Policy Renewal Time

[thumperrabbit]

Major overhaul required I think, I have to admit to not having been quite as 'on top' of these as I should be, so it's a mammoth task

Soooo .... how do you store your 1000's of policies - all in one folder?

When you are saving them on your computer do you

a) have a document per policy

b) have one huge document so you can search for key words?

 

ANY help and advice to make this task more bearable very very welcome

[Cait]

Mine is a continuous document (without page breaks for individual policies) with a place for signature at the end of each policy. They are in alphabetical order nowadays, after a brief flirt with the PSLA system of grouping. I have a paper copy and also have the electronic version that I can use to search for specific things. There's an online version of it too, which parents can access on the website.

The paper printout is useful for scribbling things on or sticking post-its on to show that they are working documents.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Cait

[Mouseketeer]

On pc I have a policy folder and save them to that.

 

Hard copy, not really any format .... Not that organised, written, signed off, stuffed in folder

 

I don't actually have 1000,s of policies, when people on here mention some I'm always thinking 'I haven't got one of them' , Whilst googling for tapestry policies ( it's surprising how many are out there already), some settings seem to have hundreds and all neatly in Eyfs requirement sections

 

Looking through the new eyfs requirements it looks like we don't need some of them, good luck, just need to prepare a staff user policy/agreement for tapestry devices, have added a 'data storage' as I just had a paragraph in confidentiality one, but rest can wait to be reviewed, committee need to have a say so will be their first task after AGM

[Guest]

Hi thumperrabbit

great question, i think about this every year when i review them. At present i have them as one big document with a contents page and page numbers so they can be found easily when needed.

My printed out original copy (with each policy individually signed by our chair as we are committee run) is kept in a display folder and hung up on our notice board.

i always question whether (because they are reviewed at the same time each year) each individual policy actually need be signed or whether there can be one statement and signature in the front. i always come up with the same conclusion.........individual as one may need to be changed during the year if for example something doesnt work! Although this hasnt happened as yet!

[thumperrabbit]

Thanks All, it's so hard to change at times when you done something a certain way for such a long time

Mine are in Being Healthy, Staying Safe etc ECM headings

Does anyone know if 'Every Child Matters' is even relevant anymore? (obviously I know the principles of it are!)

Edited August 29, 2014 by thumperrabbit

[mrsbat]

I have all our safeguarding policies in one folder and all the others in another folder - both in paper copy and on the laptop. I then have a back sheet with all the policies listed that all the staff sign to say they have read, agreed to and will abide by

[Stargrower]

I think Every Child Matters no longer exists (although they do still matter! :1b )

I have a policy folder on my computer with each policy in it. We then have a folder for parents in the hallway.. We review them at staff meetings over the year and the some I just review myself - ones like Student Placement that don't change very much from year to year. If I make changes to these ones, I inform all staff.

The policies in the folder aren't in a particular order as we keep adding them, so I just have a contents page at the front.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Stargrower

[thumperrabbit]

I've only reviewed one too busy catching up on posts I've not read !!

I think I'm getting my knickers in a twist about the order of them, and reading all your posts feel so much better about how you don't seem to have them in any order!

Right, I'm going to get on with it!

[LKeyteach]

Pretty much the same as you all. My policies are on the computer, but I do print hard copies for those who want to read from paper.

I have numbered all my policies (15 at the moment) and have a table at the front of the folder which gives the number the name of the policy and cross references to other policies. On the table I leave a column for notes such as details that need changing at the next review. This table document I send to all my team and to the parents so that they are aware of the policies in existence. I do send by email the policies they have to have or give paper copies if parent or staff do not use electronic means.

All my policies will be on my website when I have got full control. I keep being told next week.

But same here I started to review the polices last week found my H&S policy too big think I can break it down into smaller readable policies.

Hey ho back to the reviews.

[Mouseketeer]

Having them in order or sections thumperrabbit just causes more stress as when you add one it all goes wrong...and it's not worth putting yourself through the trauma of that is it ;-p

[sunnyday]

 

 

ANY help and advice to make this task more bearable very very welcome

Don't know if this helpful or not but here is my 'index' - I actually think I have too many bl policies just erring on the side of caution really.......

If anyone looks at this and thinks 'oi she hasn't got ........whatever' please shout!

Introduction.docx

[Stargrower]

Hi Sunnyday

Your list is very similar to mine, but I don't have a children's rights policy and would love to have a peek if you care to share... :1b

I'll have a look and see if there's anything I have that's not on your list but it seems very comprehensive.

[Mouseketeer]

I have 10 less than you Sunnyday, I have complaints & emergency closure, prob have a few of yours as paragraphs in others, but having read the changes to eyfs requirements we can throw a few away (Removal of the requirement for a Health and Safety Policy 3.54 - unless it says its needed somewhere else - best have a proper read)

[zigzag]

Dame Sunnyday do you think I could have a look at your risk assessment policy? We have risk assessments but no policy and it was something that came up in my welfare visit. :1b Have been sitting here trying to write one, but it's just about common sense is it not?

