Rossall Nursery's Policy: Promoting Diversity & Access in Early Childhood Education, Exercises of Religion

Download Rossall Nursery's Policy: Promoting Diversity & Access in Early Childhood Education and more Exercises Religion in PDF only on Docsity! EYFS Inclusion and Equality Inclusion is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging. Inclusive early years practice is about anticipating, paying attention, responding to and reflecting on the needs and interests of all children. A commitment to inclusion should permeate all aspects of the design of educational programmes and the structuring of environments, as well as shaping every interaction with children, parents and other professionals (Birth to 5 Matters, 2021). Statement of intent In the EYFS at Rossall we take great care to treat each individual as a person in their own right, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all staff, children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin, or political belief has no place within our nursery. A commitment to implementing our inclusion and equality policy is part of each employee’s job description. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of the Nursery Manager or the Head of Preparatory school at the earliest opportunity. Appropriate steps will then be taken to investigate the matter and if such concerns are well-founded, the nursery’s disciplinary policy will be followed. The legal framework for this policy is based on: ● Special Education Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice 2015 ● Children and Families Act 2014 ● Equality Act 2010 ● Childcare Act 2016 ● Children Act 2014 ● Care Standards Act 2014 ● Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001. The EYFS team are committed to: ● Recruiting, selecting, training and promoting individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, the nursery will ensure that no job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, sex, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity/paternity ● Creating a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued. ● Providing a childcare place, wherever possible, for children who may have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances, and the nursery’s ability to provide the necessary standard of care ● Making reasonable adjustments for children with special educational needs and disabilities ● Striving to promote equal access to services and projects by taking practical steps (wherever possible and reasonable), such as ensuring access to people with additional needs and by producing materials in relevant languages and media for all children and their families ● Providing a secure environment in which all our children can flourish and all contributions are valued ● Including and valuing the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity ● Providing positive non-stereotypical information ● Continually improving our knowledge and understanding of issues of equality, inclusion and diversity ● Regularly reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive practices to ensure they promote and value diversity and difference and that the policy is effective and practices are non-discriminatory ● Making inclusion a thread which runs through the entirety of the nursery, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play and activities, promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour (see dealing with discriminatory behaviour policy). Admissions/service provision The Nursery is accessible to all children and families in the local community and further afield through a comprehensive and inclusive admissions policy. The Nursery will strive to ensure that all services and projects are accessible and relevant to all groups and individuals in the community within targeted age groups. Recruitment Recruitment, promotion and other selection exercises such as redundancy selection will be conducted on the basis of merit, against objective criteria that avoid discrimination. Shortlisting should be done by more than one person if possible. Application forms will be sent out along with a copy of the equal opportunities monitoring form. Application forms will not include questions that potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent. Vacancies should generally be advertised to a diverse section of the labour market. Advertisements should avoid stereotyping or using wording that may discourage particular groups from applying. At the interview, no questions are posed which potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent. All candidates are asked the same questions and members of the selection group will not introduce nor use any personal knowledge of candidates acquired outside the selection process. Candidates are given the opportunity to receive feedback on the reasons why they were not successful.