Contact Us

We welcome contact from nurseries/children's centres/play groups/mother-baby/toddler groups and primary schools to provide a variety of sessions including:

45 minute parent-toddler sessions
30 minute children sessions
60 minute afterschool sessions
staff training sessions (early years/infant singing, beginners ukulele, early years/infant instrument play, early years/infant singing games, early years music curriculum planning)

We also welcome contact from potential early years music educators able to present and promote early years/infant music sessions in different areas of Greater Manchester.

Please contact us for more information using the methods below:

Email Address

frances@musicaliti.co.uk

Telephone

Office: (01204) 595 680

Mobile: 07834 239 495

Musicaliti Policy Document

March 2010

General Statement

Musicaliti’s Policy Document has been compiled for the safety and wellbeing of children and their families attending sessions and with consideration for the premises being used.

Responsibilities

Final responsibility for ensuring policies/procedures are upheld is that of the Musicaliti management.
The Session Leader is responsible for ensuring compliance of policies/procedures on a session to session basis at all premises. The management is responsible for ensuring all staff and volunteers and children are aware of policies/procedures and how they should be implemented.
All employees have a responsibility to co-operate with the management to ensure compliance of policies/procedures in their place of work. Employees will be issued with copies of policy documents during their induction-training period.
Improvements to current policy are recorded and implemented at the earliest opportunity.
All policies/procedures and their effectiveness will be reviewed in August each year.

Aims and Objectives

Musicaliti aims to offer high quality general musicianship tuition to children from birth to 7 years old. We aim to offer developmentally-appropriate musical opportunities that are both fun and challenging. We will promote the dignity, privacy, choice, safety, potential and diversity of all children, parents, staff and volunteers.

Musicaliti will promote policies and procedures that promote its aims in practice, and will make these known to staff and volunteers, parents and children.
Musicaliti will meet all relevant legislation applying to it.
Musicaliti will employ competent and confident staff and volunteers who have been appropriately vetted.
Musicaliti will provide a balanced range of activities, taking account of the ages, development needs, and interest of each child.
Musicaliti will contribute to its local community and will develop links with services and organisations that will assist it in meeting it aims.
Musicaliti will operate a self evaluation scheme as a means of ensuring that continuous improvement takes place, and will involve staff and volunteers and users in this process.
Musicaliti will be open and transparent in all of its activities and will take into account local, national and DCSF guidance in its activities.

Admission Criteria Policy

Musicaliti’s admission policy is governed by the following principles:

We will work in partnership with parents/carers in caring for your child. Our staff and volunteers will have both the time and the training to welcome you and your child each session.
Parents/carers will be provided with sufficient information about the sessions to enable parents/carers and children to make an informed choice.
Allocation of places is based on equality and fairness.
Places are offered on a first come first served basis. Priority will be given to previously enrolled children/siblings.
Parents/carers will be required to complete an application for registration form, and to pay a minimum of the first half term’s fees in advance.
Information provided by parents/carers about themselves and child will be treated confidentially and kept safe.

Code of Conduct/Behaviour Policy

Musicaliti aims to promote positive behaviour by treating everyone connected with dignity, respect equality and fairness at all times; by creating a safe and secure environment free from bullying, harassment and discrimination; by ensuring that users are free from exploitation and abuse.

We will achieve this by:

Valuing each child as an individual.
Ensuring that staff and volunteers interaction with children builds confidence, encourages learning new skills and values the contributions of children and young people.
Working with parents to promote positive behaviour and deal with difficult behaviour.
Encouraging the participation of children each session.
Ensuring that staff and volunteers are trained in recognising harm, abuse, neglect, bullying and discrimination and that they actively challenge and respond to such behaviour.
Encourage children to take responsibility for their own behaviour.
Having a child safeguarding policy.
Having a code of behaviour that is consistently applied.
Having a safe environment that meets all relevant legislation and by carrying out regular risk assessments.
Having a non smoking environment.

Charges and Fees Policy

Musicaliti charges session fees for each day that the child attends or each session booked ahead by the nursery group. Session fees are determined annually, and will be communicated in each term’s enrolment form (parents) or invoice (groups).

Parents/groups are liable for fees for all sessions booked, regardless of attendance
Musicaliti insists on payment in advance to assist cash flow.
Payments can be made through cash, bank transfer or cheque.
All fees must be paid by the start of each half term series of sessions, unless otherwise agreed in writing by management.

Complaints Policy

Users of Musicaliti should be able to complain effectively and without fear of victimisation. To achieve this, Musicaliti will:

Promote an environment of mutual respect, trust and open communication,
Treat everyone fairly and equally.
Provide opportunities for everyone to be consulted and to value the opinions expressed.
Produce a complaints procedure to support the aims and objectives, including access to an independent arbiter when agreement cannot be reached.
Train staff and volunteers in the handling of complaints.
Record all complaints whether informally or formally made.

Accident and Incident Reporting Policy

Musicaliti is committed to ensuring that children may attend sessions in a safe environment that is in line with all the relevant legislation. To this end management will ensure that:

Musicaliti has a health and safety policy that involves the use of regular risk assessment and regular maintenance of equipment.
Management and session leaders are knowledgeable about all the relevant health and safety legislation and their responsibilities in law.
The premises first aid procedure is made clear to the session leader in the event of an accident/incident.
All accidents/incidents involving children/young people/ staff and volunteers/ anyone within the premises are recorded.
All accidents/incidents involving children and young people are reported to parents/carers both verbally and in written format.
All accidents/incidents involving the premises, materials or equipment must be reported to the Management.
Any equipment designed to either prevent an accident/incident, or to tackle an accident/incident will be regularly and properly maintained.
The no smoking policy is adhered to.