Edited August 29, 2014 by zigzag

[sunnyday]

Zigzag - love that you are using my title!

[Cait]

102 pages printing out! I've gone for individual policies with pages stapled together and then put back to back in slippy pocket book. Dame Sunnyday's SEN thing to print out next. Thought I'd retired!!!!!!

[SueJ]

Well for what it's worth these are mine - there are a few more than yours Sunnyday which I've highlighted !!!!!!!!!!!!!! :blink: :blink: :blink:

 

Policy List FSF.docx

Edited September 8, 2014 by Steve

[Mouseketeer]

hold it there zigzag........

Safeguarding and Welfare

Requirements, Premises (p25)

3.59

Removal of wording - no longer a suggested number of toilets and

hand basins

Removal of requirement for a risk assessment policy 3.60

glad i didn,t bother doing one in the first place

I only have one policy(safeguarding) that doesn't fit on one side of an A4 sheet

Edited August 29, 2014 by Mouseketeer

[louby loo]

We just use the PSLA policy book (and regularly check for updates) then put them in a folder in the same order as book.

 

X

[Stargrower]

 

 

I only have one policy(safeguarding) that doesn't fit on one side of an A4 sheet

 

Goodness, maybe I need to do some culling! Our SEN policy is about 6 sides and Health and Safety is enormous!

[Mouseketeer]

if anything in my setting doesn't fit on one side of A4 it ain't happening lol

[thumperrabbit]

Wow - thank you all it's very much appreciated - I ended up 'being a mum' (shock horror!) and had the day out with my 2 children instead.

But I really, really must crack on with it now

Just to add I also put any Ofsted Factsheets, Safeguarding training notes plus any forms eg Injury on Arrival, Consent to Administer Medicine in my policy folder as well - I keep them here as they are relevant to policy & procedure and I don't want yet another file!

[MegaMum]

I would like to add our policies to our website as well, but I want them to be read only. Is there a way to do that, as I don't want them to be copied and pasted?

[Cait]

People can copy them anyway, even if you set them to read only. I think you just have to bite the bullet and put them out there. I checked with the PSLA that they were ok with it, as we use theirs as our basis, and they were.

[SueJ]

I would like to add our policies to our website as well, but I want them to be read only. Is there a way to do that, as I don't want them to be copied and pasted?

Our policies go on our parent page which is locked with a password

[MegaMum]

How do you do that SueJ?

[SueJ]

I don't know MegaMum I paid a v. nice man to build me a six page website (he was v. reasonable cost wise) and I asked for the parent and staff pages to be password protected (the parent page has a different password to the staff page) - I don't load anything confidential on them or any photos of children or anything like that but there's a lot of info on my site that is only pertinent to parents of my setting and staff who work at my setting and that for business reasons I don't want in the public domain so they are locked to stop all and sundry accessing them. The other four pages are out there for anyone to peruse.

I guess it depends on your website/hosting service whether you can do it on yours.

[Panders]

I am so sick of the sight of policies I could scream! I want to change my SEND one, but fear so much more information coming in over the next few months that I will just have to up date yet again- alright to leave it for now do you think?

 

PLUS, does anyone know - will the LA contact us to ask what we can offer to them for the Local Offer, or do we just come up with our own ideas on what facilities we have and how confident we are - anyone know how all this will work in principle?

[Mouseketeer]

i haven't re-done mine yet panders, but I was only really planning on changing the publication name we work to and change IEP to PCP (as that's what our county have sent us ) I can't offer anything different or change how we support SEN children just because there's a new document, and i don't have a clue whether we are telling them or they're asking us...it's all about as clear as mud to me :blink:

[SueJ]

I am so sick of the sight of policies I could scream! I want to change my SEND one, but fear so much more information coming in over the next few months that I will just have to up date yet again- alright to leave it for now do you think?

 

PLUS, does anyone know - will the LA contact us to ask what we can offer to them for the Local Offer, or do we just come up with our own ideas on what facilities we have and how confident we are - anyone know how all this will work in principle?

Ditto your sentiments in the first paragraph Panders BUT I am so overdue an Ofsted that I am going to tackle mine this week before we start back next Monday - need to make sure my i's have dots and my t's crosses !!!

As for the second paragraph I have been checking my LA's website for their local offer - today is 1 September and I haven't come across it yet - I suspect that we will end up filling out some sort of proforma so that they can just grab the content and cobble together - we won't have a briefing until about 3rd week in September so I think it is pretty safe to say that they're not ready yet!

In the meantime I am using Hampshire's model (it doesn't look too onerous) to draft something of my own so that at least again I have dotted some i's and crossed some t's just in case I get the knock early