Senior Practitioner
The nursery is a provider of high-quality childcare and education for young children within a fun, stimulating and safe environment. We work in close partnership with parents/carers as well as meeting the children’s individual needs.
Safeguarding Statement We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect the staff, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment.
Purpose of the post
To lead, plan, develop and support the education and care of all the children within the setting. Knowledge • A strong understanding of children’s development and their needs. • A strong knowledge of how to safeguard children. • A minimum Level 3 qualification in Early Years or equivalent. • An awareness of Special Needs and requirements needed to meet those needs. • A willingness to develop own professional development. Training will be provided in-house, with refresher courses and online updates. • An awareness of Health, Hygiene & Safety in the workplace. • An awareness of Equal Opportunities. • An appreciation of building strong partnerships with parents throughout the setting and confidently working through any concerns that may arise. Abilities • To have a strong knowledge of the Statutory Framework and work within its boundaries. • To have understanding and knowledge of how to guide staff and observe good practice.
Senior Practitioner Honeybee • To lead a team of practitioners, trainees and volunteers. • Meeting deadlines efficiently.
- The ability to form and maintain appropriate relationships and personal boundaries with both the children and their families.
- To ensure that a high-level of quality childcare is always provided.
- To actively promote an effective team environment, supporting and motivating the team to support best practice.
- Emotional resilience to support challenging behaviours.
- Able to communicate effectively with parents and colleagues.
- Able to work under pressure.
- To read and abide by the nursery’s policies and procedures.
- Good organisational skills.
- Able to show reliability and initiative.
- To have a professional attitude and manner.
- An enthusiastic approach to work.
- Flexibility to work within the changing needs of the nursery
. • A willingness to adhere to nursery learning targets
. • Being able to provide comprehensive feedback to the parents at the end of the child’s day.
- Able to write reports, observations and transitions enabling a strong picture of the child’s development, and any needs they may have.
- Being able to work as part of a team, developing positive relationships with children, colleagues, parents and any outside agencies.
- The ability to carry out light physical duties to include lifting babies and children. To include household tasks and setting up resources.
- A positive attitude to the use of authority and maintaining discipline.
- Act with integrity and trust.
- Be sensitive about what you say and how you act around the children.
- Make time to acknowledge all families, including visits and settle sessions.
- Always remember you are part of a team, acknowledging your colleagues throughout your day builds a stronger work environment.
- Be imaginative and proactive in the base rooms and the outdoor areas, when setting up activities.
Roles and responsibilities 2 of 8 Job description – Senior Practitioner Honeybees
- To deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and other appropriate guidance for young children in accordance with the nursery policies and procedures.
- Plan a nurturing and enriching curriculum in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), record observations and achievements, noting progression and continuity to support next steps for each child.
- Ensure that you are providing an attractive, stimulating and safe environment for the children both indoors and outside. Activities planned and provided are following the children’s interests and support their developmental needs.
- Operate an inclusive room that reflects cultural, religious, ethical or personal preference that relates to religion or cultural beliefs.
- Act upon or monitor all child protection and safeguarding issues and accidents to ensure that any action required is taken immediately.
- Be vigilant and diplomatic if you feel that there is a safeguarding or protection issue pertinent to a child, their family or a staff member. Following safeguarding procedures if there is any doubt.
- Overall responsibility of the room, to lead the room by example, always promoting good practice.
- To be responsible for the room risk assessments and other areas that are deemed necessary. Be responsible for the yearly update or of any significant changes.
- To always ensure the room is kept tidy and organised to allow for the efficient use of time and to maintain the high-quality standards that are set as our ongoing objective.
- To have sound knowledge and understanding of all policies and procedures. • Always have appropriate staffing levels, in line with the nursery management and ensuring compliance with regulations relating to minimum staffing levels are adhered to.
- Actively work the Key Worker system and allocate key children to all staff in your room. Consideration should be made to EAL children.
- Maintain accurate records for all children including attendance registers.
- Update the nursery software of any child absences and inform the SMT of any concerns or patterns that could be emerging.
Job description – Senior Practitioner Honeybees
- Work in partnership with parents/carers, recognising that parents are their children’s first educators. Encourage parental involvement in nursery life as much as possible.
- To ensure you have a clear understanding of the settling of new children into your room. Ensuring all transitions, whether between rooms within the setting or to go onto a different setting/school are completed fully.
- To support the junior staff ensuring they always provide high quality childcare which is modelled by you
- To ensure when leaving the room to complete other duties, you inform the staff you are leaving the room and that the staff are aware of what is expected of them, ensuring that it will not compromise or cause undue pressure on their abilities to perform their job.
- To ensure that any input into the staff 6 weekly supervisions is carried out on a regular basis to assist the staff with their development within their job role.
- To assist the Senior Management Team (SMT) in on-the-job training and support for employees.
- To assist the SMT during the completion of induction training and monitor the progress of new employees during the probation period.
- To support the team with active encouragement of continual development of good practice.
- Be proactive in contributing to effective team working and foster open and honest communication amongst all the team within the setting.
- Commit to on-going personal learning and development and attend on and off the job training when appropriate. • Work in partnership with Early Years professionals, for example, the Local Authority and SENCo.
- To comply with requests to work outside normal working hours, within reason, for example to attend monthly staff meetings and nursery events. To also cover if staff are unexpectedly unavailable to work or are on holiday.
