Hempsted Playgroup and Toddlers

Supervision Policy

Quality performance management is essential in ensuring beneficial outcomes for the children and their families.  It is also a crucial element in the role of the early year’s practitioner, for development, motivation, support and teamwork.  Supervision is now a statutory requirement of the Early Years Foundation Stage (Department for Education 2023 – updated 19/01/2024

​Providers must put effective arrangements in place for the Supervision of staff who have contact with children and families. Effective supervision provides support, coaching and training for the practitioner and promotes the interests of children. Supervision should foster a culture of mutual support, teamwork and continuous improvement, which encourages the confidential discussion of sensitive issues. (3.22 Statutory Framework for the early years foundation stage 2024)

 

​What is supervision?

Supervision is an instrument to help management of practice.

To discuss issues, in particular children’s development and well-being.

To monitor standards.

Identify solutions to address issues.

Review work and workload.

Plan future action.

Improve in-house communication.

​

Checking continuing suitability

Supervisors check with staff if there is any new information pertaining to their suitability to work with children. This only needs to be recorded on the supervision meeting record.

Where staff are on zero hours contracts or are employed as and when needed, their line manager completes the staff suitability self-declaration form quarterly, and/or at the beginning of every new period of work.

​

Frequency and Duration

Supervision meetings will be held every term and will last no longer than thirty minutes.  For new staff this will be more frequent. However, if both parties feel that there is reason to arrange more frequent meetings, then this can and will be arranged.

​

During the Supervision

We will discuss what your job involves, what the setting would like you to do and how you will be supported to carry out your job to the best of your ability.  Discuss your continuing professional development, basing it on your own personal values as well as the settings aims and standards. Share any relevant information.

​

The Supervisor will take notes during the meeting and an action plan will be drawn up, with the Supervisee, to agree the next steps that will be put in place.

​

The Supervisors’ notes will be checked, signed and both parties will receive a copy, they will then be used for review at the next supervision meeting.

​

The Supervisee can be expected to:

Be listened to.

Be treated fairly and in an anti-discriminatory manner.

Have their views, opinions and feelings valued and respected.

Be treated as an adult.

​

They should feel able to:

Disagree.

Learn from mistakes, to seek advice on what they do not know or they are unsure of.

​

Confidentiality

This is a confidential document; it is also an organisational document that does not belong exclusively to the supervisor and supervisee.  As such the supervision record is not secret or private. (Confidentiality Policy)

 

Only under certain circumstances can others access these documents:

Grievance

Discipline

Internal/external inquiry

Complaints

Reviewed August 2025