WOOLGROVE SCHOOL NURSERY NURSE AND TEACHING ASSISTANT POLICY Equal opportunities lie at the heart of all that we do at Woolgrove. We are committed to ensuring that every member of the school community, whatever their position, race, gender, disability or religion is given the same chance as any other to access the services and support of the school Revised January 2014 1
NURSERY NURSE AND TEACHING ASSISTANT POLICY Introduction Research nationally has shown that support staff make a huge contribution to the education and socialisation of pupils. Woolgrove School recognises and values the work of support staff and over the last few years there has been a gradual but significant expansion in the number of support staff at Woolgrove School. The support staff at Woolgrove School come from many different backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. To suggest that there is one role, however, would be misleading indeed each class and area has its own particular character and needs. This means that support work varies throughout the school. It is for this reason, as well as for personal development, that support staff are sometimes asked to change areas so that their experience can be broadened or their expertise made use of. This sharing of expertise and good practice enhances the profile of all support staff Support form three areas of expertise: Nursery Nurse (NN) Nursery Nurses hold a unique position in the school. There are, at present, two Nursery Nurses attached to the school. The position of Nursery Nurse entails all the duties of a Teaching Assistant but with additional responsibilities including assisting with the planning and delivery of the curriculum. Nursery Nurses are permanent, qualified and full time members of staff and as such are expected to attend INSET days and all staff meetings. Teaching Assistant (TA) All Teaching Assistants within the school are highly skilled, either through qualifications, experience or both. Each Teaching Assistant has individual responsibilities that reflect their skills and/or interests. These responsibilities are to be performed in school time. The Role of Teaching Assistant is part-time, term time. They are encouraged to attend INSET days for which they will receive payment. 2
Senior Teaching Assistant (STA) There are also two Senior Teaching Assistants roles across the school, these posts have a number of other responsibilities including line management of the midday supervisory staff and representing Teaching Assistants on the Senior Leadership Team. All staff are expected to familiarise themselves with the School Aims and School Vision which can be found in the School Development Plan displayed in the Working Staff room. Dress Code Woolgrove School enjoys a high reputation in education and the school is regularly visited by professionals as well as prospective parents. All staff are expected to wear smart/casual clothing (not jeans or similar) appropriate to their professional position. The school day at Woolgrove is very active, from daily morning workouts, swimming and horse riding to the normal physical activities such as PE and games lessons therefore support staff need to wear appropriate clothing and footwear or keep appropriate clothing in school. Trainers or similar should be worn for activities in the hall. Employment Issues Hours of work, job description and individual responsibilities are in the job description of each member of staff. These may be revised or amended in consultation with the Head Teacher. Nursery Nurses should be in school from 8.45am to 3.45pm, including INSET days and are expected to attend staff meetings. Teaching Assistants hours vary according to their role and contracted hours. Teaching Assistants receive additional pay for lunchtime duties and the weekly team meeting which takes place after school on Monday afternoons. Staff are expected to be in class ready to greet pupils or at their relevant point of duty at the start of the school day. Policies The Head Teacher has a copy of all policies and they are also on the school website under the parents link (www.woolgrove.herts.sch.uk). Support staff are encouraged to read the policies on the website as these are up-to-date copies. Critical Information Critical information files are kept in each classroom. These should be kept upto-date and shared with supply staff. 3
Induction In line with Hertfordshire County Council recommendations Woolgrove School now employs all support staff on an initial probationary period of six months. A phased induction over the probationary period takes place. All staff undergo induction. Induction of support staff is the responsibility of the Senior Teaching Assistants. The induction enables all new members to the school team to familiarise themselves with the day to day functions of the school and on good procedures and ways of working with pupils and other members of staff. Relevant policies are also highlighted including Health and Safety, Behaviour Management. The Child Protection Policy and ways of reporting concerns to safeguard children are also discussed before staff commence their job. Line Management All members of staff have a Line Manager from the Senior Leadership Team who is available for support and advice. Staff Performance Management/Appraisals Formal reviews of each post, at present called appraisals, occur generally on an annual basis in the Autumn term (appendix 2). The aim is to review progress on targets that were set at the last appraisal, to