HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY

Contents

Introduction

Legal Framework

Nuts

Visits and Outings

Adverse Weather Procedures

Infection Control

Accident and First Aid

Critical Incident Procedures

Equipment and Resources

Fire Safety

Lost Child Procedure from Outings

No Smoking

Overall Responsibility for Risk Assessments

Sun Care

Supervision of Children

Preventative Maintenance

Food Hygiene

Security

Introduction

At The Crown Nursery we provide and maintain safe and healthy working conditions, equipment and systems of work for all our employees and a safe early learning environment in which children learn and are cared for.

To develop and promote a strong health and safety culture within our nursery for the benefit of all staff, children and parents we provide information, training and supervision.

The allocation of duties for safety matters and the particular arrangements we will make to implement our health and safety procedures are set out within this policy.

Legal framework

We follow all relevant legislation and associated guidance relating to health and safety within our nursery including:

The requirements of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (September 2021)
The regulations of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and any other relevant legislation such as Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH).
Any guidance provided by Public Health England, the local health protection unit, the local authority environmental health department, fire authority or the Health and Safety Executive

Aims and objectives

The aim of this policy statement is to ensure that all reasonably practical steps are taken to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all persons using the premises. To achieve this we will actively work towards the following objectives:

Establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment throughout the nursery including outdoor spaces
Establish and maintain safe working practices amongst staff and children
Make arrangements for ensuring safety and the minimising of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of hazardous articles and substances
Ensure the provision of sufficient information, instruction and supervision to enable all people within the nursery to avoid hazards and contribute positively to their own health and safety and to ensure that staff have access to regular health and safety training
Maintain a healthy and safe nursery with safe entry and exit routes, clear of obstructions
Formulate effective procedures for use in case of fire and other emergencies and for evacuating the nursery premises.
Practice this procedure on a regular basis to enable the safe and speedy evacuation of each nursery.
Maintain a safe working environment for pregnant workers or for workers who have recently given birth, including undertaking appropriate risk assessments
Maintain a safe environment for those with special educational needs and disabilities
Provide a safe environment for students or trainees to learn in
Encourage all staff, visitors and parents to report any unsafe working practices or areas to ensure immediate response by the management.

We believe the risks at The Crown Nursery are low and we will maintain the maximum protection for children, staff and parents/carers.

The Crown Nursery staff will:

Ensure all entrances and exits from the building, including fire exits are clearly identifiable and remain clear of obstruction at all times
Regularly check the premises room by room for structural defects, worn fixtures and fittings or electrical equipment and take the necessary remedial action
Ensure that all staff, visitors, parents and children are aware of the fire procedures and regular fire drills are carried out
Have the appropriate fire detection and control equipment which is checked regularly to make sure it is in working order
Ensure that all members of staff are aware of the procedure to follow in case of accidents for staff, visitors and children
Ensure that all members of staff take all reasonable action to control the spread of infectious diseases (including covid) and wear protective gloves and clothing where appropriate
Ensure there are suitable hygienic changing facilities
Prohibit smoking on each nursery premises
Prohibit any contractor from working on the premises without prior discussion with the officer in charge
Encourage children to manage risks safely and prohibit running inside the premises
Risk assess all electrical sockets and take appropriate measures to reduce risks where necessary (plug ins not recommended) and ensure no trailing wires are left around the nursery
Ensure all cleaning materials are placed out of the reach of children and kept in their original containers
Wear protective clothing when preparing or serving food
Prohibit certain foods that may relate to children’s allergies, e.g. peanuts are not allowed in the nursery
Ensure all staff are acutely aware of children who have allergies
Ensure risk assessments are undertaken on the storage and preparation of food produce
Familiarise all staff and visitors with the position of the first aid boxes and ensure all know who the appointed first aiders are.
Provide appropriately stocked first aid boxes and check their contents regularly
Ensure children are supervised at all times
Ensure no student or volunteer is left unsupervised at any time.

Responsibilities

Overall responsibility for health and safety at The Crown Nursery is that of the nursery manager. All employees have the responsibility to co-operate with the manager to achieve a healthy and safe nursery and to take reasonable care of themselves and others. Neglect of health and safety regulations or duties will be regarded as a disciplinary matter.

Whenever a member of staff notices a health or safety problem which they are not able to rectify, they must immediately report it to the nursery manager. Parents and visitors are requested to report any concerns they may have to a member of staff in the area or the manager as appropriate.

