Child Wellbeing & Illness Policies

​Children Taken Ill Whilst at Nursery

Children will be taken to a quiet place away from the group with a staff member to care for them
until their parent or carer arrives.
Whytebeams will contact the parent/carer or designated relative/friend to inform them of the
child’s condition and to collect the child.
Parents are asked to collect unwell children as soon as possible following the call for the child’s
wellbeing and to prevent the risk of cross infection.
In case of illness parents are required to provide their contact details and details of an emergency
back-up person who can be contacted to collect their child if they are unable to collect them for any
reason.
It is the parent’s responsibility to provide the staff with current telephone numbers where they can
be reached daily. Parents must advise the nursery of any change to emergency contact details
immediately and ensure all personal details are kept up to date.

Should I Keep My Child At Home?

Young children are better nursed at home within familiar surroundings when they are unwell. The
nursery environment is busy and only children who are well should attend. We recognise that it is
difficult for working parents to take time off to look after their sick children, but equally we have a
duty to protect all children in our care from infection.

Whytebeams will show regard to the UKHSA (UK health security agency) Guidance ‘Health
protection in children and young people settings’.

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The Nursery Manager or Deputy will assess any individual cases of infection based on the guidance
and other factors which may affect the overall health and wellbeing of our children. You should
discuss any concerns with them so a decision can be made in the best interests of the child and the
group. It is the decision of the manager or deputy if time away from nursery is needed.

Golden Rules for Children Under Five

Please always tell staff if our child is slightly unwell or you think they might be coming down with
something.
Young children who are known to be unwell and not their usual selves should be cared for at home.
Children should not be given medication such as Calpol and sent into nursery without telling the
nursery manager. Symptoms may be masked and this could put your child’s health at risk.
If a child has a fever, they are probably fighting an infection and should be kept at home until 48
hours have passed after the fever has gone.
Children must not come into nursery if they are vomiting or have diarrhoea. They must be kept
away for 48 hours after the vomiting or diarrhoea has ceased.
Children with impetigo should not attend nursery for 48 hours from when they have started their
treatment or until the lesions have dried out. Children with open sores that cannot be covered with
a dressing should not attend nursery.
Children with chicken pox must be kept at home until all scabs are dry (usually 5 days after the last
crop of blisters).
Colds are infectious. A mild cold will cause a little distress. However, a child with a heavy cold or flu
and or a temperature should be nursed at home.
Children who have been prescribed antibiotics should remain at home for the first 72 hours after the
course begins.

We kindly ask all parents to respect our golden rules

Procedure for Taking a Child to Hospital

Ring for an ambulance, if necessary or if in any doubt.
Inform the child’s parent/carer or emergency contact by telephone and advised which hospital the
child is enroute to.
If a child is taken by ambulance, one staff member should accompany the child if the parent is not
present, and the enrolment form should be taken to handover.
If the parent arrives at nursery before the ambulance departs, a staff member may also attend with
the parent to handover if ratios allow.
If a child is taken by taxi, one member of staff should accompany the child if the parent is there, two
if the parent is not present. Parents will be advised of which hospital the child is enroute to.
If under staffing occurs in this instance, every effort will be made to contact another member of staff
to provide cover.

Child Clothing Policy

To offer an extensive curriculum the nursery encourages daily use of the outdoor play spaces,
regardless of the weather conditions. It is essential that children are clothed appropriately for their
day at nursery. In winter your child will require suitable outdoor clothing including a winter coat,
gloves and hat. In the summer they will require a named sun hat and sun cream - see our Sun
Protection Policy

We hope parents can appreciate the importance of messy, creative activities for children. The staff
endeavour to protect children’s clothing, however, we would request your child is dressed
appropriately in consideration of this.

Parents should please ensure that their child :

Comes to nursery suitably dressed for a day of play and for the days weather conditions.
Brings a small named bag each day, including a spare change of clothes and underwear in case of
any accidents. Please add nappies (not pull ups) and wipes if your child is not yet toilet trained.
Has a coat suitable for the weather, unless it is very warm.
Is wearing comfortable easy to change clothing such as, tracksuit bottoms, leggings, skirts or dresses
in summer, t-shirts, long sleeved tops, jumpers or cardigans. We discourage vests with poppers and
tights and dungarees as these are difficult for children and staff to remove easily.
Wears well-fitting plimsolls or soft shoes for their safety when running climbing and playing on the
floor. No boots, crocs or sandals please.
All clothing and any items brought to Nursery MUST BE CLEARLY NAMED. Unfortunately, the nursery
cannot be responsible for the loss of un-named items or for any damage caused to clothing during
usual activities.

Jewellery

As our nursery is a place of play and adventure, we do not advise children wearing jewellery for their
own safety. Our guidance is that children with pierced ears should wear small, studded earrings only
and not looped earrings that could be caught on clothing or equipment. Necklaces can be
dangerous, and we advise they are not worn by children. Any precious or valuable items should not
be brought in or worn to nursery and we cannot take responsibility for the loss or damage of these.

Pet & Animal Policy

Whytebeams value pets, animals, and creatures as part of our learning and curriculum. In May/June,
we purchase caterpillars from an educational company and watch them transform into butterflies.
Children will have the opportunity to help release them in the nursery garden when the time comes.
We have other creatures of interest in our garden such as ants, worms and resident snails!

As part of our curriculum, we routinely teach children respect for the world and all its creatures by
modelling and encouraging the gentle handling of any creature a child may encounter. Sometimes
animals visit us such as guide dogs as part of our learning and curriculum. Parents will be advised in
advance of such activities. When animals come into the nursery and during these times, we will carry
out a risk assessment and follow policy to ensure the safety of children and adults at all times.
Children will always be supervised at or above the requited ratio. Parents are at liberty to withdraw
their child from such activities if they so wish and should advise the nursery if their child has animal
allergies. Any children with known animal triggering allergies will be offered an alternative activity.
Good hygiene will be observed whenever animals are handled and hands will always be washed
thoroughly afterwards.