Early Childhood Practitioner, The Community School of Auchterarder Nursery

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:

Early Childhood Practitioner - PKC13350
£27,620 - £29,579 (36 hours per week Term-time & 21.6 hours per week during School holidays)
The Community School of Auchterarder Nursery

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Early Childhood Practitioner to join our Nursery team on a permanent basis.

We are seeking a qualified and skilled Early Childhood Practitioner with expertise in early childhood learning and development, to join our Nursery team at The Community School of Auchterarder Nursery.

You will be working with a team of skilled practitioners to support our children to develop their play and learning experiences across the curriculum.

The working hours for this post are as follows:

-    During term-time - 36 hours per week, over 5 days;
-    During the school holidays - 21.6 hours per week.

Shifts will be worked between 7:48am to 6:12pm.

Hours during school holidays may be condensed and worked over less than 5 days during the week.

This is subject to change with the needs of the setting.

Our setting is an extended years 45 week setting. You will be required to work Good Friday and Easter Monday if needed. Annual leave will be required to be taken when the setting is closed.

Interviews will be held on Friday 19 December 2025.

About the School

The Community School of Auchterarder is an all-through school, comprising Nursery, Primary and Secondary departments serving the community of Auchterarder and surrounding district. 
We have a roll of approximately 1,100 children and young people across all three sectors.  The nursery setting is an 80-place nursery setting, working on an extended years 45-week model. 

The school is situated in a rural location, approximately 14 miles south of Perth with good road networks to the rest of Perthshire, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt. Our Associated Primary Schools are Aberuthven, Blackford and Dunning.

Our school motto is ‘Strive to Excel’ and, working together, we encourage all children and young people to aspire to be the best they can be.

Our aim is to build a community of learners who are:
Happy
Engaged
Ambitious
Respectful
Trustworthy.

The Community School of Auchterarder, at the HEART of our community.                        

Skills & Experience Required

We are looking for a committed and dedicated individual who loves to work as part of a team.

Knowledge of 0-3 Years Curriculum and Curriculum for Excellence across Early Level along with knowledge of extending play is essential, as is a commitment to continuous professional learning.

The successful candidate will be a driven professional with appropriate Nursery experience and a passion for getting it right for every child.

For the role of Early Childhood Practitioner, you should hold an appropriate qualification e.g. HNC Level 7, – SVQ level 4, SVQ level 3 Social Services Children and Young People, as well as have the eligibility to register with SSSC.

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 Shona Duncan, Acting Principal Early Childhood Practitioner, by emailing TCSOAContact@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.