Confidentiality Policy

The operation of Musicaliti involves the sharing of information with the school/nursery/group. In order to respect the dignity and privacy of all users, Musicaliti will actively promote confidentiality in the following ways.

Providing guidelines for staff and volunteers on required records/reports.
Providing guidelines for staff and volunteers in the handling of confidential/ sensitive information.
Providing secure storage for files and information.
Adhering to all relevant legislation in the keeping of records.
Providing parental/carer access to their child’s own records.
Undertaking not to disclose confidential information unless required to do so in matters of child protection or life and death situations.

Health and Safety Policies

Musicaliti views the health and safety of its users as of paramount importance. To this end, we will strive to ensure that:

Musicaliti provides a safe environment, suitable for our purpose, in line with all relevant legislation.
Premises are hygienic and smoke free.
Furniture, equipment, instruments and props are clean and well maintained.
Staff and volunteers take measures to control the spread of infection.
Regular risk assessments of premises, equipment and activities are carried out.
Management and Session Leaders are aware of their responsibilities under relevant Health and Safety legislation.
All required Reporting Procedures are in place.
Musicaliti has a Child Safeguarding policy and an Accidents and Incidents Policy.
All food is properly prepared and stored.
Children will learn about musical expression, instrument-play, fostering a love for making music.
Children will enjoy safety but will not be over-protected.
Children will have regular access to energetic physical play interspersed with time for quiet reflection.
Staff and volunteers are aware of emergency procedures.

Safeguarding Policy

Musicaliti will promote the safety of users and to ensure that they feel safe and secure and that they are free from exploitation and abuse. This will be achieved by:

Staff and volunteers having a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in protecting children from harm, abuse, bullying and neglect.
Staff and volunteers receiving training in the recognition of harm, abuse, neglect, bullying and discrimination and will follow set procedures in addressing these issues.
Musicaliti’s child protection procedures meeting Musician’s Union Child Protection guidance on child protection.
Staff and volunteers being carefully vetted in line with the National Care Standards prior to appointment.
Being sensitive to children’s choices when given the opportunity to be recorded (audio or video).
Regular risk assessments being carried out.
All child protection matters complying with Musicaliti’s confidentiality and Record Keeping Policies.

Child Participation Policy

Musicaliti supports the view that children should be treated with dignity and respect at all times, and that they should be enabled to realise their potential. We will achieve this by:

Providing opportunities for children to express their views, exercise choice and, where possible influence the activities of Musicaliti.
Actively consulting children and valuing their views.
Enabling children to make informed choices.
Providing opportunities for children to learn musical techniques and expression.
Treating everyone equally and fairly.
Providing opportunities to be involved in the evaluation of Musicaliti’s activities.

Partnership with Parents Policy

Musicaliti values and encourages the involvement of parents and carers in sessions. We will promote partnership with parents and carers by:

Providing information on our aims and objectives, policies and procedures.
Ensuring that staff and volunteers have a clear understanding of their role and responsibilities in protecting children from harm, abuse, bullying and neglect.
Ensuring that staff and volunteers work effectively with parents to support each child’s individual needs.
Regularly sharing information with parents/cares about their child.
Creating an environment where mutual respect, trust and open communication are promoted.
Working with parents to promote positive behaviour and to deal with difficult behaviour.
Staff and volunteers valuing and taking account of parent’s views.
Treating all parents equally and fairly.
Ensuring that parents/carers can complain without the fear of victimisation.
Ensuring that parents/carers contribute to the evaluation of the Musicaliti’s work.
Maintaining information confidentially while providing access to the record of your own child.

Staff and Volunteers Recruitment and Selection Policy

Users of Musicaliti can be confident that we recruit staff and volunteers through a process that takes account of equal opportunities and safe recruitment practices. This will include:

All applicants for staff and volunteers positions will be treated equally and fairly, and valued for their ethnic background, language, culture and faith.
Ethnic monitoring of applications.
The person in charge being assessed as a fit person by the Care Commission.
All staff and volunteers will be subject to an enhanced criminal records check from the Criminal Records Bureau, checks with previous employers, the taking up of references and cross referencing with the register of Social Services or other professional organisations.
Staff and volunteers will be selected with a range of qualifications, skills and experiences relevant to Musicaliti’s aims and objectives.
All staff and volunteers will be prepared to undertake training towards professional qualifications relevant to their role.
All posts are subject to six monthly probationary period.

Equal Opportunities Policy

Musicaliti believes in the dignity, privacy, choice safety, potential equality and diversity of its users. We will actively promote these principles by:

Having policies and procedures and promotional material that reflect those principles in practice.
Treating everyone with dignity and respect, and valuing different ethnic backgrounds, language, culture and faiths.
Treating everyone equally and fairly and establishing an environment that is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination.
Consulting with users and valuing the opinions expressed.
Train staff and volunteers in recognising harm, abuse, neglect, bullying and discrimination and in challenging such behaviour.
Ethnic monitoring of admissions, waiting list and recruitment.
Adhering to all relevant legislation.

Record Keeping Policy

Musicaliti will maintain records that are required for the efficient and safe management and to promote the welfare, care and learning of the children and young people.

Records will be kept in accordance with national and local guidance.
Parent/carers can access their child’s own records.
Records will be confidential and will be securely stored.
Records will be made available to authorities on request.

Current locations

Local nurseries in Bolton
Local primary schools in Bolton