Early Years Practitioner (Float)

Job introduction

About the role

Acorn nursery is a council nursery which was awarded outstanding in our recent inspection. We are located in Portslade, and with 5 nurseries across Brighton and Hove, we are committed to providing a high quality service for children service. We believe having a play-based approach is important and so we have an open plan design and 3 playrooms, where children are split into groups based on their age and developmental stage. At the core of our service is our staff. We are proud of our staff who are qualified or working towards a qualification, who share our passion for delivering a high standard of care to the children and provide exciting opportunities for the children to grow, learn and develop into confident young people. You will be an integral part of the team.

You will be an integral part of the team and your key tasks will be:

• building relationships; being an inspiration to the children; supporting attachment building; ensuring the children feel safe; planning activities; maintaining records; using the Ipad to record development, carrying out observations; 
• We desire the applicant to have an understanding of safeguarding procedures and should be willing promote Positive Parenting. Acorn nursery is passionate about inclusion and we work closely with outside agencies to ensure we fully support children and their families.

This role will be working alongside a team of staff to ensure we provide engaging learning experiences in a safe and caring environment, supported by a Room leader and Deputy room leader. We are looking for candidates who:

• promote a holistic approach to our practice and encourage practitioners to provide experiences that are creative and encourage children’s inquisitive nature to explore and learn, creating a meaningful and rich learning environment which is stimulating and well resourced encourage children’s curiosity and fascination of the world around them.
• Can demonstrate inclusive and accessible practice,
• are passionate about inclusion and provide experiences and opportunities to all children in our setting. We practice a non-discriminatory approach and require our staff to demonstrate inclusion in all areas of their work, celebrating diversity.
• Be part of a key person for a group of children and building positive relationships; being a positive role model and ensuring the children feel safe and nurtured.

Applicants must have experience of working with young children 3 month -5 years in an early year’s environment; experience of delivering the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS); experience of meeting the individual needs of young children and their families; demonstrate a passion and commitment for providing high quality care and learning opportunities. 

We require applicants to be qualified to a minimum Level 2 in early years and childcare or equivalent. 

Our nurseries provide a full induction and training programme, and encourage professional development through day training courses, apprenticeships and higher education. We provide ongoing support in the form of regular supervisions and appraisals 

Why work for a council nursery 

• Work in a setting that is child and family centred, not for a profit. 
• Salary above market average starting at £26,409 for a full-time post of 37 hours a week, equivalent to £13.69 per hour 
• 3 in house training days per year, plus other opportunities to attend individual training courses. 
• Encouragement and support to further your education through continued professional development. 
• Loans available to support with bus travel or buying a bike and deposits on rental properties, these are paid back over the year straight from your salary.  
• Staff discount scheme can be used in local shops/cafes and national stores, includes free rides volks rail, discounted cinema tickets, and discounted gift cards. 
• Generous pension scheme 

Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Application form guidance) and Shortlisting questions guidance as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).