At Ladybird Pre-School Nursery we recognise that qualifications and training make an important contribution to the quality of the care and education we provide. As part of our commitment to quality, we offer placements to students undertaking early years qualifications and training.
For students on placement with us we aim to provide experiences that contribute to the successful completion of their studies and that provide examples of good quality practice in early years and education.
Procedures
- At the Nursery we require students on qualification courses to meet the Suitable Person requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and have a satisfactory enhanced DBS check with barred list check(s).
- We require all students in the Nursery to have a sufficient understanding and use of English to contribute to the well-being of children in our care.
- We require Schools, Colleges and Universities placing students under the age of 18 years with us at the Nursery to vouch for their good character.
- We always supervise students under the age of 18 years and do not allow them to have unsupervised access to children.
- Students undertaking qualification courses who are placed in the Nursery on a short-term basis are not counted in staffing ratios.
- Trainee staff and students over the age of 18 years may be included in the ratios if they are deemed competent and responsible.
- At the Nursery we take out employer’s liability insurance and public liability insurance, which covers both students and voluntary helpers.
- We require students to sign and keep to the Nursery’s Confidentiality agreement.
- We co-operate with student’s tutors in order to help students to fulfil the requirements of their course of study.
- We provide students, at the first session of their placement, with an induction on how the Nursery is managed, how the sessions are organised and a brief insight into our policies and procedures and where these are kept if they need to refer to them.
- At the Nursery we communicate a positive message to students about the value of qualifications and training.
- We make the needs of the children paramount by not admitting students in numbers that hinder the essential work of the Nursery.
- We ensure that trainees and students placed with us at the Nursery are engaged in bona fide early years training, which provides the necessary background understanding of the children’s development and activities.
