Early Years Practitioner - Athelstaneford Primary School - EAL12172

The salary advertised is full time (35 hours per week, 52 weeks per year). Part-time hours / sessional posts will be pro-rated accordingly. Hourly rate of pay: £17.72 - £19.19. This is a 39-week sessional post i.e. working hours will be during school term time plus in-service days. Temporary until 26th June 2026.

Days and Hours of Work: Monday - Thursday, 08:15-15:45; Friday, 08:15-12:45. Starting and finishing times are flexible. To start 21st April 2026.

Athelstaneford Primary is a small, rural school proudly sitting at the heart of our community. The school consists of a nursery offering 1140 hours a year with up to 20 children per session and 3 classes accommodating 57 children in the main school. We are equipped with a small central learning area and playground. The school has access to the local village hall to support curricular learning and outdoor areas such as a large park which has recently been renovated.

At Athelstaneford, we live by our school vision of "learning together and having fun to be the best we can be". This along with our values of kindness, perseverance, co-operation and respect help to shape our school ethos and contribute to our learning. We invest in developing nurturing and supportive relationships with our learners, community and colleagues.

We are looking for a strong Early Years Practitioner with a good understanding of the learning cycle and the ability to support this in our setting. We are looking for someone who is able to model our values each and every day and is committed to both improving themselves and our setting as a whole to make the nursery the best it can be.

Job Details: To work as an effective member of an early years team delivering a high quality child centred service which meets the needs of children and their families. Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job. You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form. You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The ‘East Lothian Way’ – values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work. Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours. Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements: Relevant Qualifications: You must be educated to HNC level in Early Education and Childcare or hold SNNB/HNC/SVQ3 qualifications in Childcare/Education or equivalent and be able to evidence additional learning and knowledge of current practice and legislation in relation to Early Learning and Childcare.

SSSC registration: SSSC registration is an essential requirement of this role. If you are appointed and are not already a member of the relevant section of the SSSC Register, you will be required to apply for registration within 3 months of your start date to ensure that you are registered within the required 6 months.

PVG Membership: This post is considered as a Regulated Role with vulnerable children and/or protected adults, as specified in the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020. All preferred candidates for posts carrying out regulated work with these groups will be required to become a PVG Scheme member, or undergo a PVG Scheme update if they are already a member, prior to any formal offer of employment being made by East Lothian Council.

Please note: PVG member’s records are constantly updated with any new vetting information that arises. Any information that is disclosed on a PVG membership or update check, if relevant to the post being applied for, will be discussed with the applicant and investigated prior to any formal offer being made.

Please note: If you have spent more than 3 months working or living outwith the UK in the last 5 years then you will be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Additional Information: For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link: www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo. East Lothian Council Primary and Secondary Schools Further details on all East Lothian Council Primary and Secondary Schools, including individual school websites can be found here: Primary and Secondary Schools.

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us. If you require further information about this vacancy, please call 01620 827868, or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk.

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail). All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form. Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form. If, for example, due to a disability, you are unable to complete the on-line application form you can contact us for a paper application via the telephone number or email address above.