The Role
Erskine Stewart Melville are currently recruiting for an After School & Holiday Club Practitioner and Early Years Teaching Assistant to join the Junior School on a permanent basis from Monday 24 August 2026 (subject to satisfactory pre-employment checks). The role is part-time, working 31.25 hours per week during term time (Monday to Friday from 11.15 am to 1.15pm as an Early Years Teaching Assistant and from 1.45pm to 6pm as an After School Club Practitioner) and 26.25 hours per week on a rota basis during holiday periods as a Holiday Club Practitioner.
The salary for unqualified After School & Holiday Club Practitioners/Early Years Teaching Assistant is £20,982 per annum which is point 1 on the ESMS e-Plus RLW salary scale. Qualified After School & Holiday Club Practitioners/Early Years Teaching Assistant will be paid on the ESMS e-Plus Scale point 13-16 which is £21,450 to £22,932 per annum.
The role is based at the Junior School at our Ravelston Dykes site.
The purpose of the role is to support in the serving of lunches and then provide care for children who attend our After School and Holiday Club provision and will include such duties as:
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Supervising and interacting with individuals and groups of children on a daily basis.
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Preparing and organising resources for each day’s activities to provide a play environment for the children which provides high quality care, relaxation and fun.
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Serving food, ensuring hygiene and dietary requirements are considered and getting to know the children to ensure their lunch is a happy, healthy and safe experience for all.
The successful candidate must have experience of working with children and be a kind and enthusiastic person who puts the interests of the children first. NC Early Education and Childcare, SVQ3 (Level 6) Children and Young People or Playwork, or HNC in Early Education and Childcare is desirable.
To learn more about this role, please access the job description provided.
Eligibility
ESMS is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. The successful candidate will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right work in the UK.
Benefits
Employees get access to a range of benefits including:
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Fee remission from Nursery to S6
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Free school lunches
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Free Sports’ Club membership, including access to pool and fitness suites
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25 days annual holiday leave plus 10 days statutory holiday at Christmas and Easter, when the Schools are closed
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Paid moving house day
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Employer pension contributions of up to 8%
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Death in service benefit
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Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity leave
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Membership of the ESMS Discount and Benefits Scheme, including a range of discounts at 130,000 retail and entertainment locations
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Employee Assistance Service
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Cycle to work scheme
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Car leasing salary sacrifice scheme
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Annual professional review process
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Regular salary reviews
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Funding towards professional qualifications
Values
We are looking for individuals who can embody and promote ESMS values of Kindness, Confidence, Resilience, Integrity, and Curiosity while role modelling behaviours in line with our school pillars of Ambition, Innovation, and Community.
ESMS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and Disclosure Scotland.
All staff working at ESMS have direct access to young people therefore all posts within the school are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Any enquiries about this position should be directed to [email protected]
The closing date for this role is Friday 24 July at 12 noon. We anticipate interviews will be held on Monday 3 August.
About ESMS
Welcome to the ESMS, a vibrant family of independent schools, set in beautiful grounds in the heart of Edinburgh. We offer a co-educational nursery and junior school, single-sex but closely twinned secondary education, and a co-educational sixth form.
We are a consistently award-winning School, with an educational legacy that stretches back more than 300 years. Our Schools have always been pioneers of rounded education. Children’s education is underpinned by our values: kindness, confidence, resilience, integrity and curiosity. From virtual reality headsets in the classroom to developing one of the first outdoor learning programmes in Scotland, we are always searching for new ways to develop the whole child.
The people that work for us are passionate, pioneering and strive for excellence in everything they do. We value the incredible contributions they make to school life, we invest in their careers and we support their ambitions so that they flourish professionally and personally.
