About the role
We will be able to offer you:
- Motivated children whose behaviour for learning is rated as a real strength
- A welcoming ‘in the moment’ learning environment in a purpose-built setting with large grounds, including a nature area, wood and allotment
- Supervision with leadership from a highly supportive Early Years Leader and Governing Body
- Well-resourced preschool provision led daily by a qualified teacher
- Skilled and professional staff who have the best interests of children at heart
- Opportunities for continuing professional development driven by research.
If the position interests you, please contact the Julie Warman, Office Manager, for an application pack via the school. Office – office@littleport.cambs.sch.uk.
Alternatively, go to our website: http://www.littleport.cambs.sch.uk/ and
click on ‘Vacancies’ in the ‘Our School’ section. If you have any questions about the position or would like to come and visit our setting, please contact the Headteacher, Adam Rivett, via the school office contact above.
The interview date will be Wednesday,18th December 2024.
Purpose of Job: To provide safe, high quality education and care for pre-school children fulfilling legal and statutory requirements. Support the Lead Practitioner to facilitate the active participation of children in the academic and social activities of the Pre-school. Contribute to raising standards of achievement for all pupils. This role may also include some time supporting with our Reception classes across the Early Years Foundation Stage.
What will you be doing?
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES:
Children’s Care and Development -
· Support children in their emotional development:
· Ensure a warm, welcoming & reassuring environment
· Help children understand & express their feelings in a positive manner
· Encourage activities that help children interact with others
· Encourage independence and self-help in children
· Implement planned activities that support the development of communication & language skills:
· Encourage talking & listening activities
· Know how to use equipment & materials appropriately to stimulate communication skills
· Value the importance of music activities in promoting communication skills and lead small group
music sessions
· Value the importance of stories and rhymes and use small group sessions.
· Support children where English is not their first language
· Support activities that enable children's physical development both indoors & outdoors:
· Supervise play activities
· Encourage stimulating physical activities &play
· Oversee children during quiet periods
· Deal positively with disruptions & disturbances;
· Maintain a relaxed atmosphere conducive to learning & development
· Help children with:
· Eating & drinking skills, health and hygiene awareness
· Toileting and self-care skills
· Support the integration of children with special needs
· Safeguarding:
· Report any signs of illness, neglect or abuse
· Work in relation to the school's policies covering this area
· Support inclusion in the Pre-school by:
· Ensuring all pupils/students feel involved with tasks and activities
· Encouraging the acceptance and inclusion of individuals with special needs, or with a different language or cultural background.
Support for the curriculum
· Observe children's play and behaviour and record all progress
· Undertake record keeping as required, and with a sound knowledge of the Early Years Framework
· Evaluate the success of activities against agreed measures
· Have a developed understanding of the Early Years Framework and be able to use them when
implementing planned activities
· Know and use relevant Pre-school/School policies
· Support school activities & play a role in facilitating school events.
· Attend professional training days and staff meetings
· Observe the School's policy on confidentiality
Relationships
· Maintain effective working relationships with colleagues
· Support colleagues & contribute to the school as a member of the team
· Attend and actively participate in staff meetings
· Take responsibility for own professional development and support others
· Maintain effective positive relationships with parents:
· Provide information & feedback
· Respond to parental concerns
· Attend parents' evenings & other events arranged for families
· Anticipate and act to prevent potential problems with individuals/ groups
· Manage ongoing problems with individuals or groups
· Advise staff of potential problems with individuals or groups
Equipment, materials and environment
· Maintain a safe & reassuring physical environment
· Prepare & maintains displays which provide positive learning opportunities
· Comply with health & safety requirements
· Know the School procedures for accident and injury and be able to act upon them
· Comply with emergency procedures (when necessary)
· Prepare Pre-school areas and tidy away after each session
Support for School/Place of work:
• Participation in staff events by arrangement.
• Attend Staff Meetings.
• Contribute and participate in School events and activities where possible.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with other staff and parents/carers.
• Adhere to the School’s visions and values.
• Follow Pre-school/School policies, practices and procedures.
Data security:
• Act in accordance with legal provisions regulating confidentiality and security of data and information in
accordance with GDPR regulations.
• To ensure records are properly maintained, e.g. daily attendance register, accident and incident book in
line with school policy.
Health and Safety:
• Be aware of the responsibility for personal Health, Safety and Welfare and that of others who may be
affected by your actions or inactions.
• Co-operate with the School on all issues to do with Health, Safety & Welfare.
• To work/operate all equipment within Health and Safety and other legal regulations, including risk
assessments.
• Contribute to the maintenance of a safe and healthy environment.
• To ensure that the Pre-school is a safe environment for children, staff and others, that equipment is
safe, standards of hygiene are high, safety procedures are implemented at all times and fire drills are
regularly practised.
Continuing Professional Development:
• In conjunction with the line manager, take responsibility for personal professional development,
keeping up to date with research and developments related to school/place of work efficiency, which
may lead to improvements in the day-to-day running of the School.
• Undertake any necessary and identified professional development taking full advantage of any relevant training and development available,
particularly when related to the use of ICT, for data management and
record keeping.
• Maintain a professional portfolio of evidence to support the Performance Management process –
evaluating and improving own practice.
Child Protection and Safeguarding
• The post holder will have a shared responsibility for the safeguarding of all children and young people.
The post holder also has an implicit duty to promote the welfare of all children and young people.
• To inform the Child Protection Officer of any issues relating to the safety and wellbeing of children.
• To promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people, implementing safeguarding and
child protection procedures including taking on the role of Designated Person under the supervision of
the School’s wider safeguarding team.
The post holder will undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post, in consultation
with the line manager.
This job description is subject to review and may be changed following consultation with the post holder.
It is not a comprehensive statement of procedures and tasks but sets out the main expectations of the
School in relation to the post holder’s professional responsibilities and duties.
About us
Cambridgeshire is a great place to work and live with a diverse population, an urban centre in Cambridge, historic Isle of Ely, Huntingdon and St Ives as well as more rural landscapes.
Our four values are central to our culture, driving everything we do.
We are proud to serve the diverse communities of Cambridgeshire and want our workforce to be reflective of this diversity, which we firmly believe benefits our colleagues, the organisation and our communities. If you don’t meet every single requirement in the job role but think this could be you, please don’t be put off. We are committed to building a workplace that is compassionate and inclusive as well as diverse, so if you think you could be a good candidate for this role please consider applying and speak to the recruiting manager if you have any questions.
Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, along with our employee network 'IDEAL' and self-organised peer support groups help us to foster an inclusive, supportive and safe working environment where people feel valued, respected, and empowered. We collect relevant diversity data for monitoring as part of the recruitment process to understand the diversity of our applicants and monitor any trends throughout the recruitment processes so that we can take meaningful action.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. We fully support providing reasonable adjustments throughout our recruitment process, as well as when you join us, and we encourage candidates to contact the Hiring Manager, whose details can be found in the advert, to discuss any adjustment needs. Some examples of adjustments could include additional time to complete an assessment or printing a document on pastel coloured paper with larger font size and line spacing. We would value talking about what might be possible to enable you to join us and thrive, so if there is something that would help you to do your best during your journey with us, please get in touch.
Visit our jobs and careers section to find out more about our wide range of learning and development opportunities; apprenticeships; our wellbeing package; staff benefits; our commitment to equality, diversity and Inclusion.
