Early Years Lead Practitioner

**Little Flyers have a unique and diverse outlook for children and staff in Early Years.**

**Whilst not compromising on quality nor legislation, we are influencing and shaping the changes we believe are needed in the sector.**

**This is not only in the way we deliver Early Learning and Childcare, but also advocating the respect and value our educators deserve.**
- We require a Lead Practitioner to work alongside our Setting Manager, and to support our growing team of Educators.
- To ensure positive relationships. To support, share and deliver your knowledge and experience with the team. Encourage and promote them to take charge of their own their own career path, offering progression and professional development.
- To always have the children's learning and development at the forefront in all that you do.

**Our current Senior management team and leaders consist of**
- Three family directors, where one works as the business manager, operations manager, lead setting managers, development and support manager, learning and development manager, room leaders and Little Flyers mentors.
- Have a minimum of two years’ experience managing, leading, supervising and role modelling within a staff team.
- Have experience of working in the early years sector at a lead practitioner or manager level within a fast-paced busy nursery environment is required.
- Have adaptability, be able to delegate, prioritise, problem-solve, and have the ability to deal with challenges calmly and professionally.
- Be able to demonstrate experience of successfully delivering exceptional care and education for all children and can contribute to quality assurance, monitoring, and plan for action.
- Be knowledgeable on all the most recent local and National documents including the expectations of regulatory and professional bodies, such us Care Inspectorate, Education Scotland, and our local authority.
- Have a proven record of the expectations mentioned above which are crucial to successfully supporting the nursery manager and operations team to lead, monitor and improve the service.
- Be driven, enthusiastic, dependable, and committed to high levels of customer service with a proven ability to maintain positive and supportive relationships with children, colleagues, and parents.
- In the absence of the manager, you will be required to step into the managerial role and manage the day-to-day operation of the nursery to ensure the Health and Safety of all children, their parents, staff, and visitors.
- As a successful leader lead by example, supervise, mentor, and support all aspects of the Early Years Curriculum, notably where it is required the most.

**Most of all, an enthusiastic sense of humour, fun, empathy and a love of natural resources and charity shops.**

**Culture and Values**

Our founder Sharon, has remarkably high expectations of values and believes that it works both ways. We expect honest, dependable, and enthusiastic diligent staff, and in return we offer
- A good work life balance.
- Extensive senior management support
- We listen and encourage all staff to have a voice, support progression and if no positions this can be offered in other ways.
- Training within your working day, avoiding evenings and weekends
- We have our own bank staff of Highflyers, this allows us to cover training, holidays and sickness, these staff are welcomed as our own, and inducted in the same way, to ensure consistency and high expectations in our service.
- We promote health and well-being and support our team and children to give them a positive outlook.
- We support colleges and schools and offer ongoing placements.

We are not only passionate within our own companies, Little Flyers, Highflyers and Jets Activity Clubs, Sharon is now founder of Scottish Private Nursery Association (SPNA) and works tirelessly as a voice for the whole Early Years sector in Scotland.

If you believe to have the same values and ethos, please get in touch to find out more and hopefully come on board.

**Salary**: £21,450.00-£23,400.00 per year

**Benefits**:

- Company events
- Company pension

Schedule:

- Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

- Livingston, EH54 6JR: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

**Experience**:

- Childcare: 3 years (preferred)
- Management: 1 year (preferred)
- Nursery: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: LF/FEB/LIVI