Senior Early Childhood Practitioner, Abernethy Primary School - PKC12686

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job; it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Early Childhood Practitioner based at Abernethy Primary School. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual to progress in Early Learning and Childcare.

Abernethy Primary School and Nursery is a beautiful place to work. Our relatively new building offers bright, spacious playrooms where our nursery children can develop in a nurturing environment. We pride ourselves on our attractive nursery setting, which also offers lots of outdoor space in our own nursery garden and playground as well as often accessing the larger space of the school playground. The commute from central Perth to Abernethy only takes around 16 minutes with a pleasant, easy drive.

The successful candidate will be contracted to work 36 hours per week during term-time in the school year. This post is permanent, with Perth and Kinross Council, and based at Abernethy Primary School.

Candidates will be responsible for supporting and motivating a small and happy team, ensuring children have access to high-quality learning experiences which are responsive to children's needs and interests. You will assist in the organisation and management of the service for the benefit of all children, families and the wider community.

As Senior Early Childhood Practitioner (ECP), you will provide effective management support to the Head Teacher and take a lead role in all aspects of children’s early education and childcare as required and directed by the Head Teacher. You will take a lead role in a team of skilled practitioners who support and respond to the individual needs of all children and families within the nursery.

As the Senior ECP, you will assist in the organisation and management of the nursery to ensure high-quality care and education for children. You will be required to plan, deliver and review play and learning experiences that are appropriate to the needs of young children and their families in our school and the surrounding community of Abernethy, within the context of both authority and nursery policies and procedures.

Skills & Experience Required

The successful candidate must have an SNNB, HNC or SVQ3 in Childcare/Education or equivalent and have a commitment to or be working towards a qualification to allow registration with the Scottish Social Services Council as a Lead Practitioner (i.e. diploma/degree in Early Childhood Practice). You must also have previous experience of working as an Early Childhood Practitioner in a nursery setting.

You must be able to work on your own initiative and as a team member who directly contributes to and supports colleagues in the development of a flexible Nursery class, a flexible childcare and early education service, which is appropriate to the needs of young children and their families, within the context of both authority and nursery policies and procedures. You will be able to think 'on your feet' and enjoy a varied role taking a lead in the organisation and management of a happy, busy nursery, putting children's needs first.

You will have excellent communication skills and the ability to build strong relationships with children, families and colleagues alike. We are looking for a fun, caring, committed and dedicated individual who enjoys working as part of a team. As a Senior ECP, you will have a wide range of experience in Nursery education and be ready to act as a lead practitioner to support learners and staff in a manner that brings out the best in all.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours.

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Access to a range of benefits

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work-life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

This role requires you to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC); if you are not yet registered, you can still apply, as long as you are willing to apply for registration within 3 months of starting with us and be registered within 6 months.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Fiona Whittet, Head Teacher on 01738 472676 to find out more.

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments.

Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process. Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check. If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above-mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.