Safety in the nursery

Safety and the use of the Outside Nursery Areas.

At Bonnington Primary School we are very fortunate to have an outside area which lends itself to developing many aspects of the 3-5 early years curriculum. As such, we will provide as many different experiences and develop the skills in every child in our care in a safe environment within the outside area.

We aim to provide:
safe and accessible equipment which will promote physical development and agility
children with the knowledge and understanding to keep themselves safe whilst playing
different textures, smells, sizes, shapes and sounds
areas for investigation, building and discovering insects and wildlife
areas for sitting, hiding, digging and planting

In the outside areas children will have opportunities to learn across the five main areas of the 3-5 curriculum:

Emotional Personal and Social development:
develop confidence, self esteem and a sense of security
care for themselves and their personal safety
play co operatively and share resources
develop independence
care for the environment

Communication and language:
Listen and respond to information and instructions from adults
Listen and respond to sounds

Knowledge and Understanding of the world:
Be aware of change and its effect eg. Growth, weather, seasons
Care for living things
Be aware of feeling good, the importance of health, hygiene, diet, exercise and personal safety
Develop their powers of observation using their senses

Expressive and Aesthetic Development:
Engage in role play
Listen and respond to sounds

Physical Development and Movement
Enjoy energetic activity and the feeling of well being it brings
Run, jump, climb, balance, throw and catch with increasing confidence
Develop control of fine movements of their fingers and hands
Be safe in movement and in using equipment.

In using the outside areas safety is of paramount importance. Through discussion both with staff and the children there will be a clear understanding of safety issues for themselves and others. Co operation is essential as children share, wait and take turns. Staff will help the children understand safe practices when using apparatus and tools. They will also be encouraged, under careful supervision, when they wish, to take small risks in extending their physical skills. The nursery staff will constantly remind the children of the rules for safety and care in the outside areas.

Together with nursery staff, management- The Business Manager and Head Teacher will assess the safety of the outside areas on a regular basis. If staff feel that there is a safety issue between inspection times then they should inform the Management Team.

AT NO TIME will any member of staff be left on their own in the outside area without being able to call on the assistance of another member of staff. In the case of an accident, staff should:
inform the office staff immediately who will contact the emergency services where necessary
inform the parent of the details and action taken- in the case of a minor incident a proforma will be filled in and sent home (where it is not normally the parent who collects the child)or a dated record kept and shown to the parent
complete an accident report form (kept in the main office)
follow up any results of the accident the next day, either when the parent brings the child to nursery or by telephone if the child is off.
Review the cause of the accident with the Head Teacher and any changes to procedures which may need to be taken.

By putting all of these safety issues in place we hope to ensure the safety, well being and development of every child in the nursery. Back to top