This month policies review - May
Bicultural policy. (C)
C5-6 - Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2021
Human resource management policy. (GMA)
GMA7 - Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2021
Kia ora, te whānau. Here is our policies we are reviewing. Feel free to add any feedback on the feedback form at the bottom of this page.
Bicultural policy. (C)
Rationale
As Beach Kids acknowledges the Treaty of Waitangi as being our founding document, we endeavour to develop a knowledge and understanding of the cultural heritages of dual partnerships between our parents and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
Objectives
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Beach Kids management will ensure that policies and procedures are culturally appropriate, and that parents/guardians and whanau are consulted and involved in the policy writing procedure to ensure equitable opportunities for all.
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Staff will be given ongoing support to further their professional development in bicultural areas by receiving information on and being encouraged to attend appropriate courses.
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Management/staff will support the cultural identity of all children affirming and celebrating cultural differences and aim to help children gain a supportive awareness of their own and other cultures.
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Beach Kids Waihi will endeavour to consult and develop reciprocal relationships with its local Māori community.
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All staff are committed to using Te Reo and Me onga Tikanga Māori throughout all areas of the centre’s curriculum.
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Staff are committed to ensuring sensitive and responsive programmes and resources of different cultures and heritages among the families of children attending the service are implemented.
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Beach Kids Waihi will ensure the correct pronunciation of names and place names are used and will be encouraged to create a bicultural atmosphere in the centre.
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The Centre Manager will consider the bicultural perspective when purchasing books and resources.
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The Centre Manager will ensure that Beach Kids endeavours to meet the licensing criteria requirements.
Human resource management policy. (GMA)
Selection and Appointment Procedure.
Aim.
To establish and ensure that a clear, effective and fair process for the recruitment of staff at Beach Kids is adhered to.
Job descriptions.
A detailed job description is prepared before each job is advertised and is available to applicants that request it. Each job description will include the following:
- Job title.
- Location of the position.
- Lines of communication (Who they will report to).
- Overall purpose and description of the job.
- Key area of work.
- Duties and responsibilities.
- Conditions of employment.
- Person specification (Qualifications/Skills/Experience/Other attributes required to carry out the job satisfactorily).
Please see Human Resource Folder.
Advertising.
Advertising can be posted in the local newspaper/Educational Gazette (Online)/Seek or Trademe website/Local facebook notice boards/Beach Kids facebook page all advertisements need to include the following:
- Name and role within the organisation.
- Job title.
- Brief description of the job.
- Location of the position.
- Qualifications and experience required for the position.
- Whether the position is fulltime/part-time/temporary or permanent.
- How to apply.
- How to get further information.
- Closing date for application.
Short listing.
The selection criteria is based on the information in the advertisement and the job description. All applicants who meet the selection criteria are invited to partake in an interview.
Safety checking.
Please refer to the full safety checking procedure.
Selection Process.
-The position will be offered to the candidate who is most suited to the position.
- The successful applicant is to be informed of the decision and timeframes for start date etc are to be negotiated.
- All unsuccessful applicants are to be notified once the successful applicant has been accepted the position by phone call.
Contract of Employment.
- Commencement date and duration of the contract.
- Terms and conditions of employment.
- Reporting procedures.
- Wages.
- Working hours.
- Annual leave and sick pay.
- Information on grievance and disciplinary procedures.
- Definition of serious misconduct.
- Information on codes of conduct.
- Duration of trial period (Probation).
Induction Procedure.
See induction pack in Human Resource Folder
Appraisal Procedure.
With the update of ‘Our Code Our Standards - Code of Professional Responsibility and Standards for the Teaching Profession,’ as well as the recent guidance that the Teaching Council does not dictate what the appraisal system needs to look like and respects the decisions of professional leaders to design appraisal systems that make the best sense for their workplace, Beach Kids Waihi has worked to develop and roll out an appraisal system that aligns to the updated framework and continues to expect high quality teaching from all educators and managers within our setting. Beach Kids Waihi has developed an approach for an appraisal system which aligns performance, our code and standards for the teaching profession and ongoing appraisal into an updated framework with the hope that this process gives teachers the time for meaningful self-reflection and. This has been developed in consultation with educators and using the resources from the Education Council.
