Equal Opportunities/Inclusion Policy

Rationale

We value the individuality of all children and are committed to giving them opportunity to achieve their full potential irrespective of ethnicity, attainment, home language, religion, culture or belief, age, disability, sex or family background. We are committed to actively remove the barriers to learning and participation within our childminding setting. We aim to help children learn to value and respect people who are different to themselves. We are committed to treat all children and their families with equal concern, respect and ensure that we actively include all children and families within our practice.

Procedure

We provide a range of resources which reflect positive images of the diversity of the society in which we live, in order to aid children’s self-esteem and to teach them about other cultures and lifestyles. All children will have access to toys that are traditionally for either boys or girls. Festivals from around the world are celebrated by using crafts, cooking and tasting activities and we request that parents/carers share any information that would enhance these experiences for the children. WeI welcome parents/carers’ involvement to ensure that we have adequate information to meet each child’s individual needs and to extend the opportunities we offer to all children.

Providing it is safe to do so, all children are given the opportunity to use all the toys and experiences on offer - this may involve some reasonable adjustments to ensure accessibility by all children.

We will observe and monitor individual children’s progress and share with the parents/carers. Where a child appears not to be making progress either generally or in a specific area of learning, we will discuss our observations and any proposed plans with the parents/carers. We will conduct this discussion in a way that encourages them to contribute their knowledge and understanding of their child and allows them to raise any concerns they may have about their child’s needs and the provision that is being made for them. We will work closely with parents/carers and other agencies where appropriate to ensure individual children’s needs are met including writing and carrying out Individual Education Plans.

We will not discriminate directly or indirectly to children and their families. We will challenge any anti-discriminatory language or behaviour by children or adults and explain why this is unacceptable because the achievements, attitudes and well-being of all children matter.

We regularly monitor the effectiveness of inclusive practices, record keeping, risk assessments and experiences offered to ensure that these procedures are up to date and the children’s individual needs are being met. We are committed to ensuring that relevant documentation is accessible. Parents/carers are invited to request documentation being presented in other formats where needed. This may be translating to another language, a different font style or having the information explained verbally.