Daily checks and communication, monthly staff meetings and health and safety meetings provide consultation between management and employees. This will include health and safety matters.

Health and safety training

The person responsible for monitoring staff training at The Crown Nursery is the nursery manager or deputy manager in their absence.

Safety Area	Training Required	Requirements	Provider
Paediatric First Aid	Course Renewed every 3 yrs	At least 2 staff and on all outdoor trips	St Johns Ambulance
Safeguarding and Child Protection	In house training Every 6 months	All staff	Manager Local Authority
Fire Safety	Fire safety assessment completed and in house training	All staff	Elite, Scutum Group Manager Noodle Now
Use of fire extinguisher	In house training	All staff	Manager
Risk assessments	In house	All staff	Manager
Food hygiene	Course	Staff preparing food	Noodle Now
Vulnerable situations eg. changing Nappies	In house	All staff	Manager

At least one member of nursery staff on duty MUST hold a full paediatric First Aid at Work certificate in the nursery including when on outings.

First Aider: Charlotte Grubb, Aimee Savino

Health and safety arrangements

All staff are responsible for general health and safety in the nursery on a daily basis and will perform daily checks
Risk assessments will be conducted on all areas, including rooms, activities, outdoor areas, resources and cleaning equipment
These are reviewed at regular intervals and when arrangements change
All outings away from each nursery (however short) will include a prior risk assessment – more details are included in our outings policy
All equipment, rooms and outdoor areas will be checked thoroughly by staff before children access them or the area. These checks will be recorded and initialled by the staff responsible. Unsafe areas will be made safe or blocked off to promote the safety of children. If this cannot be achieved the manager will be notified immediately
We provide appropriate facilities for all children, staff, parents and visitors to receive a warm welcome and provide for their basic care needs, e.g. clean toilet area and fresh drinking water
The nursery will adhere to the Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulation (COSHH) to ensure all children, staff, parents and visitors are safe in relation to any chemicals we may use on the premises.
All staff and students will receive appropriate training in all areas of health and safety which will include risk assessments and fire safety. We may also use benefit risk assessments for particular activities and resources for children
We have clear guidance and procedures (see below) in the case of any person in nursery suffering injury from an accident or incident
We have a clear Fire Safety Policy and procedure which supports the prevention of fire and the safe evacuation of all persons in each nursery. This is to be shared with all staff, students, parents and visitors to each nursery
We review accident and incident records to identify any patterns/hazardous areas
All health and safety matters are reviewed informally on an ongoing basis and formally every six months or when something changes. Staff and parents will receive these updates, as with all policy changes, as and when they happen
Staff and parents are able to contribute to any policy through informal discussions and at regular meetings held at nursery.

Nut Policy

No food created on the premises will have nuts as an ingredient. All other food will be checked upon purchase. Staff are to leave any nut produce in the office. Staff are to wash their hands thoroughly, with soap, prior to making contact with any child. Staff are to ensure that there are no nuts on their person.

Nuts and Parents

At The Crown Nursery, we provide all snack and main meals for the children. Parents are asked to take any additional food home with them or inform a member of staff to remove it. Parents are discouraged from bringing in any food substance into nursery, and particularly any nut substances. On special occasions, when bringing in cakes for the children (i.e. for birthdays), parents are asked to bring ‘nut free’ cakes. Supermarket cakes are preferred, however, children will not be given any foods not provided by nursery, until parents are available to give permission.

Visits and outings

The Crown Nursery offers children a range of local outings including walks and visits off the premises. We believe that planned outings and visits complement and enhance the learning opportunities inside each nursery environment and extend children’s experiences. We always seek parents’ permission for children to be included in such outings.

Procedures

Visits and outings are carefully planned using following guidelines, whatever the length or destination of the visit:

A pre-visit checklist, full risk assessment and outings plan will always be carried out by a senior member of staff before the outing to assess the risks or hazards which may arise for the children, and identify steps to be taken to remove, minimise and manage those risks and hazards. We will endeavour to visit the venue prior to the visit. This will ensure that the chosen venue is appropriate for the age, stage and development of the children
Written permission will always be obtained from parents before taking children on trips
We provide appropriate staffing levels for outings dependent on an assessment of the safety and the individual needs of the children. At least one member of staff will hold a valid and current paediatric first aid certificate
A fully stocked first aid box will always be taken on all outings along with any special medication or equipment required
A completed trip register together with all parent and staff contact numbers will be taken on all outings
Regular headcounts will be carried out throughout the outing. Timings of headcounts will be discussed in full with each nursery manager prior to the outing
All staff will be easily recognisable by other members of the group; they will wear a nursery t-shirt.
Children will wear hi-vis jackets
A fully charged mobile phone will be taken as a means of emergency contact
In the event of an accident, staff will assess the situation. If required, the group will return to nursery immediately and parents will be contacted to collect their child. In the event of a serious accident an ambulance will be called at the scene, as well as parents being contacted. One member of staff will accompany the child to the hospital, and the rest of the group will return to each nursery.

