Behaviour Policy
Whytebeams recognises that good staff practice and awareness of conduct promotes positive behaviour. This will be reflected in staff training opportunities, supervision and appraisals. All staff are responsible for behaviour management with overall responsibility lying with the manager and deputy managers.
At Whytebeams we actively seek to provide a happy and secure environment where there are rules and boundaries, and all children are offered equality of care. We promote positive behaviour and ensure any sanctions resulting from unwanted behaviour are firm but fair .It is important that we work closely with parents to establish clear boundaries and share behaviour related information.
We aim to;
Provide an atmosphere, which is safe, caring, stimulating and free from anxiety of bullying, discrimination or physical threat or verbal abuse. Ensure that the staff, parents, visitors and children behave towards each other with mutual respect, consideration and tolerance, in line with our Inclusion, Equality and Diversity Policy. Ensure that staff, parents, visitors and children, all respect the feelings, interests, needs and opinions of other people and to develop a positive attitude to everyone involved in the nursery.
Encourage the children to develop high standards of behaviour and self-respect. This will be best achieved by positively encouraging the children to do their best and praise their efforts. Actively involve children in setting rules and boundaries, asking them what quantifies good behaviour and kindness and what does not. Reinforce the value of positive behaviour during discussion time with the children and in play. Encourage the children to care for their environment and resources and understand the importance of sharing, turn taking and following routines and boundaries, Develop a partnership with the parents, consulting on and devising behavioural strategies, recognising the individuality of each child and family setting.
Behaviour Code
Kind and Considerate
Being on good terms with each other and behave in a friendly manner.
Courteous
Being polite and helpful at all times to all children and adults in the nursery, or who may be visiting the nursery.
Respectful
Respect the views and opinions of others.
Respect the property of others.
Honest and Responsible
Being truthful at all times and taking responsibility for your actions.
Co-operative and Inclusive
Be willing to work together and include everyone.
We will not accept
Bullying – verbal, physical or threatening behaviour.
Fighting – including aggressive play or any behaviour that may result in conflict.
Discrimination
Deliberate damage to equipment
Whytebeams asks for the co-operation of all parents/carers in recognising and upholding this behaviour policy.
Promoting Positive Behaviour
Positive behaviour and managing behaviour are an integral part of children’s personal, social and emotional skills and well-being. Our staff understand children’s needs, level of development, personal characteristics, and specific circumstances, making them able to support children’s behaviour and ensure their individual needs are understood and met. Children need consistent messages, clear boundaries and guidance to intrinsically manage their behaviour through self-reflection and control. At Whytebeams we actively model and promote positive behaviour in our daily work and interactions with children offering praise when this is achieved. The group can then see what’s expected and hopefully learn this together.
We find it best not to provide ‘excessive praise’ as this can cause increased anxiety in the long run with children not feeling fulfilled unless praised. When children behave as expected we calmy offer praise with a ‘well done’, ‘thank you for following the rules’ or thumbs up and smile. Children who show responsible behaviour will be encouraged to do small tasks and help adults as a way of building on their positive behaviour and skills. We hope that when peers see this, they will follow the example and if not, there is no feeling of loss. Appropriate supervision at the required ratios means we may be able to pre-empt and diffuse a volatile situation and whilst staff cannot reasonably see everything, they are alert to potential situations. Negative behaviour may be ignored so long as it is not harmful so as not to give attention to it.
Managing Disputes
When attending nursery for the first time, young children are faced with a wide variety of new experiences, toys and people. Depending on their ability to manage emotions some children can struggle to deal with powerful emotions and feelings as they try to develop and master the complex skills needed to communicate, negotiate and socialise with their peers in a new environment. Staff are aware of this and are always on hand to model, guide and support children in skills such as turn taking and sharing which can often instigate minor conflicts between children. During minor disputes, staff help children to reflect and regulate their actions and, in most instances, children learn how to resolve minor disputes themselves. This approach builds the child’s confidence and skills for life, rather than have the adult do it for them. Children will not be made to give something to another child just because they request it, but rather support them to ask for a turn, then wait and use a timer to initiate the swap. The child giving up the toy in time will receive a ‘thank you for sharing.’ This supports both children. However, some incidents may be more serious and need a strategic approach especially if the behaviour causes harm or distress to the child or others or is ongoing without improvement.
