Our Policies

Download our Medication policy

Sickness and Illness
At Puddleducks we promote the good health of all children attending. To help keep children
healthy and minimise infection, we do not expect children to attend nursery if they are
unwell. If a child is unwell it is in their best interest to be in a home environment with their
own family they know well rather than at nursery with their peers.

Our procedures
In order to take appropriate action of children who become ill and to minimise the spread of
infection we implement the following procedures:  If a child becomes ill during the nursery day, we contact their parent(s) and ask them
to pick up their child as soon as possible. During this time we care for the child in a
quiet, calm area with their key person, wherever possible
 We follow the guidance given to us by Public Health England (Health Protection In
Schools and other childcare facilities) and advice from our local health protection
unit on exclusion times for specific illnesses, e.g. sickness and diarrhoea, measles and
chicken pox, Covid 19 to protect other children in the nursery
 Should a child have an infectious disease, such as sickness and diarrhoea, they must
not return to nursery until they have been clear for at least 48 hours or longer if this
is the advice for that particular illness. We inform all parents if there is a contagious
infection identified in the nursery, to enable them to spot the early signs of this
illness. We thoroughly clean and sterilise all equipment and resources that may have
come into contact with a contagious child to reduce the spread of infection
– We notify Ofsted as soon as possible and in all cases within 14 days of the incident
where we have any child or staff member with food poisoning
– We exclude all children on antibiotics for the first 48 hours of the course (unless this
is part of an ongoing care plan to treat individual medical conditions e.g. asthma and
the child is not unwell) This is because it is important that children are not subjected
to the rigours of the nursery day, which requires socialising with other children and
being part of a group setting, when they have first become ill and require a course of
antibiotics
– We have the right to refuse admission to a child who is unwell. This decision will be
taken by the manager on duty and is non-negotiable, this is done with the child’s
best interest in mind
– We make information/posters about head lice readily available and all parents are
requested to regularly check their children’s hair. If a parent finds that their child has
head lice we would be grateful if they could inform the nursery so that other parents
can be alerted to check their child’s hair.

Meningitis and Covid 19 procedure
If a parent informs the nursery that their child has meningitis or covid 19 (with covid 19 any
family member living in that houselhold), the nursery manager will contact the Local Area
Infection Control (IC) Nurse. The IC Nurse will give guidance and support in each individual
case. If parents do not inform the nursery, we will be contacted directly by the IC Nurse and
the appropriate support will be given. We will follow all guidance given and notify any of the
appropriate authorities including Ofsted if necessary. ​
Transporting children to hospital procedure
The nursery manager/staff member must:
– Call for an ambulance immediately if the sickness is severe. DO NOT attempt to
transport the sick child in your own vehicle
– Whilst waiting for the ambulance, contact the parent(s) and arrange to meet them at
the hospital
– 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
– 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
– 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.

If you are a new parent starting with nursery for the first time, this may sound slightly
alarming, however, we always do all we can to keep children healthy and well and will
contact you as soon as we can should the need arise.

We thank you for always following our policy.

We nurture……they grow

Intimate Care – Download

Intimate Care
At Puddleducks we believe that all children need contact with familiar, consistent carers to
ensure they can grow and develop socially and emotionally. At times children need to be
cuddled, encouraged, held and offered physical reassurance.

Intimate care routines are essential throughout the day to meet children’s basic needs. This
may include nappy changing, supporting children with toileting, changing clothes, and giving
first aid treatment and specialist medical support, where required.