Risk assessment/outings plan

This plan will include details of:

The name of the designated person in charge - the outing leader
The name of the place where the visit will take place
The estimated time of departure and arrival
The number of children, age range of children, the ratio of staff to children, children’s individual needs and the group size
The equipment needed for the trip, i.e. first aid kit, Hi-Viz jackets, mobile phone, coats, safety reins, pushchairs, rucksack, packed lunch etc.
Staff contact numbers
Method of transportation and travel arrangements (including the route)
Financial arrangements
Emergency procedures
The name of the designated first aider and the first aid provision
Links to the child’s learning and development needs. Use of vehicles for outings
All staff members shall inform parents in advance of any visits or outings involving the transportation of children away from the nursery
The arrangements for transporting children will always be carefully planned and where necessary additional people will be recruited to ensure the safety of the children. This is particularly important where children with disabilities are concerned
All vehicles used in transporting children are properly licensed, inspected and maintained.
Any vehicle used will be fully insured for business use and will be protected by comprehensive breakdown cover
Drivers of vehicles are adequately insured
All vehicles used are fitted to the supplier’s instructions with sufficient numbers of safety restraints appropriate to the age/weight of the children carried in the vehicle. Any mini buses/coaches are fitted with 3-point seat belts
When we use a mini bus, we check that the driver is over 21 years of age and holds a Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licence. This entitles the driver to transport up to 16 passengers
When children are being transported, we maintain ratios.
We ensure seat belts, child seats and booster seats are used
We ensure the maximum seating is not exceeded
All children will be accompanied by a registered member of staff
No child will be left in a vehicle unattended
Extra care will be taken when getting into or out of a vehicle
The vehicle will be equipped with a fire extinguisher and emergency kit containing warning triangle, torch, blankets, wheel changing equipment etc.

Adverse Weather Procedures

At The Crown Nursery we have adverse weather procedures in place to ensure we are prepared for all weather conditions that might affect the running of each the nursery such as floods, snow and heat waves.

If any of these incidents impact on the ability of the nursery to open or operate, we will contact parents via phone or text message. We will not take children outdoors where we judge that weather conditions make it unsafe to do so.

Flood

In the case of a flood we will follow our emergency procedure to enable all children and staff to be safely evacuated and continuity of care to be planned for.

Severe Weather

If high snowfall, or another severe weather condition such as dense fog, is threatened during a nursery day then the manager will take the decision as to whether to close the nursery. This decision will take into account the safety of the children, their parents and the staff team. In the event of a planned closure during the day, we will contact all parents to arrange for collection of their child.

In the event of staff shortages due to snow or other severe weather we will contact all available off duty staff and/or agency staff and group the children differently until they are able to arrive. If we are unable to maintain statutory ratio requirements after all avenues are explored we will contact Ofsted to inform them of this issue, recording all details in our incident file. If we feel the safety, health or

welfare of the children is compromised then we will take the decision to close each nursery.

Infection control

At The Crown Nursery we promote the good health of all children attending through maintaining high hygiene standards and reducing the chances of infection being spread.

Viruses and infections can be easily passed from person to person by breathing in air containing the virus which is produced when an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes. It can also spread through hand/face contact after touching a person or surface contaminated with viruses.

