Nursery Assistant - Req24829

Job title: Nursery Assistant         

Salary: £23,151.48 - £23,892.96 (B1)

Hours: 25 hours (all year round)

Contract: 12 months temporary               

Location: Little Owls Hunslet 

Are you interested in a career in childcare?  Little Owls nurseries are currently recruiting for Nursery Assistants. 

Little Owls is a great place to progress in your childcare career and many of our Nursery Assistants move on to become managers. We support staff to learn and progress by offering regular training. 

We are committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds. We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About the role 

As a Nursery Assistant based in one of our Little Owls nurseries you will be part of a great team and will deliver a high standard of care which meets the individual needs of the children. It is rewarding work, as well as energetic and at times challenging. 

You will:

• Provide high quality care and education for all children and support for families
• Observe and monitor children’s development and contribute to reports of their progress
• Liaise with and provide professional advice to parents, social workers and health visitors

About you:

We are looking for qualified, enthusiastic, adaptable candidates with personal qualities to care for and develop young children. You must have:

• excellent communication and listening skills
• ability to safeguard and motivate children and sustain their interest in play activities
• ability to write reports and plans to document children’s learning, development and wellbeing to the required standard

We expect the following experience and qualifications:

• minimum of level 2 qualification in childcare. To check if your qualification is relevant please go to:

www.gov.uk/guidance/early-years-qualifications-finder

• good standard of literacy and numeracy
• basic computer literacy

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

• a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Apply for this job online. 

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. 

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact: Andrea Smith, Children and Family Service – Tel:   0113 3784516 Email: andrea.smith@leeds.gov.uk 

Please be aware that successful applicants will be employed by LCC and not a particular centre and could be asked to work at any of the city wide Little Owls Nurseries.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s barred list will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an Age friendly employer, a Mindful employer and a Disability Confident leader.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.
 
This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job purpose

Under the general direction of the Manager and senior staff, the Nursery Assistant role is to work as part of a team to deliver a high standard of care which meets the individual needs of the children. To make and maintain positive relationships with the children and to safely meet the physical care and management needs of children.

All staff are required to support the services main purpose of encouraging and enabling children to develop, behaviourally, educationally and emotionally. To create and maintain a customer focused attitude and approach at all times that promotes positive relationships and generates a culture of openness and trust. To deliver efficient, effective and quality services by way of flexible working. To work together with colleagues from other service areas and organisations to provide and maintain a safe secure and learning environment that promotes the safety and welfare of children in which they can prosper, develop and achieve. To foster, maintain and support pro-social behaviour, a restorative and solution focussed approach with, children, and colleagues.

Responsibilities 

• To provide high quality care and education for all children and support for families.
• To provide a broad and balanced Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum that will meet the requirements of the relevant national and local standards.
• To establish and deliver on the delivery of Individual Educational Programmes (IEP) and the Early Support Programme for children with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND).
• To observe and monitor children’s development and contribute to written reports of their progress.
• To maintain client confidentiality.
• To liaise with and provide professional advice to, parents, social workers and health visitors involved with a child and their family.
• To liaise with local primary schools and prepare reports that will support the child’s transition into school.
• To report any injury or accident, ensuring that health and safety of the individual is maintained.
• To understand and operate the policies and procedures for the administration of medication including accurately recording and verifying drug sheets.
• To report any suspicious or suspected non-accidental injury to follow and comply with Departmental Child Protection Procedures, in line with Local Safeguarding Children Board Procedures (West Yorkshire Consortium Procedures Manual).
• To support student placements: to help prepare and present accurate, concise reports on these to the Manager and/or college tutors.
• To provide interesting and appropriate educational visits for children and families, observing Health and Safety policies and making risk assessments as required.
• To support parents and families where necessary in the successful admission and transition of their children
• To take responsibility for a group of children during any building evacuation.
• To participate in and provide training and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
• To undertake other duties appropriate to the post as required by the Service.
• To comply with the requirements of all Leeds City Council policies, procedures and staff instructions, including responsibilities under the Health and Safety Policy and Procedures.
• To actively promote and support Leeds City Council's Policies on Equal Opportunities and to work in an anti-oppressive manner.
• The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

It is an essential requirement of this post that the post holder should hold a minimum of a relevant Level 2 qualification as defined by the Sector Skills Council for Childcare, the Children’s Workforce Development Council, as listed on their website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/early-years-qualifications-finder

(NB this includes degrees recognised by the CWDC, such as the BA Hons. Childhood Studies, Early Years Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree but NOT other non- relevant degrees UNLESS Early Years Professional Status has also been achieved).

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Able to communicate with a wide range of people individually, in groups and at all appropriate levels.    
• Ability to safeguard children and support them to develop their resilience.    
• Able to motivate children through positive role modelling and sustain their interest in play activities.   
• Able to work as part of a team.
• Able to listen and accept instructions.
• Able to write reports and plans to document children’s learning, development and wellbeing, to the required standard.
• Able to observe, record and monitor children’s development as they progress through the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
• Able to work in partnership with parents and carers to support their children’s learning, development and wellbeing. 
• Able to support children and families in a culturally sensitive, positive and non-judgemental way.                                      
• Able to support the development of children with special educational needs and disabilities in an inclusive setting. Able to complete risk assessments.
• Able to effectively use the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to plan and evaluate activities to aid children’s learning.
• Able to supervise students and apprentices.
• Able to use ICT packages, including Word and Excel. 
• A flexible approach to working hours with the ability to change shift patterns as required. 
• An ability to work with staff at all levels, working as part of a team, contributing to team cohesion and liaising with other professionals 
• A minimum of a relevant Level 2 qualification as defined in ‘Qualifications’ section above.
• GCSE Maths and English or equivalent as recognised by CWDC (CSE at Grade 1, Key Skills at Level 3, ‘O’ Level) or commitment to achieve this within 2 years. A relevant and current Paediatric First Aid or Emergency Paediatric First Aid certificate or a commitment to achieve this within the first 3 months of employment, as required in the EYFS framework.
• Knowledge and understanding of current legislation, policy and guidance  relating to the work of Sure Start Children’s Centres  including the 2004 Children Act, the 2006 Childcare Act, the Ofsted inspection framework, the EYFS, the SEN Code of practice and Working Together to Safeguard children 2015.
• Knowledge of a range of factors which create stress for children and families and awareness of protective factors. 
• Current knowledge of practises to safeguard children and understanding of responsibility in the protection of children and promotion of their wellbeing.
• Knowledge of guidance documents which support the development of young children’s learning Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) profile.
• Experience of working with children and/or families
• Experience of work in a nursery or childcare environment
• Experience of teamwork.
• Experience of planning and organising play experiences for children.

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics 

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities. 
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade. 
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.

The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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