KING’S TEMPLE ASSEMBLY (KTA)

Children’s Ministry Enrolment and Class Assignment Policy

King’s Temple Assembly (KTA) believes that Christian biblical education is important to the growth and development of children and is committed to providing a reliable, high-quality children’s ministry program in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment.

Enrolment:

Parents must enrol their children into KTA’s children’s ministry through completion of a “Registration Form” for each child placed in the care of KTA’s Sunday School program. Registration information must be updated annually.

Class Assignment:

Children are assigned to classes as follows;

Children will be put in classes according to their normal school year. Requests to place a child in a class different from that stated in this policy must be discussed with the Lower or Upper School Coordinator and approved by the Head of Department. 

Nursery: Infancy through 23 months.

Toddlers: 2 to 3 – year – olds. Toddlers remain in this class until they have turned three and they are fully potty trained. We will promote those children who meet these criteria to the Reception class in August of the current school year.

Reception & Year 1: Children are enrolled in this class according to their current school year.

Years 2 & 3: Children are enrolled in this class according to their current school year.

Years 4 & 5: Children are enrolled in this class according to their current school year.

Years 6 & 7: Children are enrolled in this class according to their current school year.

Students are promoted to their new classes in August on KTA’s “Promotion Sunday”.

Children expected to start Year 8 in September are promoted to join the KTA’s Youth Service where they are given Christian biblical education and worship opportunities to develop their talents, faith and belief in Jesus Christ and love for Him. This ceremony is held concurrently with all the children who are due for promotion and certificates of progression will be awarded in the Adult service. This will be held annually on the last Sunday of August as children prepare to move on to their new academic school year.

Children’s Ministry Policies and Procedures:

The following Policies and Procedures have been established to ensure the health and safety of children served by KTA. Questions regarding any policy or procedure should be directed to the Head of Department or Minister-in-Charge of the Children’s Ministry. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in creating a favourable environment in which our children can come to know the love of Christ

1. Parents must make sure their child is signed in at their classroom.
2. Parents must remain on-site while their children attend Sunday School.
3. KTA offers a well organised ministry for children. Teachers may refuse a child who shows signs of a contagious illness (diarrhoea, rash, green nasal discharge, flu, severe cough, fever, etc.). Please make sure your child is symptom free for 24 hours before bringing him/her to Sunday School.
4. Teachers are NOT permitted to administer medication of any kind.
5. Drop Off and Dismissal Procedures

• Nursery (Infants & Toddlers): Parents may take their children to their room 15 minutes prior to the start of worship and leave them in the care of a KTA Sunday School teacher. It is the responsibility of the parent / guardian to sign the child in. At the end of service parents must immediately come to pick up their children from their classrooms and sign out unless other arrangements have been made prior to class.
• Reception & Year 1: Parents may take their children to their room 15 minutes prior to the start of worship and leave them in the care of a KTA Sunday School teacher. It is the responsibility of the parent / guardian to sign the child in. At the end of service, parents must immediately come to pick up their children from their classrooms and sign out unless other arrangements have been made prior to class.
• Years 2 to 5: Parents and guardians should leave their children in the care of a Sunday School teacher and sign them in before leaving. At the end of service parents must immediately come to pick up their children from their classrooms and sign out unless other arrangements have been made prior to class.
• Years 6 & 7: Children will be released at the end of class to meet parents outside of the Children’s department. These children can pick up their siblings if parents inform the class teachers earlier. They must sign the children out.

6. We ask that personal toys be left at home. If a special comfort item is needed, please label it with the child’s name.
7. Parents should pick up their children immediately after the adult service is over. Please pick up your children before socialising as teachers must tidy up and put the classrooms for regular school students to use. Treat this as urgent and very important. Teachers would like to socialise, too!
8. Parents are responsible for notifying teachers of any allergy, medical or other concerns (i.e. custody arrangements) that are relevant to the child’s health and well-being.

