Work Experience Placement: Preparation for Work With Vulnerable Children

I will do my work experience placement in a nursery while working one-on-one with children with special needs. Patience is one of the abilities I will need during my stay at St. Baranabas Nursery. Patience is essential when working with children with special needs because they usually do not start making progress or complete milestones as quickly as normal children. Another ability we will want is communication skills. This is crucial since some children with special needs may not be able to communicate verbally and may need to communicate through BSL (sign language). This may necessitate learning sign language in order to communicate with them. I can study BSL by looking at and watching YouTube videos and learning a few prompts, and if I want to expand my understanding any more, I can find an online class that teaches only BSL legislation.

It is critical that I respect the Equality Act whilst performing my placement. The equality act legally protects persons from job and societal discrimination. This means that during my placement, I must not discriminate against any of my colleagues or the children in the environment.

Another legislation policy that I will have to follow is the safeguarding policy, which will ensure that the children in the nursery are safe. This means that if the children do or say anything that concerns me, I will have to report it to one of the teachers, who will then report it to one of the safeguarding members. The data protection act is another crucial legislative regulation that I will have to observe. The Data Protection Act 2008 is in place to ensure that no personal information on children is disclosed or exploited. This means that I should not disclose any of the children's information with anyone outside of the classroom. Anything said in the classroom should stay in the classroom.

As I will be working in a school with vulnerable children, I will need to complete a DBS check for my placement. Another thing I'll need to think about is what I'll wear because I'll need to look professional and formal. Another thing I should think about is what identification and personal information the school will require of me.

During my placement, I assist in setting up the classroom and preparing sensory activities for the children to enjoy. Filling the water tub with bubbles and making play dough are two examples of these hobbies. When the children arrive, I make sure they are settled in because some youngsters experience separation anxiety from their parents and assist them in getting ready for the day. I keep the learning environment clean and safe at all times by cleaning the tables before and after snack and lunch, and I assist in picking up items left on the floor that someone could trip over.

Overall, I am convinced that my chosen placement will strengthen my knowledge and abilities, as well as provide me with the opportunity to learn from other professionals in the area.