About The Role
*Please note that this is a temporary position covering 12 month maternity leave starting January/February 2025*
The East Kent Colleges Group is home to three amazing nurseries serving students, staff, and the local community from our Broadstairs, Canterbury, and Folkestone College campuses. We are looking for a full-time Nursery Practitioner to cover maternity for a period of 12 months within our friendly Folkestone team.
You will receive support in the form of a hand-over from the individual going on maternity leave, and there will be other opportunities over the next year as the sector continues to grow.
A great team spirit and warm, nurturing surroundings for the children in our care are at the heart of who we are. We’re looking for an experienced Level 3 qualified Nursery Practitioner to support the Nursery Manager and work within our amazing team.
So, if you’re looking for somewhere to share your Early Years Level 3 knowledge and skills and make a difference in children's lives, and you’re committed to safeguarding, then you're looking for us too!
We are committed to development and will support development through to Level 3 for the right candidate.
Alongside our priority of excellent student experience, we also focus on our employees. Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:
* Competitive salary and holiday entitlement
* Access to 100's of online discounts via our Rewards Scheme (Inc. Restaurant, Grocery, Retail, Gym, Holidays)
* Access to cycle to work, car leasing, and tech purchasing schemes
* Generous pension scheme - 18% employer contribution
* Being part of a company with an Eco-Sustainability focus of being Net-Zero
* Time off for your child's first day at school, moving home, and for interviews
* My 10 Days initiative - bid for up to 10 days off work to pursue voluntary work
* Being part of Community Days and Annual Staff Celebration Day
About You
We are looking for hardworking, experienced Level 3 practitioners with the knowledge and skills to deliver high-quality care and education and make a difference in children's lives.
You must have experience working within a nursery environment and an understanding of the EYFS. The position will require taking on a key person role in delivering high-quality early years education, working in partnership with parents/carers, and implementing welfare requirements to the highest standards.
You will be able to demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively at all levels, including professional and practitioner levels, and to engage with children, parents, and families. The candidate will also need to demonstrate a working knowledge of child development and children’s needs, as well as knowledge of relevant health and safety, ensuring the environment is always safe.
You will understand policies and procedures in relation to equality and inclusive practice and be able to implement this in your work. The candidate will also be comfortable taking on other responsibilities as deemed necessary.
No need to spend time updating your CV, just click apply and complete our short application form. You can save your progress as you go, and we’ll review all applications and get back to all candidates after the closing date.
If you are interested in an informal chat about the role or have any queries, please email us at jobs@ekcgroup.ac.uk.
About Us
Outstanding Ofsted Provider
The East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. Our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group, illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.
Commitment to Safeguarding
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, ensuring that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.
As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check, and obtaining sufficient references.
It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.
If you are successful in being shortlisted for an interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.
Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.
We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to health needs or disability.
Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the position's essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.
We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.
We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.
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