Main Purpose of the Role

Working within Perth & Kinross Council is more than a job, it's about being part of an organisation that puts people at the heart of all we do and provides opportunities to make a real difference by enhancing every life we touch.

We currently have the following opportunity:

Equity and Excellence Lead - PKC13260
£20,638 - £22,674 (18 Hours per week)
Rattray Primary School

The Scottish Government believes that children must have highly qualified staff with expertise in early childhood learning and development.

This is a fantastic opportunity to secure a permanent Equity and Excellence Lead within Perth & Kinross Council.

Our aim is to provide child-centred Early Learning and Childcare (aged 2-5 years) which reflects and responds to individual needs and identity.

As part of the early learning and childcare management team, the role of the Equity and Excellence Lead is to work as part of a team and support the delivery of high quality learning and development, lead on supporting children who face the greatest disadvantages and reinforce the ambition to close the attainment gap.

You will assist in the management of the service for the benefit of all children, families and the wider community.

The role will be based predominately at Rattray, and it is anticipated you will support other identified settings if required.

Skills & Experience Required

You will have knowledge of and support the implementation of Raising Attainment Strategy.

The post holder will have excellent communication skills and lead the effective delivery and development of the literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing curriculum to improve children's attainment.

You will improve confidence skills, knowledge and pedagogical practice of practitioners and increase parental engagement in child's family learning.

You must be able to work on your own initiative and as a team member who directly contributes to and supports colleagues in the development of a flexible childcare and early education service, which is appropriate to the needs of young children and their families in the centre and its surrounding community, within the context of both authority and nursery policies and procedures.

The post holder will have relevant experience in a range of early years settings and be qualified to degree level, BA Childhood Practice (or equivalent) and hold a SVQ 3 Social Service (Children and Young People), HNC in Childcare, NNEB, or equivalent qualification.

You must be able to register as a Lead Practitioner with SSSC, within 6 months of appointment and adhere to all elements of the SSSC Employee Codes of Practice and Perth and Kinross employee standards.

Working at Perth & Kinross Council

Our values and behaviours influence our work and support us in the delivery of our key priorities. In your application, and should you be invited to interview, you will be asked to describe situations that support the criteria required in the role and which also demonstrate our values and behaviours. Find out more about Perth & Kinross Council and you could soon be joining our team!

Here's what we can offer you:

• A generous annual leave package
• 6 days public holiday and an additional discretionary day
• Eligibility to join our pension scheme
• Family friendly and positive work/life balance policies such as Flexible Working, Maternity, Paternity & Adoption leave, time off for volunteering and our Wellbeing Framework
• Access to a range of benefits
• Paid SSSC annual membership for relevant positions

We recognise there can be benefits to flexible working and where individual jobs allow, we seek to support this. You are encouraged to discuss potential options with the recruiting manager, if this is of interest to you. A healthy work life balance is important to us and we provide supportive management and, where possible, flexible working arrangements to help you achieve that balance. You will have access to training and support for continued professional development.

This role requires you to be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), if you are not yet registered, you can still apply, as long as you are willing to apply for registration within 3 months of starting with us and be registered within 6 months.

Next Steps

We would love to hear from you and would encourage you to get in touch with Linda Reid at LindaReid@pkc.gov.uk or Jillian Ritchie at JMRitchie@pkc.gov.uk to find out more.

Click “APPLY NOW”

External candidates are required to provide contact details for 2 referees, including email addresses. One of these must be your current or most recent employer.

We welcome applications from everyone and as a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to interview applicants who declare a disability and meet the essential requirements of the post. Please contact the hiring manager above or the Recruitment Team on (01738) 475555 or recruitment@pkc.gov.uk to discuss any reasonable adjustments. Appointments are based on evidence supplied during the selection process.

Diversity is important to us and although some of our jobs may be perceived to be traditionally gender specific, we welcome applications from everyone and would encourage you to apply if you meet the job requirements. That includes welcoming applications from former armed forces personnel/reservists. Many of the skills picked up during your military career could be transferred directly into a role with local government.

Working with children and/or protected adults is regarded as a regulated role and under the Disclosure (Scotland) Act 2020 you will be required to join the PVG Scheme or undergo a PVG Scheme update check.

If you have lived overseas for a period of 12 months or more (continuous or total) within the last 10 years, an Overseas Criminal Record Check will be required. You will be required to provide this check.

A confirmed offer of employment and commencement in the post will be subject to the outcome of the above mentioned mandatory pre-employment checks (including references) and will also include eligibility to work in the UK, qualifications and fitness to undertake the post.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme