Early Years and Childcare Consultant

The Early Years Service ensures the local authority meets its statutory duty to secure sufficient high quality funded early education places for 2, 3 and 4 year olds and sufficient childcare for 0-14/18 year olds whose parents are in work or training to return to work.

We are looking for an Early Years and Childcare Consultant to join our Service.

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively neworganisation that combines the strengths and expertiseof the previousfive councils in the countytocreate positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to providestronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally.

Buckinghamshire is an ambitious, rapidly growing county, and our economy is one of the strongest in the country. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and ranks as one of the top rural areas to live in the UK and yet it is incredibly well connected– only an hour from London on the train. The county has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the international Paralympic movement.

We are looking for motivated, ambitious and inspiring people to join us on our journey. You will be entitled to a range of different benefits to make sure you are happy both at work and at home.

The Early Years and Childcare Consultant will work as part of the improvement and Development Team responsible for supporting providers to deliver the EYFS. They will work with providers to meet the needs of all children including those from vulnerable groups and those with SEND. They will ensure providers deliver high quality inclusive education.

The successful applicant will offer advice and support to ensure that early years practitioners from across the sectors including private, voluntary, independent, childminders, schools, academies, out of school and holiday clubs, deliver an inclusive Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and meet the requirements of the SEND Code of Practice 2014 and Equality Act 2010.

You will provide comprehensive support and advice to providers on safeguarding, child protection and the management of allegations against the workforce, along with sustainability, sufficiency, and finance. You will also contribute to the work of the Early Years Service, ensuring sufficiency of places for families of young children and with childcare places for children of statutory school age. You will support the early years sector and childcare sector with high quality training, facilitating networking groups and providing advice and support to a full range of Early Years and Childcare providers.

You should have excellent knowledge and first-hand experience of planning and delivering the EYFS curriculum. You will have experience of supporting vulnerable children including those with SEND and working with their families.

Please see job description for further information.

You will demonstrate excellent planning and organisational skills to produce high quality improvement plans, and other relevant documentation to support providers.

You will also demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills and have a proven ability to negotiate, inspire and maintain highly effective working relationships. They will be skilful communicators with the ability to engage and influence customers, partners and stakeholders giving advice on solutions to improve early years practice and meet the needs of all vulnerable children.

Please see job description for further information.

If you would like to find out more about this role, please contact Sue Bayliss at [emailprotected]

Closing date : Midnight on 16th May 2024

Interview date : 24th May 2024

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and convictions cautions

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious , Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

Ensuring that children and young people in Buckinghamshire reach their potential is a primary focus within our Education service. It’s essential that we provide inclusive and life-long learning opportunities for all of our young people - so we look to raise standards, attainment and aspirations in a number of ways.

Our key priorities include: improving the quality and timeliness of Education, Health and Care Plans and the support families of children with SEND receive; reducing the number of exclusions both permanent and fixed term; and providing the children of Buckinghamshire with the highest quality education possible.

We aim to provide the right support, at the right time for families requiring non-statutory intervention, and provide sufficient, high quality early years and school places for children in Buckinghamshire. Despite Buckinghamshire having a higher percentage of good or outstanding Early Years providers and schools than national averages, we are not complacent.

We are keen to strengthen the services we deliver to provide the children of Buckinghamshire the highest quality education possible.

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. We also offer a salary sacrifice personal car lease scheme to those who are eligible and have passed their probation period. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.