The theme of Enabling Environments within the EYFS now encourages practitioners to be more vigilant - and more thoughtful - when it comes to ensuring children's safety and well-being.
This theme also contributes to the achievement of the Every Child Matters agenda, and in particular the Stay Safe and Be Healthy outcomes.
The staff of one early years setting in Harrow, London, formerly known as Radnor Avenue Nursery, used the audit process to identify the areas it wished to develop. The manager, staff, children and parents all became so involved in the project that they talked about it with great enthusiasm to everyone, including to the Ofsted inspector on the day of the inspection. It was so clear that the 'Healthy children are better learners' approach was embedded in their whole nursery practice, that the nursery received an 'Outstanding' outcome from the inspection.
Making safe choices
One of the themes of its project was safety. The staff and children discussed ways of making safe choices in every area of life, including in the car and on a bicycle.
They used eggs in an experiment, dropping one egg on to the floor and examining the shell to see where it was broken. They cut up an egg carton to make a cycle helmet for another egg, then dropped that egg on the floor wearing its helmet.
The children and the staff were amazed at how well the cycle helmet protected the egg - there were no cracks on the shell at all! One child was so impressed that he told his parents about the experiment and showed them the photographs on the nursery wall. He insisted that the whole family should wear their helmets when they went out on their bicycles. Not only that, the neighbours started to wear their cycle helmets too!
This visual demonstration of 'safety in action' enables children to link the consequences of undertaking certain actions to protect themselves with real-life experiences. With the increasing awareness that children need to be able to assess and manage risk for themselves, according to their age and developmental stage, activities such as the 'egg heads' cycle helmet experiment provide a great opportunity for children to learn about safety through hands-on, interactive activities while also having fun.
- Cath Alderson is early years advisory teacher for Harrow Early Years Childcare and Parenting Services. Gill Roberts is curriculum leader for Harrow Access and Inclusion division People First. Alison Tonkin is NVQ manager for early years care and education at Stanmore College.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- CAPT (Child Accident Prevention Trust), 2004, Guidelines for practitioners; Accidents and child development
- www.everychildmatters.gov.uk
- For the EYFS pack: www.teachernet.gov.uk/publications
SAFETY IS A HEALTH ISSUE
Stark statistics provided by the Child Accident Prevention Trust highlight just how vulnerable children are to accidents. Every year around two million children - that is about one in five - are seen at accident and emergency units after suffering an unintentional injury. Around 320 children die each year as a result of accidents.
When Harrow began its 'Healthy children are better learners' project, it discovered that many practitioners do not always consider child safety as part of the wider health promotion agenda. Collaboration with Dr Mitch Blair, a consultant reader in paediatrics and child health at the Northwick Park Hospital, addressed this.
Dr Blair worked with the project participants to identify and discuss key issues around childhood accidents, including how they could raise awareness of safety and safety promotion with adults and children in their settings.
It highlighted the importance of providing pre-school children with age- and stage-appropriate information and using other health professionals to do it.