Managing Unacceptable Behaviour
Unacceptable, unkind or destructive behaviour can have an unsettling and negative effect on the whole group as well as they child involved and must be managed carefully in the following way;
Unacceptable behaviour will be dealt with promptly, fairly, calmly and consistently by all staff members. All children involved will be supported. Children who are exposed to unacceptable behaviour or are hurt will be supported and comforted to reaffirm their self-confidence and self-esteem. Staff may model empathy. First aid will be administered if necessary. A child who has caused hurt or upset will then be spoken to in a clear, calm, age-appropriate way about their actions and the consequences. From time to time, it may be necessary to give a child a short period of ‘reflection time’ with an adult. After a few minutes they would return to play, after staff have talked to them about their behaviour and positively encouraged them to play appropriately. Children will never be humiliated with regard to their behaviour. Physical punishment of any kind is never used or threatened. Physical intervention is sometimes needed to safeguard a child or children and must be carried out as per the guidance in this procedure. When incidents or serious incidents do occur, they will be investigated in a thorough and in a fair way, then recorded in our incident or behaviour log. Logs will be shared with the parents or carers of children involved and their signature will be required. We do not reveal names of other children, other than your own.
Unusual or Ongoing Behaviour Issues Where negative, concerning, or unwanted behaviour is persistent, unusual and a pattern emerges, the management team will be notified, if not already aware and will:
Look at any records, speak to the child’s keyworker and staff if necessary to gain a clear picture of the situation. Take into consideration any known factors that may be affecting them such as a new baby at home, house move or a parental separation. If a cause for the behaviour is not known or only occurs whilst in the setting, this must be taken into consideration and reasons considered/investigated. Speak to the child’s parents to see if the behaviour issues are prevalent at home and share thoughts and ideas. If relevant and appropriate the views of the child must be sought and considered to help identify a cause. Begin a behaviour record individual to the child so that incidents can be recorded and investigated to identify any possible pattern or trigger. This should be noted in the child’s file. This will help us decide on an appropriate action plan which will be noted on the log and shared with the team and parents if necessary for consistency. If a trigger is identified, then the key person and a member of management must meet with the parents to plan support for the child through a graduated approach. If relevant, actions for dealing with the behaviour at home are agreed with parents and incorporated into the action plan. Appropriate adjustments to practice must be considered and agreed within the setting. If relevant, a risk assessment should be carried out which parents will be asked to sign where the risk assessment relates to managing the behaviour of their child specifically. Inform parents of any behaviour log which continues beyond 1-2 initial isolated incidents or if there is one serious incident. They will be asked to sign the log. Monitor the progress every half term or sooner if required and record any improvements, or continuing issues on the log. Set a new action plan or stop using the log if all is well. If the adjustments are successful and the unwanted behaviour does not reoccur or cause concern then normal monitoring can resume. Meet with parents to share updates if required.
If Unacceptable Behaviour Does Not Improve Despite Regular Support:
If despite applying the above initial interventions the child’s behaviour continues to occur and/or is of significant concern, the management team or SENCO will:
Invite the parents to a meeting to discuss external referral and next steps for supporting the child. May decide that the setting request support from the Early Help team and/or other specialist services such as the Local Authority Area SENCO (Locality Lead) or healthcare professionals such as a paediatrician or educational psychologist which will help address most developmental or welfare concerns. Follow Safeguarding Procedures if the behaviour is part of other welfare concerns that include a concern that the child may be suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. Incorporate advice provided by external agencies in a child’s file via a SEN Support File and arrange regular multi-disciplinary meetings to review the child’s progress. If a review determines a statutory assessment may be needed then all relevant documentation must be collected in preparation for an Education Health and Care Assessment which may lead onto an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP.)
