefit the children within our care.

The majority of staff are qualified to either NVQ Level 2 or 3 in childcare. Other relevant qualifications of staff include degrees in Early Years or Education Studies or an NNEB. Ongoing training is provided throughout the year.

When your child starts at the nursery, he or she will be assigned a key person. This is a nursery practitioner who will bond with your child and pay particular attention to them. We aim for them to be there for either when you drop off, or when you pick up, and all children also have a secondary key worker, who also knows your child very well and will be able to take care of them.

Ratios

The ratios are as follows:

Babies under 2: 1 adult to 3 babies
2-3 years: 1 adult to 5 children
3+ years: 1 adult to 8 children

Please note that these are the minimum ratios, and we strive to always have more staff than we need. We do not use agency staff to ensure consistency of care and use cover staff from other rooms when needed.

You can find our staff board displayed in the entrance hall of the nursery.

Staff
On the premises we have:

Lead Safeguarding Officer – Asha Luckie-Robinson
Asha's role is to ensure all the children are safe and deal with all issues surrounding child abuse, and making necessary calls or referrals to social services. There are also deputy safeguarding officers to ensure there is always someone available to speak to in the event of having a concern.

SENCOs – April Rohen and Abbie Mileham
Through daily observations and generally spending time with the children, any developmental concerns the keyworker may have are fed back to the SENCO, who is fully trained and attends regular forums and refresher sessions. Their role is to work alongside the parent/ carer to support the child wherever necessary to ensure they fulfil their learning potential, and to identify any areas that may need extra help or attention.

Fire Safety Marshall – Ella Rajan
Ella's role requires regularly practicing fire drills, and continually testing the fire alarm system at the nursery.

Behaviour Management Co-Ordinator – Christine Payne

Christine's role is to work with the parent/ carer to discourage negative behaviour, such as biting, and to work with staff members within the nursery to plan a positive intervention.

Health and Safety Officer – Amber Mughal and Inga Arlauskaite
Their role requires regularly risk assessing the building, removing or reporting hazards and maintaining a safe environment.