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Staff Information
The chairman of the committee keeps staff information. This includes their personal information and contract of employment.
All staff are checked by Criminal Investigations bureau to comply with OFSTED and two references are obtained by the committee.
Staff Deployment and Confidentiality Policy
Deployment
Each job is provided on merit, ability and qualifications.
Staff planning meetings are held the week before each term so that themes and letters can be discussed along with the structure of how the term is going to be set. There are also weekly update meetings.
Staff are employed depending on the amount of children who register with the pre-school. It is currently necessary to employ three members for 21 children. The OFSTED staff to child ratio is adhered to within the organisation. This is 1:4 for 2-3 year olds and 1:8 for 3-4 year olds
Confidentiality
The pre-schools work with the children and families will sometimes bring us into contact with confidential information.
To ensure that all those using and working in the pre-school can do so with confidence, we will respect confidentiality in the following ways:
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Parents will have ready access to the files and records of their own children but will not have access about any other child.
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Staff will not discuss individual children, other than for purposes of curriculum planning/group management, with people other than parents/carers of that child.
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Information given by parents/carers to the pre-school co-ordinator or key worker will not be passed on to other adults without permission.
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Issues to do with the employment of staff, whether paid or unpaid will remain confidential to the people directly involved with making personnel decisions.
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All committee members must be made aware that any issues discussed at meetings are confidential unless otherwise advised.
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Any anxieties/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety will be kept in a confidential file and will not be shared within the group except with the child’s keyworker or pre-school co-ordinator and chairperson if needed.
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Students on Pre-school Learning Alliance or other recognised qualifications and training, when they are observing in the pre-school will be advised of our confidentiality policy and required to respect it.
All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the pre-school which is to the safety and interest of the child. Please see also our policy on child protection.
Employment Policy
A high adult to child ratio (1:6) is essential in providing good quality pre-school care. In our pre-school:
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We have at least one member of staff to each six children
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Our key-worker system ensures each child and family has one particular staff member who takes special interest in them
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Regular staff meetings provide opportunities for staff to undertake curriculum planning and to discuss the children’s progress and any difficulties.
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We work towards an equal opportunities employment policy, seeking to offer job opportunities equally to both men and women, with or without disabilities, from all religious, social, ethnic and cultural groups.
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Staff training is intended to meet all regulatory requirements. In addition, we aim to ensure that at least half of our staff hold a qualification or are training or working toward qualifications appropriate for their position in the group.
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We aim that all our members of staff are first aid qualified
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Our pre-school’s budget includes an allocation towards training costs.
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We support the work of our staff and identify their ongoing training and development needs by means of regular appraisals/monitoring.
Student Placement
In co-operation with educational providers, we welcome students into the pre-school on the following conditions:
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The needs of the children are paramount. Students will not be admitted in numbers that hinder the essential work of the pre-school.
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Students must be engaged in bona fide Early Years’ training, which provides necessary understanding of children’s development and activities.
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Any information gained by the students about the children, families or adults in the pre-school must remain confidential.
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Unless registered as fit persons, students will not have unrestricted access to children.
Staff Induction
When staff have been appointed they are asked to complete a Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure Form. The other forms required by Rainbow’s End are: Job Application Form and Health & Safety at Work Statement.
Existing staff will be reminded about the guidelines in respect of a new employee who has not been cleared by OFSTED.
When a new member of staff arrives for their first day, he or she will be welcomed by the co-ordinator or committee chairman who will give a brief description of the organisation and is policies. A copy of the operational plan will also be passed to them for reading, explaining that the organisation’s health and safety policies are included in the policy documents.
As with usual pre-school practice, the new member will be reminded that the full involvement with the children will not be possible until the relevant checks have been made.
They will then be introduced to the staff, given a verbal guide about the days/weeks events etc, shown the toilets, where to make up drinks and asked to help set up the pre-school.
When the children arrive they are introduced in the new member of staff at registration.
At the end of the session, the new member will help clear away the equipment and toys. The co-ordinator or chairman will then ask if there are any items that the new member would like to discuss and whether they considered the experience to be a positive one.
Staff Development Policy
Training is given to staff where necessary. First Aid courses are necessary for the organisation and revision courses are attended.
The organisation hopes to increase training from 2006.
Staff Assessments and Contracts
Staff sign contract of employments. These are kept in their personal files held by the chairman.
The committee chairman and one other committee member review staff assessments annually, in June. Feedback is invited from staff and their co-ordinator.
Salaries are reviewed in September and discretionary bonuses are awarded in December.