E-safety policy

At Chingford House Nursery we have a duty to keep children safe from harm in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (2024), Keeping Children Safe in Education (2023) and Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023).

 

In accordance with the above guidance, it is crucial that we safeguard children from potentially harmful abuse. Having a robust e-safety policy ensures that staff understand the dangers that technology may pose and that they know the procedure to escalate any concerns that they may have.

 

Using the internet:

We endeavour to introduce the children to the wider world and to provide learning opportunities in a variety of inspiring and stimulating ways. The internet has a wealth of information and is a valued resource for teaching and learning; however, we need to ensure that it is used appropriately.

 

• Staff must assess internet sites before showing children to ensure that they do not contain or show inappropriate images

 

• Staff should only be accessing internet sites in relation to their current theme and for educational purposes and nothing else 

 

As the provider of the equipment, and owner of Chingford House Nursery, Zarkar Akhtar is responsible in ensuring that the relevant safeguards are in place such as the appropriate filtering and monitoring of devices and networks.

 

Recording videos or taking photographs of children:

Chingford House Nursery obtains written consent from parents to video and take photographs for the purpose of videoing a child or group of children participating in activities; this is an effective form of recording their progress within the Early Years Foundation Stage. These images are only shared with parents via a secure platform with our online provider - Tapestry.

• Photographs are taken and stored on the nursery’s Amazon tablets to safeguard the children

 

• Photos must be suitable without putting the child/children at risk of harm: i.e., explicit photos or recording of children during nappy change or toileting is forbidden

 

• Photos stored on the tablets are uploaded to Tapestry as soon as possible and then deleted thereafter

 

• The recording of and taking photos of the children on staff’s personal devices is forbidden.

  

Mobile phones:

Chingford House Nursery allows staff to bring in personal mobile phones and devices for their own use. Under no circumstances does the nursery allow a member of staff to contact a current parent/carer using their personal device.

 

• Staff must ensure there are no inappropriate or illegal content on the device which could be shared with other staff

 

• All staff must ensure that their mobile phones/devices are left inside their bag throughout contact time with children. Staff bags should be placed in the staff room

 

• Mobile phone calls may only be taken on staff breaks or in staff members’ own time.

 

• If staff have a personal emergency they may make a personal call from their mobile in the designated staff area

 

• Staff will need to ensure that the Owner/Administrator has up-to-date contact information for them; staff should make their families, children’s schools etc., aware of our work telephone numbers in the event of an emergency
   

• During group outings, senior staff will have access to their mobile agreed by the Manager/Owner, which is to be used for emergency purposes only

 

• Members of staff must be vigilant and report any concerns regarding the use of mobile phones to the Manager or Owner.  Concerns will be taken seriously, logged and investigated appropriately.

 

• As part of an investigation, the Manager or Owner reserves the right to check the image contents of a member of staff’s phone should there be cause for concern over suspected images

 

• Should inappropriate material be found then the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) will be contacted immediately. We will follow the guidance of the LADO as to who will lead an investigation if deemed necessary

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Review date: January 2025