- Ensure your team adhere to the nursery policies regarding personal health, hygiene, dress code, punctuality, sickness and absence and general appearance.
- To ensure that staff issues and complaints are dealt with promptly and accurately. Ensure the SMT are informed and consulted where relevant.
- Ensure that your base room jobs are performed in line with the demands of the start and end of the day.
- Where appropriate support the children in serving their own food, milk, water and snacks. Encourage good nutrition and social eating with their peers.
- Assist children with personal care, including changing nappies, assisting with toileting and other associated welfare duties.
- Ensure children have adequate access to the outdoor learning areas and incorporate trips or visits to the setting where appropriate.
- Assist and attend regular parents’ meetings and open days to promote the setting. • Take time to make certain that parents are familiar with the security procedures surrounding drop off and collection. Emergency contacts are completed and passwords listed for the child/ren.
- Providing comprehensive daily feedback to parents about their child's day. Making sure that other staff members within the room, that have supported that child during their day, are given any relevant information to hand over to the parent in your absence.
- Notify parents, alongside nursery procedures, if their child is unwell or sick. • Being aware of situations outside of the setting that may influence a child’s behaviour. Relaying information to the staff in the room, if appropriate, passing on relevant information to the SMT.
- To assist the Manager in ensuring that resources for the room are ordered in a timely fashion and in accordance with the nursery budget and are age appropriate.
- To ensure the resources, toys and equipment are organised, stored correctly, cleaned weekly and any breakages are reported to the office. Working with your team to have an ongoing resource plan.
- To clean obvious marks or spillages (doors, floors, walls etc) as soon as reasonably practical. To ensure the room cleaning is carried out daily.
- To make sure any signs, pictures or displays that are fixed to the wall are tidy, appropriate and in keeping with nursery standards.
- To change displays regularly and in line with planning, making sure they are always relevant. • Keeping any displayed signage e.g. fire evacuation neat and tidy.
- To ensure that all storage containers are labelled correctly and the correct resources in the relevant container.
- Messy play needs to be cleared away and all resources cleaned immediately after the activity has finished.
- To make sure that the room, toilets and corridor are left tidy and cleared away at the end of every day. This is to include children’s clothing, shoes, resources, cups, plates and utensils. The room is to be set up ready for the next morning. Values • Be a role model for your colleagues as well as the children in your care.
- Be trustworthy and honest and to reflect the values of the nursery.
- Reflect on your own practice and look for ways to improve.
- Act with integrity and trust.
- Have respect for each other.
- Everyone matters regardless of race, gender, culture, age, capability, orientation or religion.
- Parents are our partners in the outcomes for their children.
- Always be safety conscious.
- Do not procrastinate, deal with important issues straight away.
- Consult with colleagues and management in a positive and meaningful manner.
- Have a positive attitude towards others and your work.
- Keep your sense of humour even when times are difficult.
- Think about what you are saying and the consequences that can arise from what is said.
- To treat others how you, yourself would like to be treated.
- Be sensitive about what you say in front of the children.
- Always remember you are part of a team.
- Make time to acknowledge children, parents, visitors and your colleagues.
- Be respectful of other people’s property. Always ask before borrowing resources from another room and return them, complete, in a timely manner.
- There will always be time to talk to your colleagues but please be mindful that the needs of the children must always come first. Health & Safety Responsibilities
- Help to maintain the safety and security of the children, colleagues and visitors to the setting. • Understand and abide by the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.
- If you are the first Senior Practitioner in the building at the start of the day, you must carry out the environment check and rectify any issues as necessary and repot to the SMT.
- If you are the last Senior Practitioner on site at the end of the day, you are also responsible for the nursery closing checks and to report any issues to the SMT.
- Ensure Accident and Incident records are maintained and recorded correctly.
- Ensure electronic child registers are correctly updated.
- Opening and closing of the setting when required. Paperwork required The following is a summary of the paperwork used to correctly manage a room which relates to the activities detailed above. Much of this paperwork is statutory, so is an essential part of a Senior Practitioners role. Please ensure paperwork is up to date, neat and tidy, correctly spelt and well written. If you have any reservations about your abilities with paperwork (such as Dyslexia) then please have your work checked by the SMT.
- Logging a concern (safeguarding) • SENCo Strength and difficulties questionnaire. • Child profiles, observations and notes.
- Accident or incident forms.
. • Dietary witness forms.
- Any other consent forms not listed.
- EYFS information displayed.
- Cleaning rotas, toys, bins etc
Room temperature forms.
- Daily environmental checks.
- Closing checks. A Senior Practitioner is accountable to the SMT of the nursery and the strategic and operational management of the room. Ensuring that plans, policies and procedures are carried out and adhered to. A Senior Practitioner is ultimately responsible for the weekly planning programme in the room. A Senior Practitioner is required to attend all management meetings. A Senior Practitioner is required to have the responsibility of the practitioners, volunteers and trainees that are based in their room. To deploy them each day to meet the requirements of working practice within the room. The management of the room is the responsibility of the Nursery Manager/Deputy. Senior Practitioners are responsible for mentoring, training and being part of the induction and supervision process of their junior team. Senior Practitioners are required to organise and run room meetings on a regular basis.
Pay: £12.75-£13.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Childcare
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