If a new teacher, who has full certification, joins the Beach Kids Waihi team after the month of June, they will only need to show evidence of meeting the teaching standards. If a new teacher, who has full certification, joins the Beach Kids Waihi team between January and May, they will slot into the appraisal cycle for the year and will still be required to fulfil the obligations of an appraisal inquiry goal and discussion, as well as teaching standards evidence.
Teachers who are provisionally registered or studying will also have three additional contact meetings with their mentor (January/July/January) and these discussions are to be recorded.
Managers who hold full registration will be appraised by the Director, with feedback from staff, and the Director (Eilleen) is appraised externally by another fully registered teacher from Waihi Beach School. It is expected that the same cycle of appraisals and observation will be followed for Directors as well to maintain full teaching registration in New Zealand.
What our appraisal cycle looks like at Beach Kids Waihi.
Our appraisal cycle runs from January to January.
Goal setting and Discussion
Scheduled appraisal meetings will be held in January, July and the following January between staff and Head Teachers.
- January focus: Setting your inquiry goal, based on your practice and identified areas of the Strategic Plan, and discuss performance goals. Begin completing the Annual Appraisal Summary Report.
- July focus: Follow-up discussion about inquiry goal and performance goals, explore Professional Development opportunities and touch base with your line manager. Continue the Annual Appraisal Summary Report
- January focus: In-depth conversation around both your inquiry self-review and evidence collected for teacher’s practicing criteria. Evaluation discussed and reflections made, Annual Appraisal Summary Report completed and where to next is discussed.
- Provisionally registered teachers/teachers who are studying are also to meet with their mentor teacher on the last Tuesday in January/July/January to further discuss goals, inquiry and practice.
Evidence
- Teachers curate and gather evidence of their teaching practice using their own preferred method (Storypark, Hard Copy (Folder or Scrapbook), blog or online e-portfolio).
- Evidence should align with the Standards for the Teaching Profession and can include examples of your teaching practice, learner outcomes, planning, bicultural practice, professional development, reflection and ongoing conversations etc.
- The evidence for each annual cycle builds up to present a range of evidence across the three-year period between renewing your Practising Certificate.
Teachers will conduct an Inquiry Self-Review to gather evidence of growth and development that is based around an inquiry goal, which is chosen by yourself and discussed with your Head teacher or the Manager at each appraisal meeting. This self-review is to be recorded on a template that is found on Storypark.
Observations
- Teachers will have two observations during the year. These observations will focus on your general daily teaching practice.
- Teachers will have one observation by their own Head Teacher and one by another Head Teacher.
- Head Teachers will have both observations from the other two Head Teachers.
- Observations are to be held in April and October.
- The observations will be recorded on a template that is found on Storypark.
Sharing and Summary of Learning
The first two-hour staff meeting of the year will be dedicated to staff sharing their inquiry goal outcomes with the rest of the team. The Annual Appraisal Summary Report is scheduled to be completed on/by the last Wednesday of January, where your next inquiry goal for the year will also be set.
Annual cycle begins again in January.
Professional Development Procedures.
Reference: GMA7 - Licensing Criteria for Early Childhood Education and Care Services 2021.
Beach Kids encourages our teachers to further their experience and qualifications. Funding for the professional development of teachers is built into the budget.
- A generous budget is allocated for professional development requirements.
- Teachers wishing to embark on training of any kind must apply to their Centre Manager for assistance.
- The success of any teacher’s application for financial assistance will be performance, needs, and costs based.
- Professional development requirements are identified through our appraisal meetings and teacher registration process.
- All decisions regarding the allocation of budgeted staff training funds will be entirely at the discretion of the Centre Manager.
- All information received on courses will be circulated in staff meetings.