We follow the guidance below to prevent a virus or infection from moving around the nursery. Our staff:

Encourage all children use tissues when coughing and sneezing to catch germs
Ensure all tissues are disposed of in a hygienic way and all children and staff wash their hands once the tissue is disposed of
Develop children’s understanding of the above and the need for good hygiene procedures in helping them to stay healthy
Wear the appropriate protective clothing, including gloves, when changing nappies, toileting children and dealing with any other bodily fluids. Staff are requested to dispose of these in the appropriate manner and wash hands immediately
Clean and sterilise all potties and changing mats before and after each use
Clean toilets daily and check them throughout the day
Remind children to wash their hands before eating, after visiting the toilet, playing outside or being in contact with any animal and explain the reasons for this
Clean toys, equipment and resources on a regular basis by following a comprehensive cleaning rota and using antibacterial cleanser or through washing in the washing machine
Wash or clean all equipment used by babies and toddlers as and when needed including when the children have placed it in their mouth
Store dummies in individual hygienic dummy boxes labelled with the child’s name to prevent cross-contamination with other children
Immediately clean and sterilise (where necessary) any dummy or bottle that falls on the floor or is picked up by another child
Ask parents and visitors to remove all outdoor footwear or use shoe covers when entering rooms where children may be crawling or sitting on the floor
Follow the Sickness and Medicines policy when children are ill to prevent the spread of any infection in each nursery. Staff are also requested to stay at home if they are contagious.

In addition:

The nursery manager retains the right of refusal of all children, parents, staff and visitors who are deemed contagious and may impact on the welfare of the rest of each nursery
Parents will be made aware of the need for these procedures in order for them to follow these guidelines whilst in each nursery
Periodically each room in nursery will be deep cleaned including carpets and soft furnishings to ensure the spread of infection is limited. This will be implemented more frequently if the need arises
The nursery will ensure stocks of tissues, hand washing equipment, cleaning materials and sterilising fluid are maintained at all times and increased during the winter months or when flu and cold germs are circulating.

Accident and first aid

At The Crown Nursery we aim to protect children at all times. We recognise that accidents or incidents may sometimes occur. We follow this policy and procedure to ensure all parties are supported and cared for when accidents or incidents happen; and that the circumstances of the accident or incident are reviewed with a view to minimising any future risks.

Accidents

Location of Incident file: in the nursery office

The person responsible for reporting accidents, incidents or near misses is the member of staff who saw the incident or was first to find the child where there are no witnesses. They must record it on an Incident Form and report it to each nursery manager. Other staff who have witnessed the accident may also countersign the form and, in more serious cases, provide a statement. This should be done as soon as the accident is dealt with, whilst the details are still clearly remembered. Parents must be shown the Incident Report, informed of any first aid treatment given and asked to sign it as soon as they collect their child
The nursery reviews the accident forms monthly for patterns, e.g. one child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in each nursery or a particular time of the day when most accidents happen. Any patterns will be investigated by the nursery manager and all necessary steps to reduce risks are put in place
Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the parents/carers as soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately
The nursery manager will report any accidents of a serious nature to Ofsted and the local authority

Transporting children to hospital procedure

The nursery manager or senior staff member must:

Call for an ambulance immediately if the injury is severe. DO NOT attempt to transport the sick child in your own vehicle
Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parents/carers and arrange to meet them at the hospital
Arrange for the most appropriate member of staff to accompany the child taking with them any relevant information such as registration forms, relevant medication sheets, medication and the child’s comforter.
Redeploy staff if necessary to ensure there is adequate staff deployment to care for the remaining children. This may mean temporarily grouping the children together
Inform a member of the management team immediately
Remain calm at all times. Children who witness an incident may well be affected by it and may need lots of cuddles and reassurance. Staff may also require additional support following the accident.

First aid

The first aid boxes are located in the nursery office and the nursery kitchen.

First aid boxes are accessible at all times with appropriate content for use with children.

The appointed person responsible for first aid checks the contents of the boxes regularly (termly) and replaces items that have been used or are out of date.

The staff first aid box is kept in the main office. This is kept out of reach of the children.

First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations Act 1981.

All first aid trained staff are listed in every room.

When children are taken on an outing away from our nursery, we will always ensure they are accompanied by at least one member of staff who is trained in first aid.

A first aid box is taken on all outings.

Protective Clothing

The Crown Nursery provides staff with appropriate clothing/equipment according to the need of the task or activity. Staff must wear disposable gloves to protect themselves and the children during tasks that involve contact with bodily fluids. PPE is also provided for domestic tasks. Staff are consulted when choosing protective clothing to ensure all allergies and individual needs are supported and this is evaluated on an ongoing basis.

Dealing with blood

We may not be aware that any child attending each nursery has a condition that may be transmitted via blood. Any staff member dealing with blood must:

Always take precautions when cleaning wounds as some conditions such as hepatitis or the HIV virus can be transmitted via blood.
Wear disposable gloves and wipe up any blood spillage with disposable cloths, neat sterilising fluid or freshly diluted bleach (one part diluted with 10 parts water). Such solutions must be carefully disposed of immediately after use.

