Job title:Early Years Assistant (WR34)

Job Ref No:1954

At:Wallace Road Nursery School

Salary:Grade D Point 10-12 £15613 to £16123 pro-rata

Hours:Monday-Friday 8.30-3.30pm Monday to Friday (29.5 hours a week)

Weeks per Year:38 (term time only)

Purpose of Job

  • To actively participate and work as part of the nursery team, to assist Key Workers in providing education and care for children aged 0-5 years, their families and carers.
  • To implement plans/ programmes, by working with individuals and groups of children to ensure that children’s needs are met and the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is delivered.

We are looking for an Early Years Assistantto join our small and friendly team.This is a brand new post to support the current team with an increase in pupil numbers. Thecandidate will beworking every week day term time only for 32.5 hours a week (please refer to rota). The EYA will also be welcomed to paid weekly staff meetings on Wednesday afternoons after school.

About Us

Wallace Road is a 78 place maintained Nursery School in Northampton who provides full and part time education to 3-4 year olds, and part time education for twelve 2 year olds, increasing to 24 2 year olds after Easter 2017. We’ve been a nursery since WWII but had a new build 10 years ago. We have a friendly and well established team of 11 staff working within the Nursery and the admin office. The nursery is open every weekday, term time only 8.45 am until 3.30pm.

The Role

The Early Years Assistant role is line managed by the Head Teacher and their main responsibility is to implement plans/ programmes, by working with individuals and groups of children to ensure that children’s needs are met and the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum is delivered. In the team, there are Early Years Practitioners who lead the room and team, Teaching Assistants (level 3) and Early Years Assistants. Both EYP and TA3 have key worker responsibilities.

Main accountabilities

  1. To implement plans of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum by working with individuals and groups of children both indoors and outdoors, in order to provide safe, stimulating and appropriate learning and play experiences which promote children’s social, emotional, physical and intellectual learning and development.
  2. To contribute to making observations and assessments, ensuring ongoing records for children (including particular individuals or groups) in the setting, in consultation with other team members, to provide for children’s individual needs.
  3. To support working with parents and children together, encouraging and involving parents/carers in children’s learning and other Children’s Centre or maintained foundation stage setting activities.
  4. To report any cause for concern regarding a child’s health or welfare to the designated senior member of staff responsible for Child Protection/Safeguarding Children.
  5. To record any accidents to children in the accident book, and report this to the child’s designated Key Worker, a senior member of staff and parents, where appropriate.
  6. To implement individual educational programmes for children with Special Educational Needs ensuring their full integration into the nursery/early years setting.
  7. To plan and organise play activities that contribute to children’s learning environment, referring on any issues to the Key Worker.
  8. To encourage good team working relationships attending regular team and staff meetings, training days, and sessions for parent interviews/consultations where appropriate.
  9. May accompany Early Years Practitioners to home visits to children and their families, in consultation with other team members, as and when required.

Knowledge, experience and training

  • Should hold NVQ level 3 in Early Years
  • Experience of working with children from birth to five years of age
  • Experience of team working
  • Good communication skills
  • Able to maintain confidentiality

Planning, organising and controlling

  • Key Workers plan the learning environment on the basis of observations with reference to the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, to meet the varied needs of the children.
  • The job holder implements the plans with individuals and groups of children, and feeds back to Key Workers regularly/ as required.
  • Daily work can change depending on families in the setting and staffing.
  • The job holder sets own priorities for example
  1. Organising/ changing resources to ensure that they are appropriate to meet children’s individual needs.
  2. Setting priorities during play sessions
  3. Changing children when needed

Communication

Interaction is about building good relationships with children and parents, colleagues and other staff at the setting.

  • The job holder must be able to communicate and interact effectively with children. The work involves 1:1 interaction with individuals and groups in order to implement plans. The job holder must be able to treat children as individuals and with respect. They must be able to listen to what they are saying and respond appropriately.
  • They work as part of a small team and good communication is necessary for effective and efficient service delivery. The job holder must be able to feedback information to Key Workers regarding children’s progress, and any issues or changes that they think could be made to individual plans.
  • The job holder needs to work with tact and discretion when interacting with parents and carers.

Physical Effort and/or strain

  • The job requires physical effort on a daily basis when setting up/moving the learning environment around eg. Moving tables, chairs, equipment/resources, climbing frames etc
  • Working with very young children involves working at a low level, bending down throughout the day

Working Environment

  • The job involves working in outdoor areas in all weather conditions at least once a day for periods of up to 3 hours. In the summer, outdoor working can be more frequent and intensive.

The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. We operate a safer recruitment practice. Offers will be made subject to an enhanced clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) as well as full medical clearance and satisfactory references. References will be sought for shortlisted candidates prior to interview.