At Cygnets Preschool we make a lasting difference to our children’s views of the world, the people and our communities within it.
We promote ‘equality and diversity’ by using key resources to help us talk with our children about children’s rights and race to promote diversity in the early years.
Equality, Culture, Inclusion & Diversity
Cygnets Preschool takes 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. A commitment to implementing our inclusion and equality policy will form part of each employee’s job description and is contained in our staff code of conduct. Cygnets Preschool is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. In achieving this goal our principle aims are to:
Demonstrate the preschool’s commitment, to the quality of equal opportunities
Use good employment practice to the benefit of Cygnets Preschool for our employees, trainees, children and parents/carers
Provide equal opportunity and inclusion for all children and their families, regardless of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, social grouping, nationality, age or disability
Ensure that no child, or their family, is discriminated against or prevented entry to our setting on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, nationality, age, disability or social grouping, such as a member of a travelling community or an asylum seeker
Ensure that all staff are aware that the DBS disclosure is a mandatory part of our recruitment process
Recruit, select, train and promote individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, Cygnets Preschool will ensure that no job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, sex, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation and pregnancy or maternity which cannot be justified as being necessary for the safe and effective performance of their work or training
Providing a childcare environment, wherever possible, for children who may have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances, and the nursery’s ability to provide the necessary standard of care
Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity
Make inclusion a thread, which runs through the entirety of our setting, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play and activities, promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour (see dealing with discriminatory behaviour policy)
The guiding principle is that ‘every child matters’ and to that end we recognise the social, economic, cultural diversity of our society and we ensure that no-one feels excluded when they attend our setting on whatever grounds. Consequently, we strive to:
Treat each child as an individual and respect their religions and cultures
Offer all activities and toys to all children regardless of gender and developmental needs
Encourage positive role models, displayed through toys, imaginary play, books and posters that promote non-stereotyped images. All children are encouraged to join in all activities i.e. dressing up, role play corner, dolls, climbing on large equipment, bikes etc
Celebrate festivals throughout the setting, ensuring that we include those events that are relevant to the children attending Cygnets
Welcome any parent/carer who would like to be involved with widening our education about their cultural or religious beliefs
Actively promote an open-door policy
Ensure activities are accessible for all children
Support the staff team, offering hand-outs and training
Work alongside agencies when resources and relevant information is required
Offer meetings and support to parents/carers and their children where English is an additional language
Our setting is accessible to all children and families in our local community and further afield through a comprehensive and inclusive admissions policy - these are promoted throughout our setting and are integrated through our indoor and outdoor environments and through our core values, our vision and our curriculum.
We are committed to providing the best possible education to all our children including those with special educational needs or disabilities.
Cygnets Preschool takes 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. A commitment to implementing our inclusion and equality policy will form part of each early years practitioners job description and is contained in our staff code of conduct. Cygnets Preschool is committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. In achieving this goal our principle aims are to:
Demonstrate our preschool’s commitment, to the quality of equal opportunities
Use good employment practice to the benefit of Cygnets Preschool for our employees, trainees, children and parents/carers
Provide equal opportunity and inclusion for all children and their families, regardless of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, social grouping, nationality, age or disability
Ensure that no child, or their family, is discriminated against or prevented entry to our setting on the basis of gender, ethnic origin, race, colour, sexual orientation, marital status, family structure, nationality, age, disability or social grouping, such as a member of a travelling community or an asylum seeker
Ensure that all staff are aware that the DBS disclosure is a mandatory part of our recruitment process
Recruit, select, train and promote individuals on the basis of occupational skills requirements. In this respect, Cygnets Preschool will ensure that no job applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of age, sex, gender reassignment, disability, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation and pregnancy or maternity which cannot be justified as being necessary for the safe and effective performance of their work or training
Providing a childcare environment for children who may have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or are deemed disadvantaged according to their individual circumstances, and our ability to provide the necessary standard of care
Include and value the contribution of all families to our understanding of equality, inclusion and diversity
Make inclusion a thread, which runs through the entirety of our setting, for example, by encouraging positive role models through the use of toys, imaginary play and activities, promoting non-stereotypical images and language and challenging all discriminatory behaviour
At Cygnets Preschool our practitioners are alert to the general diversity of our children’s interests, needs and backgrounds and use this knowledge in order to accurately assess children’s attainment. This includes children with a special educational need or disability (SEND), who may demonstrate their attainment in different ways. Children whose home language is not English will have opportunities to engage in activities in the security of their home language. Children from different cultural backgrounds will demonstrate their attainment not only through what they have been taught but also when activities such as role play, baking, celebrations or activities linked to their cultural experience.
Jane Smith, Deputy Manager
Celebrations
Throughout the year we celebrate traditions such as Remembrance Sunday, Christmas, Chinese New Year, Easter, Diwali, Eid and Hanukah.
Children are listened to by teachers/practitioners and are taught to listen carefully and with concern for each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard. There is a strong sense of community and mutual respect within the setting too.
In addition to the above, we promote freedom of choice and the right to respectfully express views and beliefs. Through the provision of a safe, supportive environment and empowering learning through play, we provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely; for example, choosing their own snack, choosing what learning challenge/activity they undertake.
Cygnets Preschool is proud to promote and celebrate our different backgrounds and beliefs. Mutual respect is at the heart of our aims and ethos. Our children know and understand that they are expected to show respect to everyone, whatever differences they may have. They are also taught to respect both the indoor and outdoor environment and the world around them. Children learn that their behaviour choices have an effect on our preschool and sometimes their peers and they learn the skills to make the right choices. Everyone at Cygnets understands and respect different faiths and beliefs are developed through aspects of our curriculum.
All children are unique, and some children have additional needs which must be met by the setting with the support of the SENCO or Inclusion manager. The drive for early identification of children who are not at their expected level of development, and the subsequent support and partnership working in order to narrow the attainment gap, is key to improving outcomes for our youngest learners.
Through careful observation of children, their starting points, needs and interests, subsequent learning experiences must be planned and differentiated accordingly.
The Equality Act provides a legal framework to protect the rights of individuals and advance equality of opportunity for all. Everything that you do needs to be non-discriminatory and this may require regular reviews of practices, policies and procedures to ensure they do not discriminate against people with a ‘protected characteristic’.
