Qualified Nursery Assistant - Maternity Cover

IPSWICH SCHOOL; Ipswich; On-site; GBP 12,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

Ipswich School Nursery is seeking a dedicated early years practitioner to support learning and development for children aged from Discoverers to Pre School. You will work under the supervision of the Room Leader to provide a safe, stimulating environment and to promote healthy growth.

Your duties include planning age-appropriate activities, assisting with daily routines, maintaining records of development and liaising with parents and staff to support each child's progress and wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Provide a stimulating, safe and caring learning environment for nursery children.
• Work with the Room Leader and staff to plan and set out age-appropriate activities.
• Initiate, facilitate and evaluate age-appropriate activities for groups/individuals.
• Keep careful records of children's development and share with parents and professionals as necessary.
• Promote self-care, independence and positive behaviour.
• Support health, safety and confidentiality in daily routines.
• Assist with EYFS activities and general nursery tasks as required.

Job description

We work in partnership with families to ensure each child feels safe, secure and has plenty of opportunities to discover new adventures, learn, grow, and thrive. We have four age ranges: Discoverers, Explorers, Adventurers and Pre School and children move onto the next stage at the appropriate time, when they are ready for the next stage in their development. Our specially designed rooms provide the perfect environment for each age range and children always have regular access to our spacious garden and outdoor areas. Our Pre School class has a full-time qualified teacher during term-time to lead on the EYFS curriculum learning outcomes.

• To work closely with the Room Leader, Deputy Room Leader and other staff to provide a stimulating, safe and caring learning environment appropriate to the needs of the children in the nursery.

• To work as a member of the nursery team to promote the physical, emotional, intellectual and social development of the children in the nursery.

• To plan, prepare and set out in an appropriate way, in cooperation with the room team, activities related to the nursery themes or agreed programme.

• To initiate, facilitate and evaluate programmes of activities (age appropriate) for groups and/or individuals, for example, story sessions, listening and reading, art and craft work, computer activities, cooking, music, dance, special needs activities in consultation with the nursery team.

• To ensure that the materials, equipment and resources are available for groups and/or individuals to undertake planned activities, to tidy up at the end of the session and to encourage children to help whenever possible.

• To share and at times to take sole responsibility for groups of children working in areas (both inside and outside under the direction of qualified staff) where a variety of activities are available, facilitating and enabling them by providing appropriate levels of support and interaction.

• To keep careful records of the child’s development and progress and share them with parents, the child and other professionals as necessary.

• To encourage the children (as age appropriate) in self-care, independence, caring for their peers and their environment, and good behavioural standards, setting excellent examples at all times.

• To advise the senior staff of any concerns with regard to children, parents, equipment or with regard to health and safety.

• To maintain and ensure adequate resources are available for activities planned within the activity room

• To maintain confidentiality with regards to any information about the children, their families or School business, including staff matters.

• To take responsibility as required for any activity under the authority and direction of the Deputy Room Leader, Room Leader or the Manager, for example, visits out of the nursery, group work, maintaining registers.

• To act as a Key Person.

• To pass relevant information to other key persons for them to talk to parents as required.

• To attend meetings as and when required.

• To deal appropriately with minor accidents and injuries both indoors and outdoors.

• To be vigilant in matters of safety.

• To assist with the EYFS Late Stay facility in the Prep when required.

• To be flexible within the working practices of the nursery. Be prepared to help where needed, including to undertake certain domestic jobs within the nursery, e.g. preparation of snack meals, cleansing of equipment etc.

• Look upon the nursery as a ‘whole’ assessing where your help can be most utilised, be constantly aware of the needs of children.

• To ensure the setting is a high quality environment to meet the needs of individual children from different cultures and religious backgrounds, and stages of development.

• Work alongside parents/carers of special needs children to provide full integration in the nursery.

• To ensure each child is collected by someone known to the nursery.

Specific Child Care Tasks:

• The preparation and completion of activities to suit the child's stage of development;

• To ensure that mealtimes are a time of pleasant social sharing;

• Washing and changing children as required;

• Providing comfort and warmth to an ill child.

This list is not exhaustive and duties may be changed or added to as determined from time to time. Please see job description for full details.

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