Health & Safety Scholars: How Grandir UK leads in nursery safety

Why health and safety matters when choosing a nursery

Environment is naturally one of the most important factors for families when choosing a nursery. Parents want to feel confident that their child is in an environment that is not only nurturing and engaging, but also carefully managed, well-prepared and consistently monitored.

In nursery settings, health and safety must be a top priority. Families expect providers to take all reasonable precautions to protect children from potential hazards and support their health and well-being in a safe, secure environment.

At Grandir UK, health and safety procedures are not treated as a standalone tick box responsibility. They form part of our daily practice, supporting the well-being and welfare requirements of every child in our care. From maintaining safe environments to ensuring staff are fully trained, our nursery teams take an active role in identifying risks and implementing appropriate control measures.

We understand that families place their trust in us every day, which is why we take a proactive approach to maintaining the highest standards across our nurseries, in line with health and safety law, and the Early years foundation stage statutory framework.

One of the ways we do this is through our Health and Safety Scholar’s programme. This structured framework supports nurseries in building and maintaining a strong safety culture, ensuring that best practice is not only understood but consistently applied across our settings.

What are Health and safety Scholars?

Our Health and safety Scholars programme reflects a nursery’s progress in developing a positive and proactive safety culture. Rather than acting as a pass or fail system, it represents a journey of continuous improvement across our early years settings.

Each nursery is assessed and recognised at one of three levels:

Foundation

Nurseries at Foundation level are developing their safety culture. Teams demonstrate awareness of policies and procedures and are working towards embedding consistent, high-quality practice.

Specialist

Specialist nurseries demonstrate a strong and proactive approach to health and safety. Teams take ownership of safe practice, identify appropriate risks, and implement necessary steps to reduce the likelihood of accidents, injury or harm.

Scholar or Leadership

Scholar is the highest level within the programme. These nurseries demonstrate exceptional understanding, ownership and consistent application of health and safety standards in their setting. Scholar settings may also support and mentor other nurseries as they progress on their own safety journey.

This framework helps ensure that regular risk assessments are carried out and that safety procedures are continuously reviewed and improved across our nurseries.

What this means in practice

A strong safety culture can be seen in many ways within a nursery environment, both visible and behind the scenes.

Visible safety measures include:

• Daily environment checks
• Secure entry and exit systems, including closing gates
• High standards of kitchen hygiene in line with hygiene requirements
• Risk-assessed outdoor play areas
• Safe use and regular checking of electrical equipment

These are the things families may notice during a visit.

Behind the scenes, our teams are also:

• Completing regular risk assessments as per safety policies
• Undertaking first aid training
• Following fire evacuation procedures and other emergency procedures
• Managing substances hazardous to health appropriately
• Maintaining Environmental Health Officer ratings
• Reviewing incidents and dealing with medicines safely where required

Our nursery team members are fully aware of their responsibility to identify hazards and ensure that all safety measures are implemented to keep children safe. These assessments and procedures support children’s well-being, helping them to explore and learn in a protected environment.

What makes a Scholar nursery different?

Nurseries that achieve Scholar status have demonstrated excellence in their approach to health and safety.

To reach this level, a nursery must:

• Have zero higher priority actions in their most recent assessment
• Ensure all core staff are 100 per cent compliant with Safety Super Six training course requirements
• Hold an Environmental Health Officer rating of 5
• Meet all Compliance and Regulatory Assessment requirements

Real voices

Caroline Chandler, Health and safety Manager at Grandir UK, explains:

“The Scholars framework is all about embedding a culture where ‘Safety Starts with ME’, which brings every staff member together to create environments where children can confidently explore inspiring activities. By supporting children and staff to understand and manage everyday risk, we help them become risk aware rather than risk averse, enabling children to build independence and take appropriate risks in their learning. This is what truly strengthens safety and reassurance for our families.”

The bigger picture

At Grandir UK, our approach to health and safety is proactive rather than reactive. Through the Health and Safety Scholars programme, our nurseries are supported to continuously review, develop and strengthen their practice in line with statutory guidance.

By building a culture that prioritises improvement and accountability, we aim to provide families with assurance that safety is embedded into every aspect of nursery life.

Effective health and safety is not just about policies and procedures. It is about creating an environment where children can feel safe, supported and confident to explore, learn and get the best possible start in life.