set targets for the future, identify any training or support that might be required and to identify any changes that need to be made to job description. An appraisal should be a positive process that recognises and identifies areas for development as well as celebrating achievements. A copy of the Pay, Conditions and Professional Development Policy can be found on the school website. Duties Morning, afternoon and lunch duties are displayed at the entrance of each playground as well as distributed to each class at the beginning of the academic year or when major changes are initiated. If duties cannot be done then it is the responsibility of the individual to arrange cover. In the event of a planned absence i.e. training course etc a cover request sheet should be completed with breaks and other duties highlighted. Pink cover request forms can be found in the pink folder at the bottom of the staff pigeon hole filing system. Nursery Nurses, as part of their role, undertake lunchtime duties. Teaching Assistants are encouraged to undertake paid lunchtime duties including eating at the table with the children. 4
Health and Safety All adults who work in school have a duty of care to both pupils and other adults within Woolgrove School to ensure that everyone is kept in a safe environment. It is important that all staff observe guidelines in the Health and Safety Policy. Health and Safety is the responsibility of Sue Selley (Head Teacher and Glynne Rowlands (Head of Junior School). Medication A number of pupils at Woolgrove require medication to be administered during the course of the school day. The type of medication depends on each pupil s individual needs. Although the school is not obliged to undertake this service, staff do so for the benefit of the children. Medication can only be given provided the relevant medical forms have been completed and signed by parents, staff and/or GP. See all Medical Forms in Pink Folder next to medical cabinets in medical room. Staff can only deliver the Epipen (for severe allergic reactions), and Buccal Midazolam/Rectal Diazepam (for Epilepsy) provided they have undertaken the relevant training which is usually provided by Karen Johnston the School Nurse. Other medication can be administered provided the Teaching Assistant feels happy to do so. A Teaching Assistant should always get another member of staff to check the medication details with them, i.e. name, that it has not expired, before they give the medication to the child. All medical information for pupils should be kept in the red file in the cupboard behind the medical room door. Each team should regularly check that their pupils medication is up-to-date and has not passed its expiry date. Cover Supervision Increasing numbers of schools are using cover supervision to provide cover for teachers when they have to be taken out of class for longer than a session. Nursery Nurses may be asked to undertake cover supervision as part of their role for periods of two consecutive days; Teaching Assistants may be asked to undertake cover supervision for a period of one day at a time for which they will receive additional payment or accrued hours. Risk assessment factors, such as swimming, also need to be taken into account. The Policy on Cover Supervision addresses fully the principles and practices used within Woolgrove School. Staff carrying out cover supervision should familiarise themselves with this policy which is available for perusal on the school website or in hard copy in the policy rack in the staff room. Once cover supervision has taken place, Teaching Assistants need to complete an accrued/paid time form so they can claim for their extra hours worked. The form will ask whether you wish to receive accrued time or payment. Please see purple lever arch file at the bottom of the staff pigeon hole filing system. 5
Hertfordshire Steps Woolgrove School uses the Herts Steps method for a positive approach to managing children s behaviour, which adopts the following principles. Shared focus on inclusion of all children within their setting. Shared values and beliefs. Shared communication, diversion and de-escalation. Shared reparation, reflection and restoration. (Hertfordshire Steps 2014) All teaching staff, teaching assistants, supply staff and MSA s are all trained to use the Herts Steps method. Woolgrove School have 5 trained members of staff to deliver the training and all staff are required to attend the refresher updates yearly. Continuing Professional Development Richard Pritchard is the member of staff responsible for Continuing Professional Development and should be the first point of contact for any staff requiring information on courses and training events. Information on a variety of courses can be found in the Working Staff Room. All support staff are provided with a file to keep evidence of their professional development. In addition any information or policies that may be useful to support development may be kept in this file. January 2014 6
Appendix 2 APPRAISAL RECORD Name of Appraisee: Name of Appraiser: Teaching Group: Date: Time: Length of Service: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 1. Are you happy with your job description and your additional responsibility? 2. How do you think the last year has gone? 3. What are your hopes for this year, including any thoughts on training? 4. Can you think of a personal target that would help you do your job more effectively? Signed.. (Appraisee).. (Appraiser) AppraisalRec.Sheet 7