Inclusion and Equity policy

Statement of intent

At Bijou Day Nursery & Creche we take great care to treat each individual as a person in their own right, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all staff, children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, culture or belief, sex and sexual orientation has no place within our nursery.

A commitment to implementing our Inclusion and equality policy is part of each employee’s job description. Should anyone believe that this policy is not being upheld or executed accordingly, it is their duty to report the matter to the attention of the Nursery Manager in the first instance, or the Responsible Individual at the earliest opportunity.

Appropriate steps will then be taken to investigate the matter and if such concerns are well-founded, the nursery’s disciplinary policy will be followed.

The legal framework for this policy is based on:

Equality Act 2010
Children Act 2004
Care Standards Act 2002
Childcare Act 2006
Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021.

We are aware of the anti-discriminatory good practice noted in the NMS:

Equality Act 2010: guidance - GOV.UK

Anti-racist Wales Action Plan - GOV.WALES

Action on disability: the right to independent living framework and action plan - GOV.WALES

LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales - GOV.WALES

The nursery and staff are committed to:

Recruiting, selecting, training and promoting individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, the nursery will ensure that no job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, gender reassignment, disability, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity
Creating a working environment that is inclusive, free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, racial abuse and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued
Providing a childcare place, wherever possible, for children who may have additional learning needs and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances
Making reasonable adjustments for children with special educational needs/additional learning needs and disabilities to remove barriers and improve access for all
Striving to promote equal access to services and projects by taking practical steps (wherever possible and reasonable), such as ensuring access to people with additional needs and by producing materials in relevant languages, culture and media for all children and their families
Providing a secure environment in which all our families are listened to, children can flourish, and all contributions are valued
Including and valuing the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity
Providing positive, non-stereotypical information
Continually reflecting on and improving our knowledge and understanding of issues of equality, inclusion and diversity, and training all staff about their rights and responsibilities under the Inclusion and equality policy
Training staff to ensure their understanding of expected behaviour so they do not discriminate, and how to identify/deal with any discriminatory treatment of others, including children, in the setting, e.g. appropriate training on recognising and avoiding discrimination, harassment, victimisation, and promoting equality of opportunity and diversity in the areas of recruitment, development and promotion
Regularly reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of inclusive practices to ensure they promote, and value diversity and difference and that the policy is effective and practices are non-discriminatory
Making inclusion a thread, which runs through the entirety of the nursery, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play, songs and music and activities. Acknowledging the various key cultural celebrations, e.g. Chinese New Year, Eid, Hannukah and promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour

Admissions and service provision

The nursery is accessible to all children and families in the local community and further afield through a comprehensive and inclusive admissions policy.

The nursery will strive to ensure that all services and projects are accessible and relevant to all groups and individuals in the community within targeted age groups.

Recruitment

Recruitment, promotion and other selection exercises such as redundancy selection will be conducted on the basis of merit, against objective criteria that avoid discrimination.

Redundancy selection will take account of the legal protections from redundancy, as described below.

Shortlisting will be done by more than one person where possible.

All members of the selection group are committed to the inclusive practice set out in this policy and will have received appropriate training in this regard.

Application forms are sent out along with a copy of the equal opportunities monitoring form. Application forms do not include questions that potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent.

Vacancies are generally advertised to a diverse section of the labour market. Advertisements avoid stereotyping or using wording that may discourage particular groups from applying.

At interview, no questions are posed which potentially discriminate on the grounds specified in the statement of intent. All candidates are asked the same questions and members of the selection group will not introduce nor use any personal knowledge of candidates acquired outside the selection process. Candidates are given the opportunity to receive feedback on the reasons why they were not successful, if practical depending on the number of candidates.

We may ask questions (under the Equality Act 2010) prior to offering someone employment in the following circumstances:

To establish whether the applicant will be able to comply with a requirement to undergo an assessment (i.e. an interview or selection test)
To establish whether the applicant will be able to carry out a function that is intrinsic to the work concerned
To monitor diversity in the range of people applying for work
To take positive action towards a particular group – for example offering a guaranteed interview scheme.

Staff

It is our policy not to discriminate in the treatment of individuals. All staff are expected to co-operate with the implementation, monitoring and improvement of this and other policies. They are expected to challenge language, actions, behaviours and attitudes which are oppressive or discriminatory on the grounds specified in this policy and recognise and celebrate other cultures and traditions. All staff are expected to participate in equality and inclusion training.

Staff will follow the Dealing with discriminatory behaviour policy where applicable to report any discriminatory behaviours observed.

Training

The nursery recognises the importance of training as a key factor in the implementation of an effective inclusion and equality policy. All new staff receive induction training including specific reference to the inclusion and equality policy.

Early learning framework

Early learning opportunities offered in the nursery encourage children to develop positive attitudes to people who are different from them. It encourages children to empathise with others and to begin to develop the skills of critical thinking.

We do this by:

Identifying a key worker for each child, who will ensure that each child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs and continuously observe, assess and plan for their learning and development
Listening to children’s verbal and non-verbal communication and making children feel included, valued and good about themselves
Ensuring that all children have equal access to tailored early learning and play opportunities
Reflecting the widest possible range of communities in the choice of resources
Avoiding stereotypical or derogatory images in the selection of materials
Acknowledging and celebrating a wide range of religions, beliefs and festivals
Creating an environment of mutual respect
Supporting children to talk about their feelings and those of others, manage emotions and develop empathy
Helping children to understand that discriminatory behaviour and remarks are unacceptable
Knowing children well, being able to meet their needs and know when they require further support
Ensuring that all early learning opportunities offered are inclusive to all children, including children with additional learning or physical needs and/or disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds
Ensuring that children whose first language is not English or Welsh have full access to our early learning opportunities and are supported in their learning
Working in partnership with all families to ensure they understand the policy and challenge any discriminatory comments made
Ensuring the medical, cultural and dietary needs of all children are met and help children to learn about a range of food and cultural approaches to mealtimes and to respect the differences among them.

Parent information and meetings

Information about the nursery, its activities, experiences and resources are shared with parents as well as information about their child’s development. This is given in a variety of ways according to individual needs (written, verbal and translated), to ensure that all parents can access the information they need.

Wherever possible, meetings are arranged to give all families opportunities to attend and share information about their child.

We also consult with parents regularly about the running of the nursery and ask them to contribute their ideas.