Senior Early Years Practitioner

University of Dundee Nursery, Ltd.

Full-time /Permanent

Nursery Grade 3

The University of Dundee Nursery, Ltd. offers high quality childcare to families studying or working at the University of Dundee. The nursery believes that children are individuals who develop and learn at their own rate, we believe that children's voices should be heard, and our staff are the vessels to ensure this happens. We offer children a wide range of experiences that will help them develop and grow as they learn new skills. We are a large nursery with four homerooms caring for children from birth to five years.

The successful candidate will lead a room within the service and be responsible for a small team of staff ensuring that they are compliant with current guidance and best practice and be responsible for ensuring that their team provide children with high quality learning experiences that encourage curiosity, investigation and problem solving, ensuring that planning meets the individual needs of all children. The successful candidate will liaise with management to ensure that the room is resourced to meet the needs of individual children and maintain a catalogue of resources available. They will also be required mentor new staff and students in the service and undertake supervisions or one to one meetings with team as required.

The successful candidate will facilitate children’s learning and development whilst ensuring that they listen to children and protect their rights in line with the UNCRC. They will observe and record children’s learning and development and plan next steps for individuals and cohorts of children, providing high quality learning opportunities that will encourage children’s problem solving and thinking and social skills.

They will be responsible for a group of key children which will include keeping c h i l d r e n’s i n d i v i d u a l l e a r n i n g j o u r n a l s up to date and when necessary, writing professional reports and school reports. They will be expected to work collegiately as part of the nursery team to deliver high quality childcare to children and their families within the service - this will include children from birth to five years.

The successful candidate will be capable of writing professional reports for internal and external transitions as well as

for sending to outside professionals working with children who have Additional Support Needs. They will be reflective of their own and colleagues practice and able to discuss professionally any required improvements within the service and their own practice.

We are seeking a passionate s e n i o r practitioner who strongly believes that children should be at the centre of nursery life, who is capable of hearing what children are telling them and who likes to bring fresh ideas to share with the team. The appointed person must be strong team player capable of using their own initiative whilst ensuring that all children's needs are met.

Summary of Skills & Qualifications:

• Must have SVQ$ in Childhood Practice or equivalent or be prepared to work towards a higher-level relevant qualification
• Must have experience of working in an early years setting
• Must have experience of working with Pre-birth to Three, Curriculum for Excellence, Realising the Ambition, GIRFEC and any other relevant frameworks or current guidance and be prepared to display this knowledge at interview
• Must meet requirements for registration with SSSC
• You will be required to be a member of the PVG scheme and not barred from working with children and/or protected
• Previous experience of leading a small team preferred

The nursery is based over two sites on the City Campus of the University of Dundee and cares for children from birth to school entry.

For further information about this position please contact Jacky Jones, Senior Nursery Manager, at j.u.jones@dundee.ac.uk.

To find out more about the University of Dundee Ltd Nursery please visit our website.

The diversity of our staff and students helps to make the University of Dundee one of the top universities in the UK.

Family friendly policies, staff support networks for BME and LGBT staff, membership of Athena SWAN and Stonewall, as well a full range of disability services, create an enjoyable and inclusive place to work.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work Location: In person