The safety of young children is of paramount importance.
Agreed Practice:
In order to ensure the safety of both children and adults, the playgroup will ensure that:
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment of the setting, including a separate Fire Risk assessment will be carried out and reviewed annually and when the need arises.
A risk assessment will be carried out prior to any outing.
Equipment is checked regularly for age suitability and safety and any damaged items are repaired/discarded.
Ofsted will be informed of any significant changes, or events relating to the premises and facilities.
Security
The children will be supervised by adults at all times, with the exception of the “Cats” who are encouraged, once they are confident and proficient to do so, to go to the toilet on their own after first asking a member of staff if they may go. The door between the main hall and the entrance/toilets will be wedged open.
A register of both adults and children is completed as they arrive and leave (if it is before the end of the session) so that a complete record of all those present is available in any emergency. Visitors to the premises will be required to record their names, the purpose of their visit and details of their arrival and departure times in the back of the register.
The front door will be locked* once the children have arrived in the morning (approximately 9.15am) and unlocked at about 11.55am. (* No key involved so the exit is available for all to use in an emergency)
All adults are aware of the systems in operation for children's arrivals and departures and a member of staff will be at the outer door at the beginning and the end of each session.
If a child has to be left by his/her parent/carer before 9.00am the parent/carer is made aware that the child will not be insured and the group cannot take responsibility for his/her safety.
Children will leave the group only with authorised adults, that is, adults named by the parents either on the “Registration” form or to the session leader and recorded in the diary.
When the outdoor space is being used the external gates will be secured appropriately.
The setting has a “Lock down” procedure to be used in the event of it being necessary to keep the children inside the Youth Centre building for their safety, for example:- needing to shelter from the fumes given off by a hazardous material spill or fire during an incident in the local area; a threatening person or dangerous animal roaming the in the vicinity or personnel, students, volunteers or staff from within the setting become a threat to the well-being of others. This procedure is practiced termly by the staff (recorded in register).
Accidents and First Aid
We will inform Ofsted, RIDDOR, and Surrey Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), and LADO of any serious accident or injury to, or the death of, any child whilst in our care and we will act on any advice that we are given.
A book is available at each session for the reporting of any accident/incident (see Accident and Incident policy). When playgroup is closed it is kept securely in a locked cupboard. These records are archived and kept in a locked cupboard until the children they relate to reach the age of 21, they will then be shredded. Staff accident records are kept for 3 years.
All the staff will hold a current Paediatric First Aid certificate (renewed 3 yearly). A correctly stocked first aid box is available at all times.
Fire Safety
Fire doors are never obstructed.
The emergency evacuation procedure is displayed in both rooms. Visitors to the setting will have their attention drawn to these signs.
Fire drills are held over a week at least once a term and details of how the drills went (including any problems encountered) are recorded in the register.
The manual fire alarm will be tested regularly.
No smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, and vaping is allowed on the premises.
When matches are used to light birthday candles, they will be totally extinguished by being dropped into a cup of water before being put into the bin
Fires/heaters/electric points and leads are adequately guarded.
The fireguards around the electric heaters will not be covered or used as a drying area.
If the cookers are being used and an adult is not in the vicinity then the roller shutters must be pulled down.
Safety
All dangerous materials are stored out of reach of the children and children do not have unsupervised access to the kitchen or any cupboard storing hazardous materials including matches.
Adults do not walk about with hot drinks or place them within reach of children.
Large equipment is erected with care and checked regularly.
Equipment and materials will be stored safely
Equipment offered to children will be developmentally appropriate.
Parents are asked to send their children to the group wearing soft shoes e.g. plimsolls (not trainers) and suitable clothing.
Parents are asked not to send their children to the group wearing jewellry.
Internet safety
To ensure the safety of all children on the premises the computer that is used for the children’s learning has NO access to the internet and the computer is only used whilst there are adults in the room.
All educational games and video links used to carry out our curriculum are all checked and suitable for the Playgroup age group to be watching.
All staff members are asked to put their phones into our phone basket at the start of the morning (see separate Mobile phone policy) and will have no access to the internet or cameras throughout the course of the morning.
The policy was adopted by Laleham Church Playgroup at a meeting on......2nd December 2021
Signed on behalf of Laleham Church Playgroup...........................................
Louise Hawthorn is the appointed Health and Safety Officer and Fire Warden
Contact details:
Piccadilly Gate
Store Street
Manchester
M1 2WD
Telephone: 0300 470 9100 between 9am-5pm from Monday to Friday
Email: csmash@surreycc.gov.uk
Secure email: csmash@surreycc.gcsx.gov.uk
· Emergency number for Ambulance, Police, Fire Service - 999
Significant Occurrences include:
· a break in, burglary, or theft of personal or the setting's property;
· an intruder gaining unauthorised access to the premises;
· a fire, flood, gas leak or electrical failure;
· an attack on a member of staff or parent on the premises or nearby;
· any racist incident involving staff or family on the setting's premises;
· a notifiable disease or illness, or an outbreak of food poisoning affecting two or more children looked after on the premises;
· the death of a child or adult,
· a terrorist attack, or threat of one.