PHYSICAL INTERVENTION
Use of physical intervention
Staff will already use different elements of physical contact with a child as part of their interaction in the setting especially when they are comforting a child or giving first aid. However, physical intervention to keep a child or other children safe is different and should only be applied in exceptional circumstances after other behaviour methods have proved unsuccessful. The EYFS states that physical intervention from a staff member towards a child may be used for the purposes of “averting immediate danger of personal injury to any person (including the child) or to manage a child’s behaviour if it is absolutely necessary”.
To offer protection to children a range of appropriate graded interventions may be needed before physical intervention is applied. Most single incidents such as a child throwing a book on the floor or kicking a chair usually only require a verbal intervention from a member of staff. In other situations, an intervention can be applied through mechanical and environmental means such as locking doors or stair gates. This usually stops a situation escalating. However, there will be some situations where a child places themselves or others in danger which requires an immediate need for the use of both verbal and physical intervention. If a single or persistent incident requires a physical intervention such as physical handling from a staff member towards a child, then this is used intentionally to restrict a child’s movement against their will for their safety and that of others. In most cases this can be applied through the use of the adult’s body gently and safely blocking the child from access to danger or to prevent danger.
To physically intervene, an educator may use “reasonable force” to protect a child from injuring themselves or others. Legally an educator may also use reasonable force to prevent a child from damaging property. However, this would be unlikely in an early years setting and may only be relevant if damaging the property presented a risk to the child or the property is of high value.
If a situation arises which requires urgent physical hands-on intervention this is best applied by the staff who knows the child well such as their key person who is more able to calm them or use other known methods for defusing situations without physical intervention.
In the event of Physical Invention In the event that a child needs to be moved or restrained for their protection or the protection of others, the following guidance should be used;
Use a calm, gentle but firm approach and application of the intervention. Have 2 staff present Keep the child’s safety and well-being paramount Never restrict the child’s ability to breathe Avoid close head-to-head positioning to avoid injury to the child and the staff member (head butting) Only hold the child by their ‘long’ bones to avoid grasping at the child’s joints where pain and damage most likely to occur Avoiding lifting the child unless necessary Keeping the adults back as straight as possible if lifting is needed. Reassuring the child and talking about what has happened
Following a Physical Intervention, Recording and Notifying Parents
Staff will record this immediately on a physical intervention log and manager or deputy will be informed and asked to read and sign the form. The manager or deputy will decide who will notify the parent or carer. Notification will happen by speaking to the parent in confidence at collection time or sooner if necessary. The physical intervention log will be shared with them the same day and they will be asked to sign it, ensuring that it is clearly stated when and how parents were informed. The log will remain in the incident/accident book and a note will be made on the child’s file. An individual risk assessment should be completed after any physical intervention with a child which considers the risks and likelihood of such behaviour re-occurring and how this will be managed. The risk assessment should be agreed and signed by parents. Support and advice are available to parents on request and any concerns that the nursery or parents may have, can be discussed together at a mutually convenient time. Records are kept and may be shared in line with our data protection policy and privacy notice.
Physical handling and deciding the Risk
We use the principle of applying reasonable minimal force and handling in proportion to the situation. Staff use as little force as necessary to maintain safety and in order to care suitably for children. This intervention should only be used for as short a period as possible to keep the child safe and maintain well-being.
There are risks associated with any physical intervention and handling of a child. The younger and more vulnerable a child may be, the greater risk to the child of using physical intervention towards them. However, there are also risks to children associated with not intervening physically; for instance, if an educator did not take hold of a child by the wrist, they may have run into the path of a fast-moving car.
Before intervening physically to protect a child from immediate harm an educator needs to decision make in a split second, considering the following factors. This is described as dynamic risk assessment.
What is the immediate risk to this child if I do not intervene now? What might the risks be if I do intervene? If this was my child, what would I want someone looking after them to do in this situation? What is the minimum level of intervention that will be effective here? How can I do this as gently as possible for as short a time as possible and how am I going to manage myself to stay calm?