Early Years Assistant - Craigroyston Primary School

Early Years Assistant
Craigroyston Primary School

Salary: £26,806-£27,032 (pro rata for part time and sessional)
Hours: 12 per week, 39 weeks per year

Purpose of Job 
To work collaboratively as a member of the early years team within all council early years provision. 
Assisting in meeting the educational, care and welfare needs of all children ensuring those with  additional 
support needs who are able to attend a mainstream provision, can effectively access the curriculum. To be 
flexible and assist in carrying out general clerical duties as and when required in support of children’s 
learning. To provide support and assistance in the day-to-day operations of the School/Early Years Centre 
as directed by the Head Teacher/Head of Centre or nominated staff. 

MAJOR TASKS/JOB ACTIVITIES 

Under the direction and supervision of teaching or nominated staff, support children in the playrooms and throughout the learning environment through organised activities, providing support, assistance and encouragement to help each individual child achieve the best learning and development outcomes possible.

Providing support to teachers, early years staff and children in all learning environments e.g. supporting all aspects of early learning and development including early language, mathematics, health and well being and other general early years activities. 

Assisting in supporting young children’s creativity and skills for life and learning through play and through implementation of planned programmes. 

Providing help to children in organising their day and to follow instructions. 

Assisting in the provision of a high level of individual and personal care to children with additional support needs e.g. feeding, toileting, changing, dressing, applying medical aids, assisting children with specialist apparatus by means of an agreed individualised care plan; whilst encouraging independence and ensuring safety and comfort

Assisting in providing relevant information through record keeping, attendance at appropriate meetings as designated by the head teacher/Head of Centre or nominated staff member and contributing to the ongoing review of child programmes. 

Assisting in supporting record keeping by e.g. contributing towards the individual child’s personal learning profile. 

Within an agreed framework, assisting in implementing the School or Early Years improving relationships and behaviour management policy. 

Working as part of the school/early years setting staff team, ensuring the ongoing health, safety and welfare of the children including liaising with parents, professional agencies and individuals and bringing any matters concerning child protection to the attention of the teaching/senior early years staff in accordance with school/early years setting procedures and guidelines. 

Administrative elements of child welfare requirements, e.g. routine documentation and information dispersal, providing comfort and care for minor accidents, upsets or ailments e.g. cuts and bruises (reporting to teaching/early years staff if considered serious); 

Following standard procedures for risk assessment within and out with the playrooms environment when required. 

Assisting in programmes for children moving into mainstream schools/early years setting and other specialist provision e.g. supervising and escorting the child to the receiving school/establishments, assisting with allocated tasks, encouraging the child to participate in group activities. 

Participating in appropriate professional staff development opportunities, in service, refresher training as deemed appropriate.

This post is regulated work with children and/or protected adults under the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. The preferred candidate will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.  Where an individual has spent a continuous period of 3 months or more out with the UK in the last 5 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check. An unconditional offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of both these pre-employment checks being deemed satisfactory.

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce where everyone feels valued and able to be their best. We particularly encourage applications from women for senior roles, as well as people from minority ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or neurodivergent people, care experienced people, carers and LGBT+ people across all levels of the organisation, all of whom are currently underrepresented. All applicants will be considered fairly based on skills and experience. Disabled and care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum job criteria will be guaranteed an interview.

Find out more about our commitment to equalities https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/work-us/inclusive-edinburgh/4

As part of our goal to improve organisational culture and create a great place to work together for the people of Edinburgh, we want to make sure we're recruiting the best people. We’re interested not only in your skills and experience but also in your approach to work. Therefore, part of our interview process will be an assessment of how you would bring Our Behaviours of Respect, Integrity and Flexibility into your ways of working.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council

Our salary range typically reflects the initial starting salary and annually increases until it reaches the top of the range.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Follow us on X at @edincounciljobs  

View Early Years Assistant Job Pack

THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL

About Us:

Are you keen to shape the future of Scotland’s capital city? The City of Edinburgh Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to work with us and deliver key services across our capital city. We’re the second largest local authority in Scotland with a workforce of over 19,000 who all play a crucial role in maintaining and supporting vital services to over 500,000 residents. We offer an incredible variety of career opportunities across a broad range of sectors. Join us and you’ll find a role where you can make a difference and grow your career.

Our Culture:

Our Behaviours, respect, integrity, and flexibility guide everything that we do, and we strive to make sure all colleagues feel valued and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. We want to make sure that we bring people into our roles who demonstrate Our Behaviours and are dedicated and committed to our purpose of serving our community. We are focused on delivering excellent customer service to meet citizens needs and make the city a better place.

You can find out more on Our Behaviours web page Our Behaviours – The City of Edinburgh Council.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We recognise the benefits that diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds bring to our organisation, and we’re committed to employing a workforce that represents the population of the city we serve. We particularly encourage applicants from under-represented groups including women, LGBT+ people, racially minoritised groups, people with disabilities and people who are neurodivergent.

As part of our commitment to inclusive recruitment, we're delighted to announce that we have extended our guaranteed interview scheme to include all applicants who are or have been care experienced, and who meet the essential criteria for the post. This extends our current arrangements of being a Disability Confident Employer, that guarantee an interview to applicants who meet the criteria for the post and who declare a disability.

Happy to talk flexible working.

Colleague Support and Wellbeing

As outlined in our People Strategy 2024-27, we aim to nurture a healthy workforce where we can all thrive. We offer regular events, initiatives and learning opportunities covering a range of different health and wellbeing topics.

We’re committed to supporting employees to achieve a healthy work life balance. There are several policies in place to support this ranging from flexible work options to career breaks. Our full suite of employment policies can be found here.

We have a range of support options available including access to counselling, a mental health support service, an occupational health service, speak up supporters and a colleague listening service.

Reasonable Adjustments:

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience at work for all our colleagues and we’ll work hard to ensure that we meet the changing needs of colleagues throughout their time with us. We’re also geared up to support all candidates who may require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. Candidates invited for interview, should let the hiring manager know what they need, and they will do everything they can to accommodate your request.