Needle puncture and sharps injury

We recognise that injuries from needles, broken glass and so on may result in blood-borne infections and that staff must take great care in the collection and disposal of this type of material. For the safety and well-being of the employees, any staff member dealing with needles, broken glass etc. must treat them as contaminated waste. If a needle is found the local authority must be contacted to deal with its disposal.

Critical Incident Procedures

At The Crown Nursery we understand we need to plan for all eventualities to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all the children we care for. With this in mind we have procedures in place to ensure we are able to operate effectively in the case of a critical incident. These include:

Flood
Fire
Burglary
Abduction or threatened abduction of a child
Bomb threat/terrorism attack
Any other incident that may affect the care of the children in each nursery.

If any of these incidents impact on the ability of each nursery to operate, we will contact parents via phone/email/text message at the earliest opportunity, e.g. before the start of each nursery day.

Flood

There is always a danger of flooding from adverse weather conditions or through the water/central heating systems. At The Crown Nursery we recognise that we are more at risk because of our basement. We cannot anticipate adverse weather, however, we can ensure that we take care of all our water, heating and flood relief systems through regular maintenance and checks to reduce the option of flooding in this way. Our central heating system and the basement sump pump are checked and serviced annually by a registered engineer and they conform to all appropriate guidelines and legislation.

If flooding occurs during the nursery day, the nursery manager will make a decision based on the severity and location of this flooding, and it may be deemed necessary to follow the fire evacuation procedure. In this instance children will be kept safe and parents will be notified in the same way as the fire procedure. Should the nursery be assessed as unsafe through flooding, fire or any other

incident we will follow our Emergency Procedure and provide care in another location until children can be collected.

Fire

Please refer to the Fire Safety Policy.

Abduction or threatened abduction of a child

We have secure safety procedures in place to ensure children are safe while in our care, including safety from abduction. Staff must be vigilant at all times and report any persons lingering outside nursery property immediately. All doors and gates to the nursery are locked and cannot be accessed unless staff members allow individuals in.

Children will only be released into the care of a designated adult; see the arrivals and departures policy for more details. Parents are requested to inform the nursery of any potential custody battles or family concerns as soon as they arise to enable us to support the child. The nursery will not take sides in relation to any custody battle and will remain neutral for the child. If an absent parent arrives to collect their child, the nursery will not restrict access unless a court order is in place. Parents are requested to issue the nursery with a copy of these documents should they be in place. We will consult our solicitors and the local authority with regards to any concerns over custody and relay any information back to the parties involved.

If a member of staff witnesses an actual or potential abduction we have the following procedures which are followed immediately:

The police must be called immediately
The staff member will notify management immediately and the manager will take control
The parent(s) will be contacted
All other children will be kept safe and secure and calmed down where necessary
The police will be given as many details as possible including details of the child, description of the abductor, car registration number if used, time and direction of travel if seen and any family situations that may impact on this abduction.

Bomb threat/terrorism attack

If a bomb threat is received at each nursery, the person taking the call will record all details given over the phone as soon as possible and raise the alarm as soon as the phone call has ended. The manager will follow the emergency evacuation procedure to ensure the safety of all on the premises and will provide as much detail to the emergency services as possible.

Other incidents

All incidents will be managed by the manager and all staff will co-operate with any emergency services on the scene. Any other incident that requires evacuation will follow the fire plan. Other incidents e.g. no water supply will be dealt with on an individual basis taking into account the effect on the safety, health and welfare of the children and staff in each nursery.

The nursery manager will notify Ofsted in the event of a critical incident.

Equipment and resources

At The Crown Nursery we believe that high-quality care and early learning is promoted by providing children with safe, clean, stimulating, age and stage appropriate resources, toys and equipment. To ensure this occurs in both the indoor and outdoor areas, we will:

Provide play equipment and resources which are safe and, where applicable, conform to the European Standards for Playground Equipment: EN 1176 and EN 1177, BS EN safety standards or Toys (Safety) Regulation (1995)
Provide a sufficient quantity of equipment and resources for the number of children registered in each nursery
Provide resources to meet children’s individual needs and interests
Provide resources which promote all areas of children's learning and development
Select books, equipment and resources which promote positive images of people of all races, cultures, ages, gender and abilities, are non-discriminatory and do not stereotype
Provide play equipment and resources which promote continuity and progression, provide sufficient challenges and meet the needs and interests of all children
Store and display resources and equipment where all children can independently choose and select them
Check all resources and equipment before first use to identify any potential risks and again regularly at the beginning of every session and when they are put away at the end of every session. We repair and clean or replace any unsafe, worn out, dirty or damaged equipment whenever required
Evaluate the effectiveness of the resources including the children’s opinions and interests
Encourage children to respect the equipment and resources and tidy these away when play has finished. This is into a designated place via the use of silhouettes or pictures the children can match the resource to.

