Policy statement

Our setting believes that children flourish best when their personal, social and emotional needs are met and where there are clear and developmentally appropriate expectations for their behaviour.

Children need to learn to consider the views and feelings, needs and rights, of others and the impact that their behaviour has on people, places and objects. This is a developmental task that requires support, encouragement, teaching and setting the correct example. The principles that underpin how we achieve positive and considerate behaviour exist within the programme for promoting personal, social and emotional development.

Children will be valued and praised and will be encouraged to value themselves and their peers at all times and be positive in their behaviour and social skills.

Every child is recognised as an individual and the pre-school recognises that children learn to manage their own behaviour as a process of development, drawing on their own experiences and the example of role models.

Children are encouraged to develop a sense of right and wrong and they are encouraged to participate and co-operate in the social organisation of the pre-school.

Practitioners will be aware of the power of praise to achieve desirable behaviour in others.

Good behaviour will be rewarded with praise and sometimes other rewards such as stickers and choice of activity.

When children behave in unacceptable ways:

Physical punishment, such as smacking or shaking will neither be used nor threatened.

Children will never be sent out of the room alone.

Ways of singling out children in order to humiliate will not be used.

When appropriate a short period of time out will be implemented in order to encourage calming down and reflection.

Children who misbehave will be given one-to-one adult support in seeing what was wrong and working towards a better outcome.

In cases of serious misbehaviour, it will always be made clear to the child (or children) in question that is the behaviour and not the child that is unwelcome.

Practitioners will not shout or raise their voices in a threatening way.

Practitioners in pre-school will make themselves aware, and respect a range of cultural expectations regarding interactions between people.

Any behaviour problems will be handled in a developmentally and appropriate fashion, respecting individual children's level of understanding and maturity.

Recurring problems will be tackled by the whole Pre-school, in partnership with the child's parents, using objective observation records to establish an understanding of the cause.

Practitioners will be aware that some kinds of behaviour may arise to form a child's additional needs.

We keep parents informed of their child's behaviour, particularly if there are any changes to it.

Practitioners meet regularly to discuss behaviour management issues and strategies.

Practitioners are encouraged to attend training in behaviour management when available.

Physical Intervention

CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH PHYSICAL INTERVENTION MAY BE APPROPRIATE INCLUDE;

• Preventing a child having an accident eg child running into a dangerous situation such as a road.
• Preventing injury or damage eg if a child has a temper tantrum
• Preventing a child injuring another.

ALTERNATIVES TO PHYSICAL INTERVENTION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FIRST;

• Withdrawing other children and adults from situation
• Distracting/redirecting child's attention

IF PHYSICAL INTERVENTION IS DEEMED APPROPRIATE IT SHOULD BE ACHIEVED WITH MINIMUM FORCE AND DURATION

IF INTERVENTION IS USED A FORM is COMPLETED BY ADULT INVOLVED AND SIGNED BY PERSON IN CHARGE. PARENTS/CARERS ARE INFORMED AND ASKED TO SIGN FORM.

NB STAFF GIVING COMFORT BY HOLDING A CHILD WHEN THEY ARE DISTRESSED OR UPSET IS NOT PHYSICAL INTERVENTION.