JOB DESCRIPTION – Pre-School Practitioner
Purpose of Post
1 To work as part of the pre-school team to provide safe, high quality education and care for young children
2 To work under the direction of the Pre-School Manager and Deputies and to give support to other personnel within the Setting
3 To act as a keyperson to a group of children
Key Areas
- Work with Children;
- Team Work;
- Liaise with Parents/carers.
Responsible to
Pre-School Manager/Deputy
Duties and Responsibilities
- To assist with the planning of the curriculum by providing safe, creative and appropriate educational opportunities for all children within an inclusive environment, preparing activities, organising programmes and arranging equipment
- To act as a keyperson to a group of children, liaising closely with parents/carers to ensure individual needs are met, and to be responsible for observations and record keeping relating to the progress and development of key children
- To encourage parental involvement and support through the development of effective working relationships
- To ensure that activities are carried out in a safe and responsible manner in accordance with statutory responsibilities, and to advise the pre-school manager of any concerns over children, equipment etc.
- To follow all pre-school policies, including those regarding safeguarding, inclusion and confidentiality
- To ensure that the pre-school offers the highest standards of physical and emotional care, health and safety, and personal and food hygiene at all times
- Working creatively with children within the EY framework, as instructed by pre-school Manager.
- Daily interaction with children to provide range of stimulating activities to promote all areas of learning
- Ensuring all children have equal access to opportunities to learn and develop
- Working with range of people including preschool staff, visiting professionals and agencies, parents, children and families, and visitors and student placements
- Work requires bending, kneeling and crouching for periods of time and may also involve lifting or holding children during planned activities, and changing nappies/toileting duties.
- Significant elements of inside and outside work, including leading outdoor learning.
- Understanding and being able to implement inclusive practices into the setting, to ensure all children have the opportunity to learn, interact and fulfil their potential
- Working with the pre-school manager to establish an appropriate safe and secure learning environment.
- Promoting positive values, attitudes and good child behaviour, dealing promptly with conflict and incidents in line with established policy and encouraging children to take responsibility for their own behaviour
- Having a positive approach to continuous professional development
- To actively promote and support the safeguarding of children and young people in the workplace, ensuring Setting policies and procedures are observed at all times.
Pre-School Assistant - Person Specification:
Essential
Desirable
Skills, aptitude, knowledge and experience
- Ability to plan effective learning and care programmes either under appropriate supervision and guidance or in collaboration.
- Ability to work independently using own initiative.
- Ability to self-evaluate learning needs and actively seek learning opportunities
- Ability to relate well to children and adults including other professionals/carers/
- parents
- Ability to demonstrate and promote good practice in line with the ethos of the school both indoors and out doors.
- Ability to manage multiple tasks, whilst ensuring children, colleagues, parents and carers are respected and listened to.
- Fluent English speaker
- Effectively communicate with adults and children
- Good written, verbal and non verbal communication
- Proven experience of working with children in an early learning environment, either on placement or in paid employment
- Experience of working in Early Years in a school environment
- Experience of working as part of a team
- Ability to reflect on learning and care needs and use this knowledge to impact on children’s outcomes e.g. in planning, procurement of resources, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), communication with parents
- Experience of working with other agencies and professionals
- Knowledge and understanding of the type of external support that is available to support children’s development and how to access these services.
- Ability to interact with children and support their involvement in physical activities and outdoor play
- Consistent approach with children and parents
- Experience of having kept written records of children’s achievements including observations
- Ability to promote and market the service to the wider community
Personal qualities
- Proactive and positive team player, able to work constructively as part of a team to understand pre-school roles and responsibilities and own position within these.
- Enthusiasm for learning and working with children
- Caring, friendly, approachable, open, inclusive, welcoming, and personable
- Able to maintain confidentiality at all times
- Reflective approach and commitment to personal development
- Able to provide consistently high levels of quality care and education opportunities to all children, in pressured and sometimes challenging environments
Qualifications
- Willingness to participate in other development and training opportunities
- Relevant Level 2 qualification eg. Level 2 Certificate for the Children & Young People’s Workforce, NVQ Level 2 in Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD) or equivalent qualifications
- Completion of Safeguarding Awareness course (Group 2)
- Training in the relevant strategies e.g. parenting and/or in particular learning areas, e.g. quality improvement, observation and record keeping, Communication, Language and Literacy, ICT, maths, etc.
- Full working knowledge of relevant policies/codes of practice and awareness of relevant legislation
- Requirement to participate in training/development as and when identified by line manager as essential for performance of the post.
- Understanding of principles of child development and learning processes and in particular barriers to learning
- Health & Safety certificate
- First Aid certificate
This post requires a CRB check as there may be periods of unsupervised access to children. An Enhanced CRB and satisfactory references would be obtained prior to commencement of employment.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time, Permanent
Pay: £12.71-£13.50 per hour
Experience:
- Childcare: 1 year (preferred)
Work Location: In person
