Policies

[Guest]

Hi

When do you update your policies, is it once a year.

Dorinda

[hali]

most settings review once per year - unless something changes and a policy needs revising - or you think of a new one

[Gezabel]

We formally review/up date annually but all ours are working documents and therefore amended as and when necessary eg: any new legislation is immediately added etc. We just write on the policy, date and sign the addition and when the policies are formally reviewed they are re-typed if they have been 'scrawled on' during the year.

[Guest Spiral]

We are introducing reading at least one policy before each staff & committee meeting and reviewing it on an ongoing basis. I think I got that idea from someone on this forum.

 

Hope it helps,

 

Spiral

[mps09]

Hi

 

I'm resurrecting this post - because I would like to ask another related question!!

 

When do you update/adopt revised policies? I've been told this MUST be done at the AGM, but I can't find any info to back this up. I thought they would just be amended as necessary through the year, and reviewed/adopted once a year even if there have been no changes.

 

Any advice greatfully received!!

[lynned55]

We now have so many policies that require constant updating and reviewing that I now just try to send to committee & staff prior to each committee meeting. If we reviewed all of ours at our AGM we would be there all night!! This way at least I can try and get through at least one every half term.

[enuffsenuf]

Hi

 

I'm resurrecting this post - because I would like to ask another related question!!

 

When do you update/adopt revised policies? I've been told this MUST be done at the AGM, but I can't find any info to back this up. I thought they would just be amended as necessary through the year, and reviewed/adopted once a year even if there have been no changes.

 

Any advice greatfully received!!

 

This depends on whether you are a committee run pre-school etc or a management run setting. Policies in my setting used to be done by the committee and thus adopted at the AGM however...because policies etc are now so complex and our committee may not be aux fait with all the necessary legislation etc. (I give you the posting on here about having a deputy without any qualification as suggested by chair as an example) that we now have our managers draw up the policies and endorse them and present them to the committee for a formal adoption but nothing else. We have a formal review of policies once a year but are constantly watchful for new procedures and restrictions etc which may mean we have to have them updated more frequently. For example in all the snow we recognised along with many others that we needed a policy in place for exceptional weather events so that parents knew whether we would be open/shut and how to contact us or find out...something that previously had not been thought about.

[Guest]

If you want to change your policies, is it enough for the committee to agree to them? In my preschool, the committee have previously sent out a letter for all parents to send back signed if they agree with a policy document change, and tomorrow at our AGM there is a mammoth presentation of the changes as I have changed the wording of nearly all of them, having now been manager for 2 years, and feeling strongly that they should be written by me who is actually working with them. Do they need to do this at the AGM?

[enuffsenuf]

If you want to change your policies, is it enough for the committee to agree to them? In my preschool, the committee have previously sent out a letter for all parents to send back signed if they agree with a policy document change, and tomorrow at our AGM there is a mammoth presentation of the changes as I have changed the wording of nearly all of them, having now been manager for 2 years, and feeling strongly that they should be written by me who is actually working with them. Do they need to do this at the AGM?

 

If a policy is mandatory then they have little option but to accept it...for example the emergency local authority policies re influenza outbreaks a few years back. Likewise safeguarding.....can they refuse to accept certain aspects of that?

[HappyMaz]

If a policy is mandatory then they have little option but to accept it...for example the emergency local authority policies re influenza outbreaks a few years back. Likewise safeguarding.....can they refuse to accept certain aspects of that?

My guess would be that, if they really wanted to ignore these aspects, then they could easily do so. The sky won't automatically fall in because your policies don't comply with legislation or local guidelines. The problem will come when Ofsted inspect, or if there is an accident/incident or if there is a complaint when Ofsted will want to look closely at policies and practices. Some Local Authorities have a clause in their nursery education funding agreement about the kinds of policies settings must have, so there might be financial implications of not having the correct policies in place. I can see that there might be a tendency to adopt a 'who will know?' approach to adapting policies - balancing the amount of work necessary against the risk of getting caught out.

 

In the case of safeguarding, of course, it may be that failing to follow local safeguarding children's board guidelines could put a child at risk of harm and so in this case it is more than just a paper exercise.

[enuffsenuf]

My guess would be that, if they really wanted to ignore these aspects, then they could easily do so. The sky won't automatically fall in because your policies don't comply with legislation or local guidelines. The problem will come when Ofsted inspect, or if there is an accident/incident or if there is a complaint when Ofsted will want to look closely at policies and practices. Some Local Authorities have a clause in their nursery education funding agreement about the kinds of policies settings must have, so there might be financial implications of not having the correct policies in place. I can see that there might be a tendency to adopt a 'who will know?' approach to adapting policies - balancing the amount of work necessary against the risk of getting caught out.

 

In the case of safeguarding, of course, it may be that failing to follow local safeguarding children's board guidelines could put a child at risk of harm and so in this case it is more than just a paper exercise.

 

we had our local EY dept in yesterday and checking whether our policies were all there, up to date and available was on their little check list they brought with them.

[HappyMaz]

we had our local EY dept in yesterday and checking whether our policies were all there, up to date and available was on their little check list they brought with them.

And what were the sanctions if yours weren't there?

[enuffsenuf]

we would get a "red" on our quality assessment and thus have a professional from the local team in our setting once a week telling us what to do until we met with their requirements...failure to comply would mean we could no longer get funding.....which possibly doesnt matter to the shiny "for profit" top end settings but to a small community charity based setting would spell disaster. (for just a minute there I felt like that chap of strictly....it would be a disaaaaster)

Edited October 4, 2011 by enuffsenuf