Support Childrens and Young People’s Health and Safety
2. 1 Demonstrate how to identify potential hazards to the health, safety and security of children or young people, families and other visitors and colleagues. Food safety:- •Appropriate clothing-when handling food I wear latex gloves and apron and always tie my hair back •Washing hands-children are taught the importance of why washing hands needs to be done when handling food.
•Food stock-at our school we have staff who are in charge of making sure the milk and fruit is in date and stored correctly. They distribute it around the school. Allergies to food-we send out and keep a file of consent forms. In my class there is a girl who is allergic to eggs and fish so when she handles them she has to wear latex gloves. •Age equivalent equipment-we have plastic knives for the younger children to use. Before using equipment it is thoroughly cleaned and checked for damage or faults. We have cutlery with special grippers for children with special or extra needs.
•Food stored at the correct temperature-if using food for experiments or baking I must make sure it is stored correctly and at the right temperature to stop it going off. Food is in date-when using food in school I check the dates on the food before using it for any activity, if a child or member of staff was to eat go off food they could become seriously poorly. •Food is disposed of correctly-when throwing away unused or leftover food we have bins outside of the building specifically for food waste. Physical:- •Checking the environment-I always make sure the classroom is safe before the children enter, if going outside I check the area for any hazards. •Display boards-make sure they are up to date and display notices to the children, staff and visitors on how to be safe around the school environment. Equipment-make sure all equipment is risk assessed and PAT stickers/stamps are in date before using equipment. If children were to use a faulty laptop they could be electrocuted.
•Spillages- clean up any spills in the classroom, in my class the children bring juice bottles for break time when they leak or spill I clean it up immediately to prevent slips and falls. •Trip hazards- cables to computers and white boards must be out of reach for the children because if they were to trip they could easily hurt themselves. Security:- Unlocked gates: – I always check that the gates are locked before allowing the children to go outside, this stops the children getting out and unauthorised people entering. •Sign in- when entering the school grounds you must sign in and out, you are issued with a visitor sticker to show the rest of the people in the school that you are a visitor. •Electronic zappers- all staff in my school have electronic zappers this is so you can gain entry around the building. This stops strangers and unauthorised people gaining access to the school. Phone system- in our school we have telephones in each classroom and room, this is so if an accident or incident happens staff are alerted immediately.
Fire:- •Don’t cover radiators- in our school we have blow heaters and these must never be covered my wet or damp clothing, they will overheat and could catch fire. •New pupils/staff-when a new member of staff or pupil joins the school they are made aware of the fire procedures, they are given a tour of the buildings and made aware of the fire exits. Liquids by electrical items- we are not allowed to keep cups or glasses with any liquids in or around the classroom, if they were to be spilt by the computer that would be a fire risk. Children juice bottles are kept in a tray away from any electrical equipment. •Fire drills- when the fire alarm goes off we line the children up on the playground and complete a head count to make sure all pupils are present. Personal safety:- •Correct footwear- in our school we are not allowed to wear open toed shoes or sandals. If we were to drop or spill something on our feet we could seriously hurt ourselves.
Parents evening-we hold our parents evening in the hall, all teachers are together and never left alone. The teaching assistants run a creche facility together so we are never left alone with the children or parents either. •After hours- when parents want a meeting with their child’s class teacher I always make sure I am present in the classroom so that the teacher is not left alone. •Jewellery-we can wear stud type earrings but are not allowed to wear hoops or dangly earrings, this is because they can easily get caught or ripped out by the children.
