How We Keep Children Safe at Nursery: Safeguarding Policies & Practices

Marina Wilde • June 23, 2025

At Country Kids Day Nurseries, your child’s safety and wellbeing are our top priority. With over 80% of our team being parents themselves, we deeply understand how important it is for you to feel completely confident leaving your child in someone else’s care. 


That’s why our nurseries are more than just places to learn and play, they are nurturing, secure environments where every child is cared for, protected, and supported through every stage of their development. 

Safeguarding That’s Central to Our Practice 


Our safeguarding procedures are thorough, up to date, and central to everything we do. Every member of our team holds an enhanced DBS check and completes regular safeguarding training. This ensures they are confident in recognising signs of harm, knowing how to act swiftly, and always prioritising children’s safety. 


Each nursery site has a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), typically the nursery manager, who has undergone DSL training provided by the local council. Our managers also attend termly DSL networking sessions to stay updated on the latest legislation and guidance. Where possible, additional staff at each setting are DSL-trained too, so there’s always a safeguarding expert available. 


We work closely with local safeguarding partners and have an open-door policy for parents. 


Going Above and Beyond with Visitor Safety 


Our visitor policy is something we’re particularly proud of and we go the extra mile. All contractors are ID checked, and every visitor, even those booked in for show arounds or interviews, must provide valid identification before entering the building. 


If someone arrives without ID, we do refuse entry, no exceptions. This even includes existing staff from other nursery sites, who must show ID on arrival to confirm they’re part of our group. It’s this level of care that helps us maintain a consistent standard of security across all locations. 


Health & Safety That’s Built Into Our Culture 


Health and safety aren’t just a box we tick, it’s part of our day-to-day culture. Every new staff member receives Health and Safety training as part of their induction. Managers receive tailored leadership-level training to ensure that they can oversee all risk management effectively. 


Our Managing Director, Jeanette, brings additional expertise to the table, she is NEBOSH qualified and has a strong background in Health and Safety Law. This enhances not only our health and safety standards but also helps us ensure our policies and procedures are robust, relevant, and regularly reviewed. 


We carry out ongoing risk assessments and safety checks in all areas of the nursery, from garden gates to kitchen cupboards. 


Safe Spaces Designed for Children 


Our rooms and outdoor areas are designed to be safe, welcoming, and age appropriate. We carefully balance freedom of play with supervision and structure to support children's development while minimising risk. 


Hygiene, Health & First Aid 


Cleanliness is another cornerstone of how we keep children safe. Our nurseries follow rigorous cleaning schedules, with staff trained in infection control, food hygiene, and handwashing routines. 


All of our team are trained in Paediatric First Aid, and we have clear procedures in place for allergies, medication, and dietary needs to ensure every child’s health is managed with care and precision. 



A Team That’s Supported to Succeed 


We don’t just hire qualified staff, we support them to grow. Our teams regularly complete updated safeguarding, SEND, and child development training. We invest in professional development and have clear pathways for career progression. 


We believe childcare is a vocation and that means we look for people who genuinely love what they do and care deeply about the children in their rooms. That passion is what drives our team, and we work hard to nurture it. 


A Culture of Openness and Support 


From leadership to apprentice level, we encourage an open, transparent culture. Staff are supported to speak up, share ideas, and raise concerns. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. 


Supporting Families with Confidence and Care 


We know it’s a huge step to hand your child over to someone else’s care and we never take that for granted. We’re here to make that process feel safe, positive, and empowering for you and your child. 


We’d love to welcome you to one of our settings and show you how our commitment to safeguarding and wellbeing is brought to life, every single day. 


📍 Visit: www.countrykidsnursery.com/book-online 
📞 Or get in touch with your nearest nursery team to learn more. 

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Question: What is Squiggle While You Wiggle? Squiggle while you wiggle is a fantastic activity to engage children in developing the motions they need to learn in order to prepare them for writing. Squiggle while you wiggle is an activity to kickstart their journey in learning to write by doing circles, semi circles, horizonal lines and the vertical lines they will use to write a letter whilst dancing along to our favourite music. It’s important to remember that children are not expected to write letters and their name until they attend school at the age of 5. At Country Kids, this is something we strongly believe in and the children love when we do Squiggle while you wiggle! We focus on developing their gross and fine motor skills to imitate lines and circles in order to write each letter of the alphabet. You will need: Anything you can wave around in the air! You can do Squiggle while you wiggle anywhere, with anything that can swish around. In nursery, we like to use: Scarves Material Shakers Ribbons Bamboo If you are at home, you could use: Cheerleading style Pom Pom's Ties Long socks Tea towels We like to add some music to our Squiggle while you wiggle, some of our particular favourites in nursery are: Dolly Parton: 9-5 S Club 7: Reach Tina Turner: Proud Mary You can use any of your favourite 60s / 70s / 80s classics. The clue is in the title - they really do squiggle while they wiggle! Now, let's get started! The next part of this activity requires some adult led learning. It really doesn’t matter how silly you may feel, the more you squiggle, wiggle and have fun the more engaged the child will be in this activity. 1. Start by doing some big circles with your arms, you could do 5 one way and then 5 the opposite way. To add some mathematical language, you could talk about clockwise and anticlockwise movements with older children. Then you could do some small circles with your wrists, again both ways. 2. Once you have done circles, you could draw lines reaching all the way to the top, and crouching all the way to the bottom, and touch the floor. These movements can go up and down, or side to side. Again, with older children you can really emphasise going left and right. 3. Next, we like to do some wavy lines, and dance around twirling around in a circle. The children are likely to do these motions to a couple of songs before they get tired or their arms hurt! This activity is so simple but really is effective. We hope you have lots of fun trying Squiggle while you wiggle at home! - The Country Kids Team x