Eyfs Advisor

Bexley is an outer London Borough with the best of both worlds, located between the hustle and bustle of London and the Garden of England, Kent.

Within the borough we have award winning parks, open spaces and listed heritage sites.

We are seeking to appoint an Early Years Adviser to join our highly regarded and experienced Early Years Team. This is a job share opportunity, with an established 0.6fte colleague.

This post offers an exciting and challenging opportunity for early years leaders and practitioners.

As a passionate and committed professional to the Early Years Foundation Stage with a proven track record of excellent early years teaching, good communication and analytical skills, you will work with leaders, managers and practitioners across the early years sector to improve the quality and provision for all children aged birth to five, onto transition and beyond.

You will work with members of the Early Years Team, the wider School Improvement Team, other departmental colleagues and partner agencies to:

· support and challenge childminders, pre-school settings in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector and schools, in the continued development and improvement of provision, practice and outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

· ensure appropriate advice and guidance is given to setting SENCOs regarding referrals for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

· develop the skills of setting Leaders, Managers and SENCOs to fulfil statutory duties, to identify specific individual needs and implement high quality teaching and SEND support within their settings. This will ensure appropriate provision and practice is in place to improve the outcomes for all children and narrow any achievement gaps.

• Relocation Package up to £8,000

• Career Average Revalued Earnings Pension Scheme

• Up to 28 days Annual Leave (rising to 31 days after 5 years’ service) plus Bank Holiday Entitlement

• Annual Leave Purchase Scheme

• An excellent working environment at our fantastic offices

• Opportunities for flexible working with excellent ICT facilities

• MyChoice Staff Benefit Scheme – Includes Cycle to Work Scheme, access to high street shopping vouchers and online discount codes.

Are you an experienced Early Years Teacher committed to the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework? Are you enthusiastic about the learning and development of our very youngest children? Do you have a passion for supporting our most vulnerable children?

· be responsible for a number of linked (PVI) settings, supporting their improvement through regular visits, and leading targeted in-house training based on identified needs.

· be able to support school settings, including school nurseries and reception classes.

· have a clear and thorough up-to-date understanding and knowledge of the statutory Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice as well as the statutory requirements for the early years foundation stage, including the safeguarding and welfare requirements, and those specifically relating to SEND.

· be required to plan, prepare and lead central training on key aspects of early years practice.

·  be responsible for the line management of a small team of Early Years Support Officers.

An interest in outdoor learning environments, Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) and narrowing the gap is desirable but not essential.

If you have the skills and early years experience we need and would like to make a meaningful contribution to the early care and education of our very youngest children in Bexley, then we would like to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about this interesting and rewarding role, or to discuss flexible working opportunities, please contact Colette Doran-Hannon, Local Education System Leader (Interim Strategic Lead for Early Years) on colette.doran-hannon@bexley.gov.uk.

Appointment to this post will be subject to the outcome of an Enhanced Disclosure obtained through the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Closing Date for your application: 21st June 2024

• CVs will not be accepted unless they are submitted with a completed application form.

• Anticipated Interview date: week beginning 1st July

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

This post is considered by the authority to be a customer-facing position; as such it falls within scope of the Code of Practice on English language requirement for public sector workers. The council therefore has a statutory duty under Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 to ensure that post holders have a command of spoken English sufficient for the effective performance of the job requirements. The appropriate standards are set out in the JD/Person Specification. These will be applied during the recruitment/selection and probationary stages.