Misconduct and Disciplinary Procedures.
It is important that employees gain a clear understanding of what behaviour may constitute misconduct or serious misconduct leading to a discipline/dismissal procedure in employment. Having a clear procedure to follow will avoid confusion and reduce the risk of an employee taking out a personal grievance case against Beach Kids Waihi.
Request for Leave Procedure
If a staff member wishes to apply for leave (All leave except sick leave) the following process must be followed:
- Locate the form “Request for Leave” and complete the following:
- Date’s leave is required.
- Total hours leave is required.
- Type of leave required.
The “Request for Leave” is to be submitted to the Centre Manager a minimum of two working weeks prior to the commencement of leave, who will forward it onto the centre owners.
The Centre Owners are to approve or decline leave within a week of receiving it and will communicate this back to the Centre Manager.
The Centre Manager is to notify the employee if the “Request of Leave” has been approved or declined and they are to organise a replacement/relief worker for the hours/days of work requested and update the roster.
Staff Health and Wellbeing
At Beach Kids, we recognise our obligation to our staff under the Health and Safety at Work Act to provide a safe working environment. We recognize that the health and wellbeing of our staff is important and that it not only benefits the individual, but also the children, families and the wider community.
- The Centre Manager is appointed as the Health and Safety Officer.
- Beach Kids promotes a good work/life balance, providing a flexible roster if needed.
- Support is available from the Health and Safety officer to all staff, should they need to confidentially discuss something that may be impacting their work performance.
- Beach Kids provide and promote a supportive workplace culture, where healthy lifestyle choices are valued, encouraged and supported.
- Staff have access to health professionals, services and organisations who can support the promotion of staff health and wellbeing.
- Staff members are offered an annual flu jab, paid for by management.
- If a staff member chooses not to be immunised and a disease outbreak occurs (for which there is a vaccination), there is a requirement for the staff member to be placed on unpaid leave until the outbreak is contained.
- Any staff member with identified health conditions that require any prescriptive medication will inform the Centre Manager. Their medication will be left in the staff member’s bag in the office area.
If staff are unwell, please follow these guidelines:
-When a staff member becomes ill, they are encouraged to see a GP, depending on the severity of the illness.
-Staff who become unwell at home should notify the Centre Manager as soon as possible – preferably the night before if they expect to be absent the next day, so that appropriate cover can be arranged.
-Staff who become unwell at work should notify the Centre Manager. Depending on the severity of the illness, you may be able to go home immediately or at a later time in the day.
-Staff members who are absent from work for more than 3 days must provide a medical certificate from their GP stating how long they will be absent for.
Personal Grievance – Procedures for Settlement
If you have an issue or grievance to bring to the attention of others in the centre, then you are firstly to approach the Centre Manager and verbally inform them of the issue. If this is not sufficient to resolve the problem or issue, then it will be necessary for you to write down your grievance and present it to management for further discussion and hopefully a speedy resolution. Many issues will have an effective forum at the fortnightly centre staff meetings and these issues need only to be added to the meeting agenda for discussion and hopefully resolution.
Should there be no resolution to the issue, then the grievance procedure as laid out in staff contracts will be enforced.
A personal grievance, as defined in the Employment Contracts Act, 1991, shall be settled in accordance with the procedure set out in clause 14a) to 14g) of this policy.
Submission of grievance to Beach Kids
Any employee who considers that he/she has grounds for a personal grievance may submit the grievance to the management of Beach Kids or a representative of Beach Kids.
- Time within which personal grievance must be submitted –
- The grievance shall be submitted within the period of 90 days beginning with the date on which the action alleged to amount to a personal grievance has occurred or has come to the notice of the employee, whichever is the later, so as to enable the management of Beach Kids to remedy the grievance rapidly and as close as possible to the point of origin.
