Benger Bears Pre-School in the village of Sutton Benger in Wiltshire has tightened its safeguarding policy and changed its policy on outside trips since the EYFS and the Welfare Requirements came in.
'These have made us scrutinise our policies very thoroughly - looking, for example, at what happens when children leave the premises,' says supervisor Karen Swannack. 'We could see that when parents picked up children at the end of the day there was the potential for a child to slip out unattended, as the parents used to come into the main hall to pick up their children and sign them out.'
Now the parents have to wait in the foyer while Mrs Swannack calls the child and then they are signed out. 'Before, all the parents would come into the main hall, even though we asked them not to, and it was quite chaotic,' she says. 'Now the children sit and wait on the stage until their name is called. They are then taken through to another room where the bags and coats are. They will get theirs and then be taken through to the foyer to their parents.'
For the safety of the children, the front door is kept locked at all times. Only a member of staff is allowed to unlock it to let people in and out.
The pre-school's policy on trips has also been revised. Last Christmas, only staff and parents with enhanced CRB checks were allowed to come on the Father Christmas outing.
'We only had limited space on the coach and the welfare of the children had to be paramount. It also meant that when children needed to go to the toilet, those with enhanced CRB checks could take them,' says Mrs Swannack.
Benger Bears has also reinforced its approach to making children aware of 'stranger danger', following a recent warning that a 'dishevelled stranger' had been seen hanging around outside nearby schools and early years settings. The pre-school produces posters and gives talks to the children, telling them they mustn't get into cars or be led away by someone they don't know.
Giving children the information they need to be more responsible and independent complements a move towards more challenging outdoor play. The Welfare Requirements stipulate the need for risk assessments, but at the same time the EYFS requires practitioners to build 'children's confidence to take manageable risks in their play'.
Vanessa Cooper, Benger Bears deputy supervisor, says, 'Now when we take the children for walks on the recreation ground in the village, we try to introduce more challenging play.
'We warn them that there are stinging nettles, but we don't take them away from the area, and with our help they are encouraged to climb trees. We have also taken them pond-dipping at the primary school next door, where they looked through an aquascope at the tadpoles under the water.'
