POLicies

Drugs Policy

The Academy Nursery School does not condone the misuse of drugs but recognises that there has been a considerable increase in the abuse of drugs in recent years in Northern Ireland. We define drugs as including -

We believe that The Academy Nursery School has a vital role to play in combating the misuse of drugs by young people and we therefore include a Drug Education Programme in our curriculum. The programme is included within normal play situations e.g. learning basic information about how the body works, what goes onto and into the body, and ways of looking after the body; safe and unsafe substances used in the home and school and simple safety rules; medicines and tablets, the reasons people use them, simple safety rules and school rules; people who can help pupils when they have questions and concerns.

Anti-Bullying Policy

Although we believe that nursery aged children are not at a stage of development where they can be involved in bullying we do see the nursery school having a preventative role in developing good social and relationship skills as well as confidence, self esteem and respect at an early stage so that bullying will not become an issue for a child in the future. A full copy of the school’s Anti-Bullying Policy is available on request.

Complaints Policy

The school strives at all times to develop the kind of positive relationships with parents, that will enable them to feel confident in raising any issue or concern with staff during their child’s year in the nursery school.

If a parent feels the need to make a complaint they should proceed in the first instance in the following manner:

• Inform the class teacher, who will take immediate action in order to resolve the problem if possible. The teacher concerned will then record the complaint and discuss it with the Principal informally.

• If the parent is not satisfied with the response or outcome of the action taken, he/she may approach the Principal with regard to the complaint.

• The Principal will investigate the complaint within the time-frame laid out in the school’s complaints policy (copy available on request), and will then inform the parent of the outcome of the investigation.

• If the parent is still not satisfied, he/she should make a written complaint to the Board of Governors, who will proceed as indicated above.

A full copy of the school’s Complaints Policy is available on request.

Charging and Remissions Policy

The Board of Governors has adopted the following charging and remissions policy:

A. Voluntary Contributions:

In cases of activities within school time which the school cannot afford, the school will attempt to subsidise these by asking in advance for voluntary contributions from the parents of those children directly involved. Such requests for contributions will indicate the actual costs to the school and suggest this as a suitable contribution. All the children in the group will take part in the activity, whether their parents have contributed or not. In cases where contributions are such that the school (through the school fund) cannot make up the short fall, the activity will not take place and all contributions already made by parents for the specific activity will be returned to them.

B. Breakages/Losses

The Board of Governors reserves the right to seek to recover from parents the whole or part of the cost of breakages and losses incurred as a result of a pupil’s behaviour.

Changes in School Arrangements

Changes occur from time to time in the staffing and organisation of the school, and parents will be informed of these. The summaries in this booklet give the present arrangements with effect from 1st December 2020.