Policy statement
We will ensure that our service is fully inclusive in meeting the needs of all children. Our setting is committed to anti-discriminatory practice to promote equality of opportunity for all children and families. We aim to:

• provide a secure and accessible environment in which all our children can flourish and in which all contributions are considered and valued
• provide positive non-stereotyping information about gender roles, diverse ethnic and cultural groups and disabled people
• make inclusion a thread that runs through all of the activities of the setting.

Inclusion
Through communicating with staff, parents, and other agencies we aim to achieve inclusion for each child by meeting the necessary requirements and providing the resources to ensure children can meet their full potential. The nursery has a named SENCO Officer who will liaise with the family and outside agencies to co-ordinate the provision of special educational needs and offer support to the key person working alongside the child

Admissions in our setting is open to all children irrespective of their needs, abilities, and disabilities.
Procedures
Admissions
​Our setting is open to all children irrespective of their needs, abilities, and disabilities.

• We reflect the diversity of our society in our publicity and promotional materials.
• We provide information in clear, concise language, whether in spoken or written form.
• We provide information verbally in as many languages as possible.
• We base our admissions policy on a fair and open system.
• We ensure that all parents are made aware of our equal opportunities policy.
• We do not discriminate against a child or their family, or prevent entry to our setting, on the basis of colour, ethnicity, religion or social background, such as being a member of a Travelling community or an asylum seeker.
• We do not discriminate against a child with a disability or refuse a child entry to our setting for reason relating to disability.
• We develop an action plan to ensure that people with disabilities can participate successfully in the services offered by the setting and in the curriculum offered.

Employment

• Posts are advertised and all applicants are judged against explicit and fair criteria.
• Applicants are welcome from all backgrounds and posts are open to all.
• We may use the exemption clauses in relevant legislation to enable the service to best meet the needs of the community.
• The applicant who best meets the criteria is offered the post, subject to references and checks by the Criminal Records Bureau. This ensures fairness in the selection process.
• All job descriptions include a commitment to promoting equality and recognising and respecting diversity as part of their specifications.

Training

• We ensure that staff are confident and fully trained in administering relevant medicines and performing invasive care procedures when these are required.
• We review our practices to ensure that we are fully implementing our policy for promoting equality, valuing diversity and inclusion.

Curriculum

• The curriculum offered in the setting encourages children to develop positive attitudes about themselves as well as to people who are different from themselves. It encourages children to empathise with others and to begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.
• Our environment is as accessible as possible for all visitors and service users. If access to the settings is found to treat disabled children or adults less favourably then we make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the needs of disabled children and adults. 

         We do this by:         

• making children feel valued and good about themselves
• ensuring that children have equality of access to learning
• undertaking an access audit to establish if the setting is accessible to all children
• making adjustments to the environment and resources to accommodate a wide range of learning, physical and sensory impairments
• making appropriate provision within the curriculum to ensure each child receives the widest possible opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, e.g. recognising the different learning styles of girls and boys;
• positively reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources
• avoiding stereotypes or derogatory images in the selection of books or other visual materials
• celebrating a wide range of festivals
• creating an environment of mutual respect and tolerance
• differentiating the curriculum to meet children’s special educational needs
• helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are hurtful and unacceptable
• ensuring that the curriculum offered is inclusive of children with special educational needs and children with disabilities
• ensuring that children learning English as an additional language have full access to the curriculum and are supported in their learning; and
• ensuring that children speaking languages other than English are supported in the maintenance and development of their home languages.

Valuing diversity in families

• We welcome the diversity of family lifestyles and work with all families.
• We encourage children to contribute stories of their everyday life to the setting.
• We encourage parents/carers to take part in the life of the setting and to contribute fully.
• For families who speak languages in addition to English, we will develop means to ensure their full inclusion.

Procedures to identify children with additional Needs.

• Prior to children starting in the setting, an opportunity will be given for parents/carers to visit nursery with their child where information will be gathered about the child
• All children will be assessed within the first full 6 weeks of their attendance in the setting and a baseline conducted. Any concerns highlighted will be forwarded to the SENCO
• Where needed all children will be assessed using the Wellcom toolkit in the setting by SENCO/trained staff. If any cause for concerns is shown (child’s scoring is low) the SENCO will arrange a meeting with parents/carers to open an EHP.
• The SENCO alongside the parents will fill out an Early Help Assessment Plan. This is to enable the correct interventions will be in place for the child e.g., SALT. When sending the EHP to boltonISA@bolton.gov.uk the child’s Wellcom scoresheet MUST be attached as referral without this document will not be accepted.
• If an EHP has been opened for a child, then they will have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) created by the SENCO/key person to support their educational requirements
• The child’s Early Help Assessment Plan will be reviewed with parent every 8-10 weeks on an Early Help Review document. We will arrange a suitable time with parents, if parents do not attend the meeting without due reason, the review will be postponed till the nursery can reschedule it.
•  The named SENCO will contact other agencies to gather more information with the consent of parents.
• Where referrals have been made, where parents do not attend appointments and therefore the child gets discharged, a  re-referral will not be done till the next EHA cycle, but we will attempt to make relevant correspondence with agencies where we can.
• When applicable referrals to other agencies will be made to meet children’s on going needs.
• On transition to a new setting The Olive Garden Nursery will share information on the child and pass on any relevant documentation with parent consent.

Monitoring and reviewing

• To ensure our policies and procedures remain effective we will monitor and review them annually to ensure our strategies meets the overall aims to promote equality, inclusion and valuing diversity.
• We provide a complaints procedure and a complaints summary record for parents to see.

 
 
 
 
 
Signed on behalf of The Olive Garden Nursery
 
Issue 1: New Policy July 2009
Issue 1: Reviewed October 2010
Issue 1: Reviewed December 2011
Issue 2: Adjustment August 2014
Issue 2: Reviewed September 2015
Issue 3 : Adjustment December 2015
Issue 3 : Reviewed September 2016
Issue 3: Reviewed August 2017
Reviewed October 2019
Issue 3: Amended January 2021
Issue 4: Amended September 2021