In order to maintain the child’s privacy, we will carry out the majority of these actions on a
one-to-one basis, wherever possible, by the child’s key person with the exception of first aid
treatment which must be carried out by a qualified first aider.
We wish to ensure the safety and welfare of children during intimate care routines and
safeguard them against any potential harm as well as ensuring the staff member involved is
fully supported and able to perform their duties safely and confidently. We aim to support
all parties through the following actions:
 Promoting consistent and caring relationships through the key person system in the
nursery and ensuring all parents understand how this works
 Ensuring all staff undertaking intimate care routines have suitable enhanced DBS
checks
 Training all staff in the appropriate methods for intimate care routines and arranging
specialist training where required, i.e. first aid training, specialist medical support
 Ensuring children are afforded privacy during intimate care routines whilst balancing
this with the need to safeguard children and staff. No nappies will be changed or
intimate routines take place behind closed doors
 Conducting thorough inductions for all new staff to ensure they are fully aware of all
nursery procedures relating to intimate care routines
 Following up procedures through supervision meetings and appraisals to identify any
areas for development or further training
 Working closely with parents on all aspects of the child’s care and education as laid
out in the Parent and Carers as Partners Policy. This is essential for intimate care
routines which require specialist training or support. If a child requires specific
support the nursery will arrange a meeting with the parent to discover all the
relevant information relating to this to enable the staff to care for the child fully and
meet their individual needs
 Ensuring all staff have an up-to-date understanding of safeguarding/child protection
and how to protect children from harm. This will include identifying signs and
symptoms of abuse and how to raise these concerns as set out in the
safeguarding/child protection policy
 Operating a whistleblowing policy to help staff raise any concerns about their peers
or managers; and helping staff develop confidence in raising worries as they arise in
order to safeguard the children in the nursery​
 Conducting working practice observations on all aspects of nursery operations to
ensure that procedures are working in practice and all children are supported fully by
the staff. This includes intimate care routines
 Conducting regular risk assessments on all aspects of the nursery operation including
intimate care and reviewing the safeguards in place. The nursery has assessed all the
risks relating to intimate care routines and has placed appropriate safeguards in place
to ensure the safety of all involved.

If any parent or member of staff has concerns or questions about intimate care procedures
or individual routines, please see the manager at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you for following this policy

We nurture… …they grow

Data Protection and Confidentiality

At Puddleducks we recognise that we hold sensitive/confidential information about children
and their families and the staff we employ. This information is used to meet children’s needs,
for registers, invoices and emergency contacts. We store all records in a locked cabinet or on
the office computer with files that are password protected in line with data protection
principles. Any information shared with the staff team is done on a ‘need to know’ basis and
treated in confidence. This policy will work alongside the Privacy Notice to ensure
compliance under General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR)
and Data Protection Act 2018.

Legal requirements 

We follow the legal requirements set out in the Statutory Framework for the Early
Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2017 and accompanying regulations about the
information we must hold about registered children and their families and the staff
working at the nursery

We follow the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation
(EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and the Freedom of Information Act
2000 with regard to the storage of data and access to it.
Procedures
It is our intention to respect the privacy of children and their families and we do so by:
 Storing confidential records in a locked filing cabinet or on the office computer with
files that are password protected
 Ensuring staff, student and volunteer inductions include an awareness of the
importance of confidentiality and that information about the child and family is not
shared outside of the nursery other than with relevant professionals who need to
know that information. It is not shared with friends and family, discussions on the
bus or at the local bar. If staff breach any confidentiality provisions, this may result in
disciplinary action and, in serious cases, dismissal. Students on placement in the
nursery are advised of our confidentiality policy and required to respect it
 Ensuring that all staff, volunteers and students are aware that this information is
confidential and only for use within the nursery and to support the child’s best
interests with parental permission
 Ensuring that parents have access to files and records of their own children but not
to those of any other child, other than where relevant professionals such as the
police or local authority children’s social care team decide this is not in the child’s
best interest
 Ensuring all staff are aware that this information is confidential and only for use
within the nursery setting. If any of this information is requested for whatever
reason, the parent’s permission will always be sought other than in the
circumstances above
 Ensuring staff do not discuss personal information given by parents with other
members of staff, except where it affects planning for the child’s needs​
 Ensuring staff, students and volunteers are aware of and follow our social networking
policy in relation to confidentiality
 Ensuring issues concerning the employment of staff remain confidential to the
people directly involved with making personnel decisions
 Ensuring any concerns/evidence relating to a child’s personal safety are kept in a
secure, confidential file and are shared with as few people as possible on a ‘need-to-
know’ basis. If, however, a child is considered at risk, our safeguarding/child
protection policy will override confidentiality.
All the undertakings above are subject to the paramount commitment of the nursery, which
is to the safety and well-being of the child.

General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) compliance
In order to meet our requirements under GDPR we will also undertake the following:
1. We will ensure our terms & conditions, privacy and consent notices are easily
accessed/made available in accurate and easy to understand language
2. We will use your data only for emails, contact information, funding and learning
book. We will not share or use your data for other purposes
3. Everyone in our nursery understands that people have the right to access their
records or have their records amended or deleted (subject to other laws and
regulations).

Staff and volunteer information
 All information and records relating to staff will be kept confidentially in a locked
cabinet
 Individual staff may request to see their own personal file at any time.
Thank you for following our policy
We nurture… …they grow

At Puddleducks we aim to 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 the nursery in order to
supervise the children in their care suitably.

