Policies and Procedures
What are policies and procedures?
A policy is
a collectively agreed statement of beliefs
a course of action recommended or adopted by an organisation
a document that informs procedures
A procedure is
a way of doing something
a written method or course of action to be taken in particular circumstances
Some benefits of having policies and procedures
A baseline for all practise in settings which helps underpin decisions made every day
Helps settings meet all the statutory requirements and have regard to the statutory guidance laid out in the Early Years Foundation Stage
They provides parents with the underlying ethos behind your setting
Provides parents with a clear understanding of the service you provide
Children benefit from a consistent approach
Helps managers train new practitioners to the required standard of practise
Where do I start?
By using the EYFS Statutory Guidance you can decide which policies and procedures you will need. The list is not exhaustive and you may have many more. Once you have made your list you need to begin to share ideas, thoughts and practise with the staff team and parents about different aspects of practise. Begin to collate the information which will give you an idea about what needs to be written down.
Once a draft policy or procedure has been written it needs to be available for the whole staff team and parents to read as they need to be easily understood and followed. Changes can be made before the policy or procedure is finally adopted.
All new parents and staff should be given a set of policies and procedures during the initial induction to the setting.
Policies and procedures should be regularly reviewed and monitored. Changes should be made where necessary in consultation with the staff team and parents.
Contact your development worker for further support regarding policies and procedures.
Useful websites
