Early Years Practitioner

EARLY YEARS PRACTITIONER | Full Time, Term Time Plus

Fixed Term until June 2026

Full
-Time Equivalent (FTE) Salary is £24,000.56 per annum.

Actual salary will be pro-rata to reflect hours of work and Term Time Plus.

Full Time - Term Time Plus, to include pro-rata of 3 weeks Holiday Club work during Normal School Holidays.

8am to 4pm;
Monday through Friday with half an hour unpaid lunch.

Closing Date - 4th March 2026

Interviews - W/C 9th March 2026

Job Purpose

• To be responsible to the Head of Junior School and Nursery in contributing to the delivery of the designated curriculum and to provide a service compatible with good practice in the education and care of children, in accordance with the policies and systems laid down by the School and in line with current Scottish legislation and national guidance, including the requirements of the Care Inspectorate, the Health and Social Care Standards, Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC), Realising the Ambition:
Being Me and, where applicable, the National Standard for Early Learning and Childcare. The post holder will uphold children’s rights in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as incorporated into Scots law.;

• To be responsible to the Head of Junior School and Nursery in contributing to the pastoral care of Nursery children and for monitoring and recording their overall development progress;

• To promote a stimulating environment which balances education and care for children, meeting their individual needs and those of their families, enabling each individual to achieve his or her potential.

Accountable To

Head of Junior School and Nursery

Key Responsibilities

Safeguarding and Child Protection:

• The post holder has a duty of care to safeguard and promote the welfare of all children within the Nursery.

• The Early Years Practitioner must adhere to the School’s Child Protection and Safeguarding policies and procedures and act in accordance with national child protection guidance and relevant legislation, including the Child Protection (Scotland) Act 2021.

• Any concerns regarding a child’s wellbeing, safety or development must be reported without delay in line

with School procedures and the principles of Getting It Right For Every Child.

• The post holder must maintain appropriate professional boundaries and demonstrate conduct consistent with the codes of practice of the Scottish Social Services Council.

To the Children:

• To create a supportive and caring ethos in all aspects of the Nursery environment in which individual children are encouraged and supported to develop self-esteem, self-confidence and respect for others;

• To provide an appropriately challenging and stimulating educational environment with the child at the centre, where individual children are encouraged to reach their full potential;

• To be actively involved in a programme of development with the children in relation to their self-help skills, toilet training, toileting, dressing skills, personal care and eating skills and, where children have not yet developed these skills, to provide care and support for them;

• To provide warm, responsive and nurturing care that promotes secure attachments, emotional wellbeing and a strong sense of belonging, particularly for younger children entering the Nursery setting.

• To demonstrate understanding of nurturing approaches in line with national guidance and to engage in ongoing professional learning in this area.

• To support individual children with intimate care routines including nappy changing, toileting, sleep and rest routines in accordance with Nursery policies and safeguarding procedures.

• To encourage children’s language and communication development and be aware of ways to stimulate language and communication through play, books, stories, alternative communication systems and by personal interaction;

• Where appropriate, to act as a key person for a group of children by taking the lead responsibility for them, ensuring they are comfortable and secure in their surroundings and…