Supervision
We ensure that children are supervised adequately at all times, whether children are in or
out of the building 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
 Staff will support children to identify, minimise and manage risks in their play
 Making sure staff recognise and are aware of any dangers relating to bushes, shrubs
and plants when on visits/outdoors
 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
 Never leaving babies/children unattended during nappy changing times
 Supervising children carefully when using scissors or tools, including using knives in
cooking activities where this is required
 Increasing staff: child ratios during outings to ensure supervision and safety (please
refer to Outings policy)
 Strictly following any safety guidelines given by other organisations or companies
relating to the hire of equipment or services e.g. hire of a bouncy castle and a
member of staff MUST supervise the children at all times.

Thank you for following our policy

We nurture… …they grow

At Puddleducks we have an adverse weather policy in place to ensure our nursery is
prepared for all weather conditions that might affect the running of 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 the parents text message service and email.
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 critical incident procedure to enable all children and
staff to be safe and continuity of care to be planned for.

Snow or other 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 nursery 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 the nursery.

Thank you for following our policy

We nurture… …the grow

At Puddleducks 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:  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

 Children must have their own labelled high factor sun cream with prior written
consent for staff to apply. This enables children to have sun cream suitable for their
own individual needs. Staff must be aware of the expiry date and discard sunscreen
after this date
 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 the 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 not be allowed in the direct
sunlight between 11.00am – 3.00pm on hot days
 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 to ensure children are able to still go out in hot weather, cool
down or escape the sun should they wish or need to.

Thank you for following our policy

We nurture… …they grow

Mobile phones and other devices that accept calls, messages and video calling

At Puddleducks we promote the safety and welfare of all children in our care. We believe our
staff should be completely attentive during their hours of working to ensure all children in
the nursery receive good quality care and education.

To ensure the safety and well-being of children we do not allow staff to use personal mobile
phones, smartwatches and/or Fitbits during working hours.

We use mobile phones supplied by the nursery to provide a means of contact in certain
circumstances, such as outings.

Staff must adhere to the following:
 Mobile phones/smartwatches/Fitbits are either turned off or on silent and not
accessed during your working hours
 Mobile phones/smartwatches/Fitbits can only be used on a designated break and
then this must be away from the children
 Mobile phones/smartwatches/Fitbits should be stored in the office in the box
provided at all times during the hours of your working day
 The use of nursery devices, such as tablets, must only be used for nursery purposes
 The nursery devices will not have any social media or messaging apps on them
 Any apps downloaded onto nursery devices must be done only by management. This
will ensure only age and content appropriate apps are accessible to staff, or children
using them
 Passwords/passcodes for nursery devices must not be shared or written down, and
will be changed regularly
 During outings, staff will use mobile phones belonging to the nursery wherever
possible. Photographs must not be taken of the children on any personal phones or
any other personal information storage device. Only nursery owned devices will be
used to take photographs or film videos
 Nursery devices will not be taken home with staff and will remain secure at the
setting when not in use. If a device is needed to be taken home due to unforeseen
circumstances then the person taking this device home must ensure it is securely
stored and not accessed by another other individual and returned to nursery as soon
as practically possible

Parents’ and visitors’ use of mobile phones and smartwatches
Whilst we recognise that there may be emergency situations which necessitate the use of a
mobile telephone, in order to ensure the safety and welfare of children in our care and share
information about the child’s day. However parents and visitors are kindly asked to refrain
from using their mobile telephones whilst in the nursery or when collecting or dropping
off their children. If you are found to be using your phone inside the nursery premises you
will be asked to finish the call or take the call outside. ​
We do this to ensure all children are safeguarded and the time for dropping off and picking
up is a quality handover opportunity where we can share details about your child.
Visitors are requested to leave their mobile phones or smart watches in the safety of the
office where they will be locked away safely.
Parents are requested not to allow their child to wear or bring in devices that may take
photographs or record videos or voices. This includes smart watches with these capabilities,
such as Vtech. This ensures all children are safeguarded and also protects their property as it
may get damaged or misplaced at the nursery.

Photographs and videos
At Puddleducks we recognise that photographs and video recordings play a part in the life of
the nursery. We ensure that any photographs or recordings taken of children in our nursery
are only done with prior written permission from each child’s parent and only share photos
with parents in a secure manner. We will obtain this permission when each child is
registered and update it on a regular basis to ensure that this permission is still valid.
We ask for individual permissions for photographs and video recordings for a range of
purposes including: use in the child’s learning journey; for display purposes; for promotion
materials including our nursery website, brochure and the local press; and the different
social media platforms we use. We ensure that parents understand that where their child is
also on another child’s photograph, but not as the primary person, that may be used in
another child’s learning journey. Photographs and videos will not be taken in areas where
intimate care routines are carried out.

