JOB 1

Job Title                    Nursery Key-person (Level 3)

Hours 39.5 hrs per week to include either 7.45am starts or 5.15pm finishes each day.
Basis                         Permanent
Salary £27,423 per annum / £13.30 per hour
Line Manager           Nursery Lead
Responsible to         Childcare Services Manager
Accountable to         Daisy and Rainbow Childcare Board of Trustees
Location Rainbow Nursery, The Mansion, Fore St, Totnes TQ9 5RP

Training / experience / Qualifications

Appropriate early years qualification at level 3.
Previous experience working with under 5’s in an early year setting.

Background to the post
Daisy and Rainbow childcare is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation CIO registered with the Charity Commission, in its current guise, since 2016. The charity has a long history within the community dating back into the 1980s.
Rainbow Nursery is based in the centre of Totnes, opens each weekday from 8am-5pm and provides care for children from 3 months to 4 years old.
Daisy Pre-school is a term-tine only provision based at the Daisy Play Centre in Bridgetown, Totnes, opens from 9am-3pm each weekday, and provides care for children aged 2-4 years old.
The two settings, in partnership, form Daisy and Rainbow Childcare which has a strong ethos towards allowing a child to explore, play and learn through open ended play, creative adventure with a core intent to support each child to develop a positive self-image. We know that a child’s family and the environment they live in will shape the child, hence we are keen to get to know the family and work with them as closely as possible.

Brief Description of the Job
To work under the supervision of the Nursery Coordinator and senior leadership team to care for the needs of a group of children aged from 3 months to four years old. To work using the early Years Foundation Stage, as appropriate to the children’s ages planning for, leading, and providing high quality care and early education through play.

Key Tasks

Play and Learning

To provide and support play experiences with playfulness, care for the children and enthusiasm for their development.
To bring an enthusiasm for play and willingness to co-play with the children, scaffolding and developing their learning through your interactions with them.
To work directly with a group of named children aged from 3 months to 4 years old providing learning opportunities through play.
To carry out appropriate child observations, assessments, and individual planning for a key group of children.
To use the EYFS to accurately assess a child’s current level of development and learning.
To listen carefully to children’s needs and meet them in an appropriate manner enabling children to develop and grow in a safe and caring environment.
To be able to respond with ease to the needs of all children in the nursery’s care as the nursery encourages all age groups to integrate freely across the full provision.
To work alongside a wider team of colleagues in close communication to ensure the care and play needs of all children are met.
To support, alongside your colleagues, the set up of the play spaces at the start of the day, monitor and make necessary changes to the play environment throughout the day and to ensure that the nursery is left tidy and ready for play the following day.
As designated across the week, take a lead with delivering the Belly Breathing, My Time and Rhythm and rhyme sessions,
As designated, lead play and learning during the Paddy Paws sessions, with children under 3 years old within a specific sensory play provision – i.e. playdough, water play, tummy time, heuristic play etc
To take children out on visits to develop their knowledge of the world around them.
To lead singing, messy play, garden play and storytelling sessions with small groups of children.

Curriculum Lead Responsibilities

Take a lead responsibility for a designated area of the curriculum.
Audit nursery resources and the nursery play environment to ensure your curriculum lead area is well reflected in the children’s access to play and learning.
Plan and lead the PAWS group, which focuses upon children aged 3 and 4 years old, using your designated curriculum lead area.

Communication with Parent / carers

Provide the induction to new parents and children when they first start at the nursery.
Greet your key children into the nursery, share and receive information with parents and provide an effective handover with key observations of how the child has been, at the close of the day.
To communicate directly with a child’s parents/carers about their child’s development and learning, and care needs.
To use WhatsApp, text and phone to communicate with parents as needed during the play day.
To maintain appropriate confidentiality regarding the children and their families
To attend any family meetings, as necessary, when requested by the Nursery Coordinator
Complete any necessary documentation to monitor a child’s wellbeing across the course of the day – accident forms, medication, sleep, diet, existing injuries, safeguarding – to be shared with parents.
To utilise video technology to record observations and assessments and to communicate with parents.

Care Needs

To ensure that all the care needs of the children are met – nappy changing, toileting, hand washing, helping with clothes, nose wiping etc
To prepare and provide snacks for the children, sit with children, and supervise and support breakfast, lunch, and tea sessions.

Care for the Nursery Environment

To actively support the ongoing cleaning and sanitising of play resources and the environment as required
Ensure all areas of the nursery are maintained at a high level of cleanliness – this to include filling and emptying the dishwasher, wiping down kitchen surfaces, cleaning down highchairs, tables, and chairs, sweeping floors and tidying after messy play sessions.
To be responsible, alongside your colleagues, for maintaining the garden to include hosing surfaces, weeding, sweeping, emptying water containers, cleaning sand, making the space safe to play in etc.
Work with colleagues to fill the washing machine, ensure laundry is dried, folded and then ready for use.
To be very alert and responsive to any potential play or safety hazards throughout the course of the day.

Safeguarding

To be very alert to any safeguarding needs that may be presented by the children in your care by knowing your families, your children, being alert to any changes in behaviour or any signs of potential abuse or neglect.
To follow up with any concerns about children by sharing this with a senior leadership team member.

Staff Supervision

As designated by the coordinator, take a mentoring role with a named student or volunteer which will include giving an induction, providing basic training, offering support and guidance

General

To demonstrate anti-discriminatory and anti- racist attitudes in all areas of work
To be a part of peer observation processes using video technology
To be able to recognise potential child protection issues and to respond appropriately.
To work to high health and safety standards
To participate in staff meetings, supervision and training as required (safeguarding and first aid training are mandatory). – Evening staff meetings are held at least monthly
To liaise effectively with other team colleagues
To work with other professionals involved in the child’s care and education as required – i.e., Health, portage, speech and language therapist.
Support the display of children’s work and visual resources which will aid play and learning.
To support any fundraising and celebratory events during the working day, being willing to join in, dress up and take a part in full spirit.
To adhere to all policies

The above is an outline of the range of duties expected of a Nursery Keyperson for the time being to indicate the level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exclusive list and duties may be varied from time to time which do not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility.

Person Specification - E = essential D = desirable
E Warm, welcoming personality with a ready smile and laugh
E A playful spirit
E Early years qualification at level 3 or above or working towards
E Experience of working with under 5’s in an early years setting
E Ability to work with children in a warm sensitive manner.
E Sound capability at planning children’s learning and play from observations made of individual children.
E Ability to communicate well at all levels
E Ability to work in a team.
E Ability to recognise and respond appropriately to children’s care needs
E Ability to develop a strong and appropriate relationship with all children in the group under care
E Ability to respond well and learn from direction
E A commitment to continued Professional development / training
E A commitment to equal opportunities
E Sound Understanding of child development
E Understanding of special educational needs in early childhood.
E Sound understanding of child protection issues
E Ability to record and evaluate your practice
E IT capabilities
D Any additional training related to child development
D Current first aid qualification
D current food hygiene certificate

NOTE There is no specific closing date however we recommend Early application as we look to fill this post as soon as possible as the right candidate steps forward and applies

Start Date - ASAP

APPLY NOW