Lost child procedure (outings)

At The Crown Nursery we are committed to promoting children’s safety and welfare. This includes where children are on outings and visits. However, in the unlikely event of a child going missing whilst on an outing we have the following procedure which we implement immediately:

All staff will be aware of the procedure when a child goes missing and supply information to support the search, e.g. a recent photograph and a detailed description of clothing
The organiser will be informed immediately and all staff present will be informed. Some staff will be deployed to start an immediate thorough search of the area, ensuring that all other children remain supervised, calm and supported throughout
If appropriate, on-site security will also be informed and a description given
The designated person in charge will immediately inform the police
The designated person in charge will then inform the nursery who will contact the child’s parents giving details of what has happened. If the whole nursery is on an outing, all contact details will be taken on the trip by the person in charge
During this period, staff will be continually searching for the missing child, whilst other staff maintain the safety and welfare of the remaining children
It will be the manager’s responsibility to ensure that there are adequate staff to care for the children and get them back safe, a member of staff to meet the police and someone to continue the search (this may mean contacting relief staff)
Any incidents must be recorded in writing as soon as practicably possible including the outcome, who was lost, time identified, notification to police and findings
In the unlikely event that the child is not found each nursery will follow the local authority and police procedure
Ofsted must be contacted and informed of any incidents
With incidents of this nature parents, carers, children and staff may require support and reassurance following the traumatic experience. Management will provide this or seek further support where necessary
In any cases with media attention staff will not speak to any media representatives
Post-incident risk assessments will be conducted following any incident of this nature to enable the chance of this reoccurring being reduced.

No smoking

At The Crown Nursery we are committed to promoting children’s health and well-being. Smoking has proved to be a health risk and therefore in accordance with legislation, the nursery operates a strict no smoking policy within its buildings and immediately outside. It is illegal to smoke in enclosed places.

All persons must abstain from smoking while on the premises. This applies to staff, students, parents, carers, contractors and any other visitors to the premises.

Staff accompanying children outside each nursery are not permitted to smoke. We also request that parents accompanying nursery children on outings refrain from smoking while caring for the children.

Staff must not smoke while wearing nursery uniform as it is essential that staff are positive role models to children and promote a healthy lifestyle. If staff choose to smoke during breaks they are asked to change into their own clothing and smoke only once away from nursery. We respect that smoking is a personal choice, although as an organisation we support healthy lifestyles.

We aim to help staff and parents to stop smoking by:

Providing factsheets and leaflets
Providing information of local help groups
Providing details of the NHS quit smoking helpline - www.smokefree.nhs.uk
Offering information regarding products that are available to help stop smoking
Offering in-house support.

This policy also applies to electronic cigarettes.

Risk assessments

Risk assessments document;

hazards/aspects of the environment that needs to be checked on a regular basis
who could be harmed
existing controls
the seriousness of the risk/injury
any further action needed to control the risk
who is responsible for what action
when/how often will the action be undertaken
how this will be monitored and checked and by whom

The Crown Nursery carries out written risk assessments regularly and when necessary. These are regularly reviewed and cover potential risks to children, staff and visitors at each nursery. When circumstances change e.g. a significant piece of equipment is introduced; we review our current risk assessment or conduct a new risk assessment dependent on the nature of this change. All staff are trained or supported in the risk assessment process to ensure understanding and compliance.

All outings away from each nursery are individually risk assessed. For more details refer to the visits and outings policy.

Sun care

At The Crown Nursery we are committed to ensuring that all children are fully protected from the dangers of too much sun/UV rays. Severe sunburn in childhood can lead to the development of malignant melanoma (the most dangerous type of skin cancer) in later life.

