Company Overview
Playology Beach School & Learning Studio is Seaham's first fully OFSTED registered Beach School, dedicated to providing outstanding outdoor and nature-based early childhood education. Our mission is to inspire curiosity, creativity, and a love for nature in young children through immersive play and exploration.
The Role
A Lead Playologist is a senior educator and team leader who works both with and in nature at Playology’s outdoor preschool settings. Drawing on Playology’s ‘Hands On, Feet In’ philosophy (www.playologylearning.com), the Lead Playologist takes sitelevel responsibility for the quality of provision, the safety and wellbeing of children, staff and visitorsand the day-to-day operational running of the setting. As Lead Playologist, you will hold the Designated Deputy Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) role, working within the frameworks of the statutory EYFS, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE) and Working Together to Safeguard Children to ensure children are protected and their welfare is promoted at all times. You will manage and mentor a team of Playologists, lead parentfacing communicationand liaise with external agencies and practitioners where required. You will report directly to the Managing Director and attend bi-weekly leadership meetings to shape the strategic direction of the setting. You spend your days immersed in nature, modelling exemplary outdoor early years practice, scaffolding children’s play and learningand ensuring the environment, rhythms and routines of the day are purposeful, enabling and joyful — even in all weathers.
Duties and Responsibilities
Leadership & Management Hold overall on-site responsibility for the safe and effective running of daily sessions at the setting Lead, manage and support the team of Playologists, providing daily direction, mentoring and professional feedback Conduct handovers with parents and carers at the start and end of each session, ensuring clear, warm and informative communication Chair or contribute to daily briefings and team debriefs, maintaining high standards of practice and communication Attend bi-weekly leadership meetings with the Managing Director, contributing to strategic planning and continuous improvement Model and uphold Playology’s philosophy of enquiry-led, play-based, nature-immersed learning as described at www.playologylearning.com Support the onboarding, induction and ongoing development of team members Contribute to performance review processes and identify CPD needs across the team Safeguarding & Child Protection Serve as the setting’s Designated Deputy Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) in line with KCSiE (latest edition) and Working Together to Safeguard Children Respond to and manage safeguarding concerns, disclosures and referrals in a timely, confident and appropriate manner, always in consultation with the DSL (Managing Director) where required Maintain up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding legislation, local authority thresholds and referral pathways Ensure all staff understand and fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities, Ensure accurate, confidential and timely safeguarding records are maintained via Famly or the relevant system Liaise with external agencies including local authority children’s services, health professionals and the LADO where necessary EYFS & Quality of Provision Ensure the setting meets and exceeds the requirements of the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework at all times Monitor and evaluate the quality of learning and development across the setting, providing constructive feedback to the team Lead curriculum planning and ensure that the outdoor environment, resources and experiences are rich, responsive and rooted in children’s interests Maintain oversight of children’s observations, assessments supporting training, briefings and updates.
Working Week
Working hours 8am – 5pm Working days Monday to Friday 5 days per week (42.5 hour working week) Term-time only contract (38 weeks per year) Obligation to cover some School Holiday Clubs and classes as required (paid as extra) Attendance at bi-weekly leadership meetings (may include some flexibility around timing)
Pay: From £26,683.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
