At Freshfields Nursery School, safeguarding children, families and employees is of paramount importance to us. All employees of the nursery school work with children, parents, external agencies and the wider community to ensure the welfare and safety of children.

To ensure the best possible practices and support for all, at Freshfields Nursery School we have five Designated Safeguarding Leads who are, as the title suggests, designated to take the lead responsibility for safeguarding children, parents and employees whilst they are in our care. They also offer support to families and our open door policy allows opportunity for confidential discussion and support to those who seek it.

We have many Designated Safeguarding leads at Freshfields, including our Duty Managers. Each Designated Lead must provide support, advice and guidance to any other staff on an ongoing basis and on any specific safeguarding issues as required, updating their skills as and when deemed necessary by the local authority, but with a minimum of every two years.

All staff receive Child Protection training every three years and new staff are put on the next available training course after the commencement of employment.

Other ways that we safeguard children are through having very robust recruitment procedures; relevant staff have received Safer Employment training and all prospective candidates are made aware, at all stages of the recruitment process, that Freshfields Nursery School is committed to safeguarding children. All new employees are required to have an Enhanced Disclosure DBS check made, and a clear disclosure along with two references must be received prior to commencement of employment.

We have a secure finger-print and intercom door entry system which ensures that no unauthorised person can enter the buildings randomly.

Use of mobile phones is not permitted anywhere on the nursery site by any parents, carers, staff, students, visitors or contractors. Staff may only have access to their phones at lunch times on the top floor of the coach house in the staffroom, which is not accessed by any children. All staff have access to lockers and their phones are locked away during the times they are working.

Classroom staff and maintenance personnel carry out daily safety checks, inside and outside the building to ensure that everywhere is safe that day for the children. Any concerns are reported to the office where they are logged and dealt with in order of priority. Risk assessments are carried out on all classrooms and areas of the nursery, trips and outings, and for other things as necessary. All risk assessments are reviewed regularly and updated as necessary.

Freshfields Nursery School prides itself on everything that it offers each child and their family. However, our highest priority is always keeping children as safe as they can be.