We follow guidance from the weather and UV level reports and use the following procedures to keep children safe and healthy in the sun:

Key persons will work with the parents of their key children to decide and agree on suitable precautions to protect children from burning, including more sensitive skins types and those that may be more tolerant to the sunshine, e.g. black and/or Asian colouring
Children must have a clearly labelled sun hat which will be worn at all times whilst outside in sunny weather. This hat will preferably be of legionnaires design (i.e. with an extended back and side to shield children’s neck and ears from the sun) to provide additional protection
Parents are requested to supply light-weight cotton clothing for their children suitable for the sun, with long sleeves and long legs
Children’s safety and welfare in hot weather is each nursery’s prime objective so staff will work closely with parents to ensure all appropriate cream and clothing is provided
Staff will make day-to-day decisions about the length of time spent outside depending on the strength of the sun.
Children will always have sun cream applied before going outside in the hot weather and at frequent intervals during the day
Children are encouraged to drink cooled water more frequently throughout sunny or warm days and this will be accessible both indoors and out
Children are made aware of the need for sun hats, sun cream and the need to drink more fluids during their time in the sun
Shade will be provided if necessary to ensure children are able to still go out in hot weather, cool down or escape the sun should they wish or need to.
Specific brand sun cream will be supplied by each nursery and permission gained from parents before application. Parents may supply their own sun cream if they wish.

Supervision of children

At The Crown Nursery we protect and support the welfare of the children in our care at all times. The nursery manager is responsible for all staff, students and relief staff receiving information on health and safety policies and procedures in in order to supervise the children in their care suitably.

We ensure that children are supervised adequately at all times, whether children are indoor or outside through:

Making sure that every child is always within the sight and/or hearing of a suitably vetted member of staff. Monitoring staff deployment across the setting regularly to ensure children’s needs are met
Ensuring children are fully supervised at all times when using water play/paddling pools as we are aware that children can drown in only a few centimetres of water
Taking special care when children are using large apparatus e.g. a climbing frame, and when walking up or down steps/stairs, including having one member of staff supervising at all times
Making sure staff recognise and are aware of any dangers relating to bushes, shrubs and plants when on outings and visits
Supervising children at all times when eating; monitoring toddlers and babies closely and never leaving babies alone with a bottle. Babies are always bottle fed by a member of staff
Supervising sleeping babies/children and never leaving them unattended (also see Sleep Policy)
Never leaving babies/children unattended during nappy changing times
Supervising children carefully when using scissors or tools including using knives in cooking activities
Increasing staff: child ratios during outings to ensure supervision and safety (also see Outings policy)
Strictly following any safety guidelines given by other organisations or companies relating to the hire of equipment or services and a member of staff MUST supervise the children at all times.

Preventative Maintenance

The Crown Nursery will comply with its statutory duties to carry out compliance testing and maintenance of buildings and work equipment. Specifically, this includes a programme of planned preventative maintenance and inspection covering the following key areas:

Air conditioning

Electrical testing (portable appliances and fixed hard wire)

Emergency lighting

Fire detection systems, fire doors and firefighting equipment

Working at height equipment (ladders, platforms etc)

Water hygiene testing and maintenance

Food Hygiene

Please see The Crown Nursery’s Food Hygiene Policy.

Security

To ensure the safety of all, security measures are in place to ensure that only authorised persons have access to The Crown Nursery whilst in operation. The manager has a responsibility to ensure that appropriate security measures are in place and all staff have a responsibility to remain vigilant and follow all security measures consistently.

Arriving and collecting children:

all parents are expected to arrive on time and all children are registered
a list of those attending each session is kept on site
parents are expected to collect on time and leave the nursery site promptly
the nursery will not release a child to anyone other than the known parent/carer, unless an agreement has been made at the time of arrival (also see Arrivals and Collections Policy)

Visitors:

all visits to the nursery must be prearranged
visitors will be asked to show identification showing the organisation they represent
all visitors must give a clear explanation for their attendance and will only gain access if the staff are satisfied with this
all visitors are required to sign in and out of nursery
visitors are not to have unsupervised access to children at any time

Staff:

all members of staff undergo recruitment procedures including application and interview
all staff members must supply: photographic identification, proof of address, DBS certificate, proof of qualifications, 2 references, health declaration form

Other:

No staff are to be left alone in the building at any time
A chain is fitted to the front door
An intercom system is to be fitted
Glass front of nursery is frosted and totally opaque
Glass panel to communal stairwell is covered (once upstairs is occupied)
Stair gates are to be used
No children are to enter the stairwell unsupervised
Doors are to be securely locked once everyone has left the building (manager to check everywhere is empty first)