Childcare Apprenticeship – Level 3

Job description:

Level 3 Childcare Apprenticeship – Duchess Nursery – Wallingford

The Aspire Training Team are looking for an enthusiastic, reliable and hardworking individual to complete their Level 3 Childcare Apprenticeship at Duchess Nursery – Wallingford.

Our nursery is small and cosy with a warm family orientated atmosphere. We have three individual rooms to cater for all of the children’s needs and to help them to flourish and develop in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. We also have three lovely outdoor areas, one for each age group, to build confidence and as a place to be creative.

We have a dedicated and passionate staff team whose priority is to ensure a safe and secure environment. We build good relationships with both our children and parents and to support the children to achieve, in readiness for ‘big school’ ahead.

We would be proud to show you our nursery, to meet our wonderful team and to give you the opportunity to experience our happy and fun-filled environment.

We recognise the importance of ensuring a child feels happy, secure and welcome at our Nursery from the very start so offer a cosy environment and a smooth settling in process. When your child starts, we initially offer two settling in sessions, one with parents and one without in order to fully prepare you and your child for the nursery environment. Every child is allocated a key person who is instrumental in this process. We feel this is an important part in helping our families to feel relaxed and ready for their time at Duchess Nursery.

We work closely with each child and their family to give the child the reassurance to feel safe and cared for, ensuring they are not only happy, secure and making progress but also to act as the first communication point for parents. Your child’s key person builds a genuine bond with your family, developing a special relationship that cultivates the best interests of your child.

Your roles and responsibilities will include;

• Adhering to the Policies & Procedures of Duchess and Chatsworth Schools, ensuring compliance with the Children Act 2006, Health and Safety Legislation, all within the requirements and guidance laid down by Ofsted and the EYFS.
• Working together as part of a team for the good of the nursery and the children.
• You will be responsible primarily with the care and supervision of your pre-school key children, in regard to their physical, emotional and intellectual needs, keeping daily journals, observations and development records and also ensuring that the children’s behaviour is managed in a positive way. It will also be your shared responsibility to ensure that all children’s needs are cared for during the day as required.

You will be responsible for;

• Both your own and your team’s planning and preparation of activities to meet children’s individual needs.
• Utilising play and interactive activities to develop language and vocabulary, introduce scientific and mathematical concepts and improve social skills.
• Combining play and interactive activities with an increasing focus on early academic learning, including letter recognition, phonics, numbers and an awareness of science and nature.
• Planning, developing and implementation of the daily work schedule and lesson plans in line with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Planning and use of creative and practical skills to prepare inspiring learning materials.
• Planning indoor and outdoor activities to provide a positive and safe learning environment.
• You will liaise with parents to ensure effective communication within the nursery in a professional and clear manner.
• Whilst it is the responsibility of all nursery staff to offer children within the nursery equal opportunities with regard to their religious persuasion, racial origins, gender, disabilities, cultural or linguistic background; in particular, challenging situations where racism or discrimination is displayed, it is fundamentally your responsibility to ensure that you maintain this ethos.

It is the responsibility of all staff within the nursery to:

• Maintain the preparation, care, cleanliness and maintenance of the playrooms and equipment, bringing any faults to the attention of the Deputy or Nursery Manager.
• Assist with the supervision and effective mentoring of Nursery Assistants and Students and to provide a good role model for Nursery Assistants and Students, helping them to feel welcome and fit into the nursery.
• Keep and monitor accident and incident records in accordance with the nursery’s policies and procedures.
• Supervise mealtimes ensuring that all eating preferences and food allergies are adhered to and, where appropriate, preparation of babies’ bottles.
• Assist with laundry and dishwashing duties when required.
• Staffing in other nurseries as and when required.
• Attend staff meetings as arranged by the Nursery Manager.​​​​​​
• Participate in regular parents’ evenings, publicity, open weekends and children’s outings.
• Any other duties appropriate to the post as directed by the Nursery Manager, Deputy Manager and Chatsworth Schools

PERSONAL SKILLS: You will:

• Use clear communication techniques to create a happy, caring and stimulating learning environment.
• Transmit enthusiasm and develop children’s appetite for learning.
• Have an imaginative approach, with highly developed creative and practical skills.
• Be sensitive to the needs and feelings of young children.
• Be able to establish a positive relationship with parents and other professionals.
• Have a sound understanding of early childhood development and an awareness of problems that can interfere with normal development.

Requirements;

• You must be able to gain a clear DBS
• GCSE grades A*-C or 4-9 in Maths and English Language, or equivalent are desired
• There is not a regular bus service to the nursery, so beinging able to drive would be an advantage

Hours;

• Duchess Nursery, Wallingford are open from 07:30 -18:00 Monday to Friday, all year round
• The successful candidate will be required to work between 40 hours per week, with shift patterns to be discussed