- If the grievance is not submitted within the period prescribed by sub clause (1) of this clause, the management of Beach Kids shall not be obliged to consider the employee's grievance, unless the Tribunal grants the management of Beach Kids leave to submit the personal grievance after the expiration of that period. If the Tribunal grants leave or if the management of Beach Kids consents to the personal grievance being submitted after the expiration of that period, the management of Beach Kids shall be required to comply with the provisions below.
Employee’s written statement –
If the grievance is not settled in discussion between the employee and the management of Beach Kids, the employee shall promptly give the management of Beach Kids a written statement setting out:
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The nature of the grievance; and
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The facts giving rise to the grievance; and
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The remedy sought
Beach Kids management’s response –
If the management of Beach Kids is not prepared to grant the remedy sought, and the parties have not otherwise settled the grievance, the management of Beach Kids shall as soon as possible, but in any event, not later than the 14th day after the day on which the management of Beach Kids receives the employees written statement setting out, submit a written statement setting out:
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The management of Beach Kids’ view of the facts; and
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The reasons why Beach Kids management is not prepared to grant the remedy sought
Written statements waived –
Where the employee and the management of Beach Kids agree in writing to waive the requirement for an exchange of written statements, that agreement shall not in any way effect the further application of this procedure.
Power to refer personal grievance to Tribunal –
If -
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The employee is not satisfied with the employer’s written response; or
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The management of Beach Kids fails to provide within 14 days after the day on which the employer receives the employee's written statement, a written response; or
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The management of Beach Kids and the employee have agreed to waive the requirement for an exchange of written statements and the employee is still not satisfied with the employer's response to the grievance, the employee may refer their grievance to the Tribunal in the prescribed manner.
Role of the tribunal
The Tribunal shall, as soon as practicable:
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Where appropriate, provide mediation assistance to the parties; and
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If necessary, proceed to adjudicate on the grievance and, in doing so, shall consider -
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The employee's written statement (if any); and
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The management of Beach Kids’ written response (if any); and
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Any evidence or submissions given by or on behalf of the parties; and
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Such other matters as the Tribunal sees fit.
Disputes - Procedure for settlement
A dispute about the interpretation, application, or operation of this Employment Contract shall be settled in accordance with the procedure set out in clauses 15a) to 15h) of this Policy.
Persons who may invoke procedure –
Any person who is a party to this policy may invoke the procedure.
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Submission of dispute to other party –
The party invoking the procedure shall advise the other party or parties to the policy of:
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The existence of the dispute; and
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The basis of the dispute; and
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The solution sought in respect of the dispute.
Meetings –
The parties shall then meet to discuss the dispute, with a support person if needed.
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Written Statement –
If the parties fail to resolve the dispute, the party who invoked the procedure shall give to the other party or parties a written statement setting out;
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The nature of the dispute; and
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The relevant facts in relation to the dispute; and
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The solution sought in respect of the dispute.
Response –
If the other party is not prepared or able to provide the solution sought, and the dispute has not otherwise been settled, the other party shall not later than the 14th day after the day of receiving the written statement of the dispute under clause 15d) provide a written response setting out:
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That party’s view of the facts; and
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The reason why that party is not prepared or able to provide the solution sought.
Waiver of Written Statements –
Where the parties agree in writing that the exchange of written statements under the preceding provisions is inappropriate or unnecessary, they may dispense with those parts of the procedure.
Power to refer dispute to the Tribunal –
If -
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The party invoking the procedure is not satisfied with the other party’s written response; or
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The other party fails to provide within the 14 day period required, a written response; or
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The parties have agreed to waive the requirement for an exchange of written statements and the party invoking the procedure is not satisfied that the dispute has been resolved, the party invoking the procedure may refer the dispute to the Tribunal in the prescribed manner.
Role of the Tribunal –
The Tribunal, as soon as practical, will:
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Where appropriate, provide mediation assistance to the parties; and
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If necessary, proceed to adjudicate on the dispute and, in doing so, shall consider
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The written statement (if any); and
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The written response (if any); and
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Any evidence or submissions given by or on behalf of the parties; and
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Such other matters as the Tribunal thinks fit.