SNACKS

Snacks are served at the children’s ministry. If you do not wish your child to have snacks or your child is allergic to a specific food, please notify your child’s teacher/facilitator upon arriving to class.

 PARENT INVOLVEMENT:

Parent involvement is integral in providing the Christian Education and Worship experiences that will enable our children to develop and grow in their faith. As your family is served by this Christian Education Program, please consider sharing some of your time as a teacher, a support assistant, nursery or toddler volunteer, or music leader. Be it one Sunday a month or a weekly commitment, every contribution is valued. Children spell “LOVE” … T-I-M-E. Please contact the Head of Department of the Children’s Ministry to find out how you can help.

BEHAVIOUR POLICY:

Statement:

The children’s ministry programme of KTA encourages and supports children to have positive attitudes to themselves and others, valuing each child’s efforts and interests and helping children to develop confidence and self-esteem. KTA’s Children Ministry team and the volunteer teachers are all enhanced DBS checked, will strive to provide a positive and nurturing learning environment for the children we serve. Children will be informed of classroom rules and be expected to conduct themselves in an age-appropriate manner.

 Any behavioural difficulties that arise will be dealt with promptly and in a calm and consistent manner in accordance with the policy guidelines. If they continue to misbehave and/or disrupt the lesson they will be offered a limited choice of activities that the teacher deems appropriate. If behaviour problems persist, parents will be consulted along with the Lower or Upper School Coordinator to establish an age-appropriate plan to address the situation.

For persistent and more serious behaviours, involving safety issues, verbal abuse or physical injury to other children or teachers, the parent(s) / guardian(s) will be invited to discuss the behaviour or incident with the Teacher, or Lower School or/and Upper School Coordinator and a plan of action agreed on. We will work in partnership with parents and will happily discuss the child’s progress with the parent(s) / guardian(s) after each session.

Should every agreed effort to support the child be unsuccessful the Head of Department may ask the parent(s) / guardian(s) to remove their child from their class for a three-week ‘time-out’ period. If there are recurring behavioural difficulties, the Head of Department may ask the Minister-in-Charge for the next line of action and support. After a ‘time-out’ period the child will be warmly welcomed back into their class.

 Behaviour management – Guidelines:

1. Children must NEVER be physically punished by a children’s ministry teacher.
2. Children should never be forcibly moved except in an emergency–when their own immediate safety is at risk.
3. Teachers/Facilitators should not shout at children unless as a means of attracting attention in order to ensure safety.
4. Teachers/Facilitators must never call children names or ridicule them in any way.
5. When a child misbehaves, he/she should be taken aside by a teacher to discuss the behaviour.
6. The teacher/facilitator must explain why such behaviour is unacceptable, how it affects others, safety implications and so on. The child should always be given time to explain their behaviour.
7. Disciplinary action should take the form of:

• Remove the child from the situation and discuss his/her actions as above.
• Place the child in a quiet area away from other children but still under teacher supervision and allow the child time to calm down.
• Where a child is unwilling to comply with acceptable behaviour or must be removed from the room, the parent(s)/guardian(s) will be asked to supervise or remove their child. The child is welcome to return to the group when calm.
• The child is expected to apologise for their behaviour.
• When appropriate a child may be excluded from an activity for a set time.

8. When a group of children are misbehaving the following strategies may be used:

• They may be separated or directed towards different activities.
• A favourite activity may be withdrawn for a set time.

9. Teachers/facilitators must be consistent and follow through on disciplinary action taken. When a child is being disciplined, the teacher responsible for the action must ensure that the Head of Department agrees, and other teachers are aware of what has been decided.
10. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may be informed, depending on the incident, action taken or frequency.
11. If a child persistently misbehaves or shows disregard for adults, peer and/or equipment, the Head of Department must inform the Minister-In-Charge. The Leader or Minister-in-charge may arrange a meeting with the parents who should be asked to assist in an action plan if the need be.