If a parent is not happy about one or more of these uses, we will respect their wishes and
find alternative ways of recording their child’s play or learning.

The nursery manager will monitor all photographs and recordings to ensure that the
parents’ wishes are met and children are safeguarded.

Photographs or videos recorded on nursery mobile devices will be transferred to the correct
storage device to ensure no images are left on these mobile devices.

Parents, and children, are not permitted to use any recording device or camera (including
those on mobile phones or smartwatches) on the nursery premises without the prior
consent of the manager.

During special events, e.g. Christmas or leaving parties, staff may produce group
photographs to distribute to parents on request. In this case we will gain individual
permission for each child before the event. This will ensure all photographs taken are in line
with parental choice. We ask that photos of events such as Christmas parties are not posted
on any social media websites/areas without permission from parents of all the children
included in the picture.​

At Puddleducks we use tablets in the rooms to take photos of the children and record these
directly on to their electronic learning journeys. We ensure that these devices are used for
this purpose only and do not install applications such as social media or messaging sites on
to these devices.

We also do routine checks to ensure that emails and text messages not been sent from
these devices

Thank you for following our policy

We nurture… …they grow

At Puddleducks 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 accident files: In the 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 Accident Form and report it to the 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 Accident Report, informed of any first aid treatment given and asked to
sign it on the same day, or as soon as reasonably practicable after
 The nursery manager reviews the accident forms at least monthly for patterns, e.g.
one child having a repeated number of accidents, a particular area in the 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
 The nursery manager will report serious accidents to the registered person for
investigation for further action to be taken (i.e. a full risk assessment or report under
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR))  The Accident File will be kept for at least 21 years and three months
 Where medical attention is required, a senior member of staff will notify the
parent(s) as soon as possible whilst caring for the child appropriately
 Where medical treatment is required the nursery manager will follow the insurance
company procedures, which may involve informing them in writing of the accident
 The nursery manager/registered provider will report any accidents of a serious
nature to Ofsted and the local authority children’s social care team (as the local child
protection agency), where necessary. Where relevant such accidents will also be
reported to the local authority environmental health department or the Health and
Safety Executive and their advice followed. Notification must be made as soon as is
reasonably practical, but in any event within 14 days of the incident occurring.

Head injuries
If a child has a head injury in the setting then we will follow the following procedure:
 Calm the child
 Assess the child’s condition to ascertain if a hospital or ambulance is required. We
will follow our procedure for this if this is required (see below)

 If the skin is not broken we will administer a cold compress for short periods of time,
repeated until the parent arrives to collect their child
 If the skin is broken then we will follow our first aid training and stem the bleeding
 Call the parent and make them aware of the injury
 Complete the accident form
 Keep the child in a calm and quiet area whilst awaiting collection
 We will follow the advice on the NHS website as per all head injuries
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/minor-head-injury/
 For major head injuries we will follow our first aid training.
Transporting children to hospital procedure
The nursery manager/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 parent(s) 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: in the office and all going out bags
These 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 and
replaces items that have been used or are out of date.
First aid boxes should only contain items permitted by the Health and Safety (First Aid)
Regulations Act 1981, such as sterile dressings, bandages and eye pads. No other medical
items, such as paracetamol should be kept in them.
The managers are the appointed person(s) responsible for first aid
All of the staff are trained in paediatric first aid and this training is updated every three
years.
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, along with any medication that needs to be administered in anemergency, including inhalers etc.

Food Safety and play
Children are supervised during meal times and food is adequately cut up to reduce choking.
The use of food as a play material is discouraged. However, as we understand that learning
experiences are provided through exploring different malleable materials the following may
be used. These are risk assessed and presented differently to the way it would be presented
for eating e.g. in trays,
 Playdough
 Cornflour
 Dried pasta, rice and pulses.

Food items may also be incorporated into the role play area to enrich the learning
experiences for children, e.g. fruits and vegetables. Children will be fully supervised during
these activities.

Food that could cause a choking hazard, will not be used.

At Puddleducks we treat our responsibilities and obligations in respect of health and safety
as a priority and we provide ongoing training to all members of staff which reflects best
practice and is in line with current health and safety legislation.

We thank you for following our policy

We nurture… …they grow